|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I've felt like pure garbage for the better part of a week. A combination of lack of sleep, far too many cigarettes, and a lousy diet, the result of which is one sickly binnall. Hopefully, I'll be in bed moments after publishing this week's News Watch and be on my way back to feeling swell.
This week's News Watch tackles a host of topics. Starting with Hot 5 from the Debris Field, where we look at the big UFO conference in Toronto, new esoteric fall shows, Sasquatch invading America, donkey meat in urine, and executed prisoners used for beauty. Future News Now highlights the old lady arrested for stealing sausage. That's Entertainment discusses the recent Bob Dylan festivus that includes a long awaited film and double CD set. My Fandom : Year 2 includes more hand wringing over the pennant race in the AL East. Noory Story Scores and an editorial on NASA's big moon mission.
Quickly now before I vomit again, it's News Watch time.
Hot 5 Stories from The Debris Field
The links are straight from Lesley's blog The Debris Field. The commentary is pure binnall.
1>Waiting for first contact (Toronto Sun)
http://torontosun.com/News/OtherNews/2005/09/15/1217851-sun.html
Whomever is behind this Canadian UFO conference has earned my unending kudos. Rarely have I seen an event with the kind of buzz this one has gotten. The good part is that it embodies the changing face of Ufology from "lights in the sky" to the practical politics of the matter. Good to see the media is catching on.
Retired school principal and long-time Toronto UFO researcher Victor Viggiani doesn't want to talk about lights in the sky.
He's been there, done that, and yes, he believes.
He says it's time to shift the debate from the phenomenon of sightings to the geo-political implications of contact with a higher intelligence. 2>Unexplained Phenomena Lurk Behind New Shows (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/13/arts/television/13stan.html
I knew I could count on Lesley to dig up some info on these new Coast-esque shows that I alluded to last week. And dig she did, from the New York Times, no less. La dee da.
My first reaction after looking over these shows is, "oh, crap". We're looking at another generation of people misled by poorly researched fiction masquerading as esoterica. Get ready to hear another lame clown say "EBE" instead of "ET", to try and look "with it". For all the good that shows like X-Files did, they also did a lot of bad. I expect another round of such with this season's farings of shows. Hopefully, Lesley can let us know if any are any good.
"Supernatural," on WB, is genuinely scary. But there are half a dozen other new dramas designed to make viewers run from the room screaming, including two about aliens from outer space, and at least one sea monster. There is even a remodeled "Night Stalker."
Could it be a symptom of our times? In an era plagued with man-made perils like global warming and biological terrorism, when even natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina seem compounded by human failings, perhaps we seek the comfort of a higher scapegoat- supernatural forces beyond our control and not our fault.
3>Saswuatch threaten America (U of Tennessee)
http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=48461
One of the funniest articles I've read in a long time. A must-read for any Coast fan.
It is a rare moment that I put down my pudding pops and stop playing Final Fantasy games to be serious. But I am about to discuss a topic so grave, so inflammatory, so divisive, that even if I farted while I was talking about it you wouldn't laugh.
Our nation is under attack. Countless invaders are crossing our borders unchecked every day. Untold thousands are illegally entering this country and bringing a multitude of problems with them.
I am speaking, of course, about the Sasquatch. 4>Donkey meat in urine becomes a new delicatessen (funreports.com)
http://funreports.com/fun/14-09-2005/1270-0
Only in China. You can't sell Tiger meat there, apparently. So, some restaurant sold Donkey meat ... in Tiger pee. The reporter is baffled as to why they shut the restaurant down as Donkey meat is okay to sell. Wow.
It is illegal to sell tiger's meat in China, so the authorities closed the restaurant. However, it turned out later that the customers were offered donkey's meat with tiger's urine instead of a sauce.
According to the restaurant's owner Ma Shikun the meat was flavored with tiger urine to give the dish the special "tang". 5>The beauty products from the skin of executed Chinese prisoners (Guardian Unlimited)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1568622,00.html
Only in China again. Much like the Native Americans, the Chinese seem to have a way of making use of everything, including their executed prisoners. And, of course, they are making money off of this stuff by selling it to posh Eurotrash. I thought Madonna's face looked shinier.
A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered.
