I read the news today, oh boy. Like a bad rash or a creepy uncle you'd thought you'd ditched, News Watch returns this week for a 2nd edition. Sadly, our staff was working overtime this weekend on some revampments and what have you with binnallofamerica.com, so our news team consisted mainly of one sickly intern and a handful of his creepy friends. Hopefully, we'll have a more serious crew in shape by next week or that intern is out on the street.

Hot 5 Stories of the Week

Big ups to last week's story on "Crystal Skulls" which seemed to generate the most interest. In an effort to foster interaction, please feel free to vote in the poll (@ the "United States of Estorica" forum) for your pick for this week's Hottest Story.

1>Inauguration Performers Ordered NOT to look directly at Bush(Scripps Howard via Infowars.com)

http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/inauguration_performers_ordered_no_look_bush.htm

I'm beginning to wonder if the world is really this crazy or if they just write headlines to confuse us. Sadly, this article's headline really is merely a blurb in an otherwise generic article re: the intense security surrounding the inaugeration. Thankfully, we will not have to worry about any hazardous pets of puppets.

From the Story :

Besides weapons, other items on the banned list include coolers, folding chairs, bicycles, pets, papier-mache objects, displays such as puppets, mock coffins, props and "any items determined to be a potential safety hazard."

2>African rat becomes landmine hero (Reuters via CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/01/15/rat.land.mines.reut/index.html

While I am a rodent lover, I do loathe rats, but it is good to see that they are contributing to society, finally. And, no I don't count the Plague. This story details how minesweepers in Mozambique are taking to using rats as yet another method to ferreting out land mines. Human potential and ingenuity at it's finest.

From the Story :

To most rural Africans, rats are either a pest or added protein for an evening meal.

"It took a while for me to accept the idea at first and even among the villagers near the minefield there is some skepticism about what the rats can do," said Mozambican Samo Manhica

3>E! to air Jackson trial re-enactments (AP via CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/12/jackson.tv.ap/index.html

Who are the people that need this show ? I hate them. And it is going in my Tivo as soon as it's scheduled. Definitly creepy, most likely poorly acted, possibly at times insightful. At least it's on "E" instead of a real news channel, although I'm sure we'll get extensive coverage there as well. This "story" really is a press release in disguise, which says a lot about the media in general. The only usable quote is below and even that borders on crap.

From the Story :

An American and a British television company found a creative way around the ban on cameras in the courtroom for Michael Jackson's child-molestation trial: dramatic re-enactments.

4>Second quarter 3-pointer proves decisive (AP via Foxsports.com)

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3323258

The lowest scoring basketball game ever ? Most likely. Another sign of the impending Armageddon ? I hope so.

From the Story :

Hard to imagine a 3-pointer in the second quarter of a high school boy's basketball game would turn out to be the winning basket — unless it's one of only three made in the entire game.

5>Russia and Iran Join Efforts to Struggle Against Invasion of UFOs (Pravda via stevequayle.com)

http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/05_Unexplained/050113.RU-Iran.UFOs.html

Pravda does it again with another outrageous story about Russia and the paranormal. I'd really like to know what the Russians think of Pravda. Is it like the Weekly World News over there ? What's interesting about this story is that it is yet another geopolitical story re: UFOs this month. India is floating disclosure and now this. It looks like the secret is unraveling, either on purpose or via incompetance or magnitude.

From the Story :

Unidentified flying objects continue terrorizing the Eastern hemisphere of planet Earth. No one knows what to do with them, although it is obvious that something has to be done with the problem.

Future News Now

Making Killer Flu (ScienCentral News via stevequayle.com)

http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/05_Disease/050113.making.flu.html

Mysterious rash of microbiologists dying ? check. Overzealous and undertalented folks messing with deadly diseases ? check. A overrun planet ? check. Looks like we have a genetic armageddon on our hands here folks. Since this is all about combining the bird flu with the human flu is there really any other name for this new disease but ... Quayle flu ?

From the Story :

Flu experts say the lab experiments are crucial to find out what may already be happening naturally in Asia; they fear the lethal bird flu circulating there will swap genes with a human strain to create a killer strain that could easily spread from person to person.

Noory Stories

In an effort to encourage frequent posting of top news stories, I am awarding kudos and huzzahs for the following two people : Oscar de Tuly who broke the microbiologist story on the Streamlink forum which predicated numerous segments from Noory throughout the week. Also, jerseyred's "Sex Bomb" discovery was discussed by Art Bell last night.

Think you know Noory ? Find the newstory he will read and you will be awarded with an unnamed thing at some point eventually. Post it in the "united states of esoterica" forum in this week's News Watch thread to get credit for your find.

Editorial

No Glory for Ufologists when Disclosure Comes

The whispers in the darkness insist that 2005 is the year of disclosure of the UFO phenomenon. Yes, they whisper that every year, but this year, they promise, it will be different.

What the many in the UFO community fail to realize is that disclosure may serve as the ultimate death knell for the community at large. While some more mainstream Ufologists will be lauded for their work in the burgeoning field, the vast majority will be swept away by the oncoming rush of "mainstream" scientists eager to play with "their" new discovery. The extreme and creative of the UFO community will be marginalized even further, although that's not to say it's a bad thing.

Perhaps most maddeningly will probably be the way the media handles disclosure, should it ever occur. Chances are their coverage would gloss over the decades long truth embargo in favor of a "well, we always knew all along any way" attitude, followed by quickly focusing on the "now".

In the long run, disclosure would obviously benefit the sciences more than anything, as the freedom to investigate the advanced technologies would allow for human ingenuity to create a much improved world. However, before one must even consider that, we must also come to a relatively awful truth : disclosure is nearly impossible to go off without a hitch unless we are part of a one world government. And, thus, the frightening tightrope is walked between what one wants and what one fears.

End Notes

With some new bells and whistles and shiny doodads, News Watch will be back again next week like that "Tag Team" song. Be safe, be real, and be prepared.