Agents for the firm have told would-be customers it is developing collagen for lip and wrinkle treatments from skin taken from prisoners after they have been shot. The agents say some of the company's products have been exported to the UK, and that the use of skin from condemned convicts is "traditional" and nothing to "make such a big fuss about".
Grandmother, 73, held as sausage looter (infowars.com)
http://www.infowars.com/articles/new_orleans/grandmother_sausage_looter.htm
No doubt, Katrina has turned the tyranny up a notch. Alex Jones is in the trenches to bring me the news that is sure to convince even the most ardent skeptic that we are, sadly, living in the New World Order.
Why I haven't heard this story on one of the umpteen video packages on the cable news stations, I have no idea. A little old lady gets busted for stealing some sausage the day after Katrina and she is still in jail. A victim of out of control police, as usual. Hey, at least she didn't get tasered ... yet.
Police say the grandmother from New Orleans took $63.50 in goods from a looted deli the day after Katrina struck.
Family and eyewitnesses have a different story. They say Maten is an innocent woman who had gone to her car to get some sausage to eat but was wrongly handcuffed by tired, frustrated officers who couldn't catch younger looters at a store in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans.
Even the deli owner doesn't want her charged.
That's Entertainment !
(Our usual man, Khyron, is hard at work compiling more entertainment goodies over @ www.khyron.net. In an effort to not jostle him, we are presenting more entertainment musings from binnall this week.)
Dylan Fesitvus
After what seems like 2 years of hushed rumour and innuendo, the much anticipated Martin Scorcese documentary about Bob Dylan, "No Direction Home", will roll out on DVD tomorrow. As I certified Dylan fanatic, I could not be happier. The film pretty much covers the ground covered by Dylan's critically acclaimed autobiography "Chronicles", that of Dylan's years in New York City when he first rose to stardom, culminating in his infamous "going electric" in 1966.
What makes this film so special is that the notoriously reclusive Dylan actually sat down for a lengthy interview for the film. Much of it is in the documentary and gives ultra rare perspective from Dylan himself on the early events of his life. Throw in new interviews with folks who have become famous for knowing Dylan back then, like old girlfriends and fellow folk artists, and you've got an amazing primary history lesson on the early life of one of America's greatest artists.
All this arrives about a month after the film's "soundtrack" which consisted of about two dozen new unreleased Dylan songs from that period of time, under the banner of Dylan's "Bootleg Series". Much like the film, and the famous 1966 concert in England, the two disc set is broken into two parts, folk and rock.
The folk stuff is pretty good, most notably the awesome rendition of "When the Ship Comes In". I enjoyed "Dink's Song", but wished it had the little snippet of dialogue that comes after it that I'd heard somewhere else. Also, there's a great tune on there called "Sally Gal" that is best described as "rousing".
Meanwhile, the rock disc is amazing. I've always been a diehard fan of guitarist Mike Bloomfield's all too brief work with Dylan, so this disc was like a discovered treasure in that regard. Bloomfield gives an insane performance in "Maggie's Farm" from the notorious 1965 Newport Folk Festival, complete with a humorous and ironic introduction for Dylan. Most of the rest of the tracks are alternative versions of his classic songs from the mid-1960's that everyone knows. This alt. versions are pretty interesting, ranging from wholly unique to nearly irrelevant. A nice view of the creative process nonetheless. Worth mentioning is the version of "Highway 61" without the police siren. It's like seeing Magnum P.I. without a moustache, confusing but illuminating.
There's also a Starbucks Dylan album that came out about a month ago, but I shant rave about that too much. It was halfway decent and, no doubt, one I will go back to when I've exhausted the new stuff and realize that it is actually pretty sensational, an exercise that happens quite often with Dylan albums.
Suffice it to say, I am awash in Dylan and I couldn't be happier about that. I'm sure I will be completely mindblown after seeing the Scorcese film. For those of you who have PBS, it will be airing on your local station on 9.26 and 9.27 in primetime as part of the "American Masters" series. Hope you enjoy. Here's the website for the flick, for more information : http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/dylan/
My Fandom : Year 2
Last week, I was happy that the Red Sox had managed to maintain a decent 3 game lead over the hated Yankees as we began the week. Sadly, I am now chagrined to report that the Sox have had their lead whittled down to a mere one and a half games. Egads. This is getting serious.
The gist of it is the hated Yankees went on a 6 game winning streak starting last Sunday, while the Sox dropped a few games last week to Toronto and Oakland. Those evil Yankees even managed to sweep their bitter rivals Tampa Bay, a surprising change of pace from their usual meetings. So with two weeks left in the season, that final three game series between the Sox and Yankees is taking on heart attack inducing proportions. If the Sox don't have a 3 game lead going into that series, the EMTs in Boston may be working overtime that weekend.
With all this madness going on, the Sox were dealt a tough blow in the middle of the week, when popular back up centerfielder Gabe Kapler ruptured his achilles tendon, leaving him out for the season. Kapler was on the team during last year's magical season and then went to Japan where he was treated like crap by the Japanese team he signed with. He managed to finagle a way back to the States and wound up back on the Sox mid-season and was a nice morale boost for the team. With Johnny Damon having a hurting shoulder, the loss of Kapler for the season is even worse timing. Twas nice having you back when you were around, Gabe, you'll be missed.
The other big news in Boston right now is the debate over whether or not David "Big Papi" Ortiz should win MVP. The crux of the debate is that since he is "only" a DH and doesn't play a field position, he doesn't deserve it, at least that is according to baseball purists who apparently vote on the MVP award. Obviously, the sentiment in Boston is that this concept is ridiculous. Ortiz is the heart and soul of the Red Sox and a simply amazing clutch hitter. Last I'd heard, which was Friday I believe, Ortiz was responsible for something like 18 game winning hits, many of those late inning home runs. Simply put, when the game is getting in the later innings and the team trails by one or two runs, the guy you want at the plate is David Ortiz.
We're getting down to the nitty gritty of the season and the Red Sox hold on the top spot in the AL East is tenuous at best. This week, the Sox go on their final road trip of the season, heading to Tampa Bay, which will probably be surprisingly tough, and Baltimore, who have imploded. Meanwhile, the hated Yankees will be playing the feeble Baltimore, who may win one game, and the sometimes dangerous Toronto Blue Jays. This time next week, it could be anyone's guess how the standings look.
The Noory Story Showdown
This Week's Point Getters : You know the routine. Contact me if I missed you.
Streamlinkers : FAZER, 4 points : "PLANET-DISSOLVING DUST CLOUD IS HEADED TOWARD EARTH !", "Tremors may mean 'Big One' on its way", "Mice Infected With Bubonic Plague Missing", "Big growing bulge found in Oregon"
qwerty : "American al Qaeda Member Warns of Attacks"
joelnet : "Nursing Home Owners Charged in Katrina Deaths"
infinity 7th : "Power Blackouts in Los Angeles"
theUSofE.com : theorist 6 points : "Hurricane Ophelia churns off East Coast", "Major power outage hits Los Angeles", "Cheney to Have Surgery Next Weekend", "Bush Vows Aid for Storm-Struck Gulf Coast", "Hurricane Ophelia pelts North Carolina", and "Where the devil is the exorcist convention?"
baemark : "Scientists find growing land bulge in Oregon"
Oscar 4 points: "Mike Brown says he has resigned", "45 Bodies Found at New Orleans Hospital", "Judge declares Pledge unconstitutional", "Tremors may mean 'Big One' on its way"
Somnus : "Global warming 'past the point of no return'"
Current Standings as of 9.19.5 : Oscar (49), Baemark (41), theorist (10), mirage (10), FAZER (6), Tony1 (6), somnus (6), dark matter (5), jerikai (4), Majestic Peak (3), qwerty (2), WTL (2), Green Moon (2), Shredder (2), Japanese American (2), SomeAverageJoe (2), 1234 (2), anotherlight (1), cns (1), Nettie (1), PB@J (1), infinity 7th (1), and joelnet (1).
Score 1 point for posting a news story that gets read by George Noory, Art Bell, or a guest host on the show. Stories posted after they are read by the hosts do NOT count. If you are not credited by me in News Watch, YOU are responsible for letting me know that I missed it. You can ONLY post your news stories in either the Streamlink message board "Current Events" folder or the U.S. of E. message board "Current Events" folder. (News Stories posted in individual episode folders or "Anything Goes" do not count)
The WINNER is the person with the most Noory Story points (cumulative) in the January 2nd, 2006 Edition of News Watch.
The 1st PRIZE is a $40 dollar shopping spree @ the official binnallofamerica.com store.
The 2nd & 3rd place PRIZES are binnallofamerica.com T-Shirts and a mystery surprise item.
Any questions / comments can be sent to tbinnall@hotmail.com This contest is REAL. No wagering, please. Editorial
Someone, somewhere does not want to see this "Back to School" Editorial. In light of the tragic events of last week, we opt to discuss them instead of ripping on schools. We may do it next week, but if not, the gist of it is "schools stink" and "those who can't, teach". I was also going to encourage kids to drop out of school, which would have been funnier had I extrapolated more. However, we have serious business to take care of this week ...
To the Moon ... Eventually
I'd really not intended to write an editorial on NASA's big Moon mission announcement but then I actually got around to reading it and it appears that I am going to have to call them out once again. Our friends at the awful space agency have finally gotten around to telling us how they plan to get a man back to the moon and, as usual, it is worthless.
We start with the cost, 100 billion dollar ! No, no, this plan was not written by Dr. Evil, but perhaps just a big fan. Seriously, that's how much NASA says this will cost. Only they could be so dumb as to ask for 100 billion when the country is wallowing in ever increasing debt. Where they were when we had that huge surplus is anyone's guess. No one in their right mind, save for Coast fans and that is debatable, will support a 100 billion dollar plan to go back to the Moon. Strike One.
The next big problem is they would start in 13 years by putting 4 astronauts on the moon for a week. Hmm. 100 billion = 13 years, 4 astronauts, 1 week. NASA, are you drunk ? No where have I seen a cogent explanation for why it will take more time to go back to the moon than it took in the first place. Shouldn't it take less time considering that we have increased in technology by an insane amount ? Of course. But NASA won't admit to that. Strike Two.
Let's face it, the final strike is NASA itself. They cannot be relied upon for anything other than a half assed job. If the government really wanted to go to the Moon, they'd farm out the rights to such adventures to corporate America. Hey, Microsoft, you want the moon ? Go there and it's yours. Bet you Bill Gates would be on the Moon within 3 years.
Before you get all excited and wistful about NASA going back to the Moon, I'd caution you to believe it when you see it. Or, if you are like Bart Sibrel or countless other paranoid dweebs, don't believe it even after you see it. A classic binnall prediction that someone will have to dust off in 13 years : NASA ain't gonna get to the Moon by 2018. I predict 2025 at best. Perhaps the goal is for one moon landing every century, I don't know.
I'm left pondering just what the hell Richard Hoagland was talking about all last year when he claimed that after Bush was re-elected that the timetable would be "sped up" for space travel. Speaking of which, I recall being lectured by one UFO enthusiast last year who was chagrined that John Kerry only supported "low level launches", or some other garbage, so George Bush was the only logical choice for a Ufologist. Excuse me while I chortle in laughter. In an election year, the candidates lie to everyone. I thought that was common knowledge. I hope no one supported Bush because they thought he was a better candidate with regards to the space travel issue.
At the end of the day, we must recall that NASA is one great PR machine. No more, no less. Sorry to break the hearts of NASA lovers worldwide, but it's true. Like any government agency, they are inept. Think of them as the FEMA of space travel and you may get an idea of what to expect from this upcoming moon mission.
And we wrap it up again this week, not a moment too soon. I was just about to spew in a bucket. While I nap, be sure to check out Part 2 of the Season Premiere of BoA : Audio, Season One with Jim Marrs. Remote Viewing, 911, nukes in America, and tons and tons of other stuff.
Plugs : Tomorrow @ BoA, Lesley's Grey Matters returns with an examination of Canada's recent UFO news spate. Khyron's Ghost Files is up and running once again and we should hear from him on Wednesday. Thursday, Hot Newz. Friday, binnall report. Saturday, BoA : Audio, Season One, Marshall Klarfeld, "Adam, the Missing Link". Sunday, Saturday Night Punnett and smoker dave. Next week this time, News Watch.
Off to get better. While I'm doing that, you be safe, be prepared, and be real.