News in General

LONDON (Dec. 10) -- London police are facing a major investigation into how they allowed a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, to be ambushed by protesters -- some of them chanting "Off with their heads!" -- in the British capital.

Demonstrators enraged by a parliamentary vote to let universities sharply increase tuition fees targeted the royals as they were driven to a show in London's West End theater district Thursday night.

Visiting Canada in 1969, Philip spoke about his views on republicanism:
It is a complete misconception to imagine that the monarchy exists in the interests of the monarch. It doesn't. It exists in the interests of the people. If at any time any nation decides that the system is unacceptable, then it is up to them to change it.

NEW YORK – The eldest son of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff hanged himself by a dog leash in his Manhattan apartment on Saturday, the second anniversary of his father's arrest in a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that swindled thousands of investors of their life savings, law enforcement officials said.
Mark Madoff, 46, was found hanging from a ceiling pipe in the living room of his SoHo loft apartment as his 2-year-old son slept in a nearby bedroom, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

Madoff Firm Trustee Sues Bank Medici Before Deadline
December 11, 2010, 10:12 AM EST

By FIONA MACRAE

Scientists today lined up to air their fears over a genome pioneer's claims that he has created artificial life in the laboratory.
In a world first, which has alarmed many, maverick biologist and billionaire entrepreneur Craig Venter, built a synthetic cell from scratch.
The creation of the new life form, which has been nicknamed 'Synthia', paves the way for customised bugs that could revolutionise healthcare and fuel production, according to its maker.
But there are fears that the research, detailed in the journal Science, could be abused to create the ultimate biological weapon, or that one mistake in a lab could lead to millions being wiped out by a plague, in scenes reminiscent of the Will Smith film I Am Legend.

• Attack on the Royals: the unanswered questions

These people are masterful at
turning the royals into victims as a huge distraction from what
was happening in Cancun.

I tell you guys what, I have stayed clear of a television for quite some time now, and if I happen to pass by one, I get an INSTANT HEADACHE. It literally hurts me (If I watch a movie or something, I just watch online). The t.v. commercials, news, and shows are literally so fucking DUMB that is causes me physical harm. Growing up, I used to pretty much bathe is that sort of bullshit. How nutty is that?

• 
  "What the fuck is
  this shit?"

constant commercials for shampoos and makeup; childish
programming; and worse yet are the shows about food damn near all
day long.

And yes, the dramas. A blithering array of dramas which the women
here take with them and imitate in their own lives. A corporate
hodgepodge of pop culture shit.

As usual, another good call, Qsc; sort of like this really neat
avatar I discovered on this board I spend time at

Check out this electromagnetic rail gun the US Navy's looking at

DOVER, Del. – Police in Delaware searched for clues Monday in the death of John Wheeler III, a former Army officer who served in Republican administrations and helped lead efforts to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington.

The body of Wheeler, 66, was discovered on New Year's Eve as a garbage truck emptied its contents at the Cherry Island landfill. His death has been ruled a homicide.
Wheeler retired from the military in 1971 and lived in New Castle. He reportedly was last seen Dec. 28, traveling on an Amtrak train from Washington to Wilmington.

Police have determined that all the stops made Friday by the garbage truck before it arrived at the landfill involved large commercial disposal bins in Newark, several miles from Wheeler's home.
"He was just not the sort of person who would wind up in a landfill," said Bayard Marin, an attorney who was representing Wheeler in a dispute over a couple's plans to build a new home in the historic district of Old New Castle where Wheeler lived.

Wheeler, the son of a decorated Army officer, was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a veteran of the Vietnam war. He was the first chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and led the multimillion-dollar fundraising effort to create the memorial on Washington's National Mall.
Fund founder and president Jan Scruggs said Wheeler dedicated himself to ensuring that service members were given the respect they deserve.

"I know how passionate he was about honoring all who serve their nation, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice," Scruggs said in a statement released Monday.

Wheeler served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
In addition to chairing the memorial fund, Wheeler served as a special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force. He also was the first chief executive of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Wheeler's military career included serving in the office of the secretary of defense and writing a manual on the effectiveness of biological and chemical weapons, which recommended that the United States not use biological weapons.

"He was a very humble kind of guy, actually," Marin said. "He was never the kind of person who would talk about all the wonderful things he did in his life."

John P Wheeler III: Former Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Member of Council on Foreign Relations, Consultant to Mitre Corporation Found Dumped in Landfill
January 3rd, 2011

What was he doing at Mitre?

A four page bio on John P Wheeler III is currently available at Second Line of Defense:

October 2009
BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN WHEELER

John Wheeler is a defense consultant. He served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. from 2005-2008, when he became the Special Assistant to the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Logistics and Environment. His mission was to carry out tasks and monitor programs in support of goals as directed, and support the Air Force Secretariat with data gathering, team organization, liaison, analysis and/or options for action. Principal tasks included standing up Cyberspace Forces and placing Precision Strike technology and Real Time Streaming Video targeting links into the hands of groundfighters in combat.

Mr. Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1966, serving as a staff officer in Vietnam, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Staff before leaving active service in 1971. While on active duty, he authored the first Biological and Chemical Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual and the analysis supporting the President’s decision that the U.S. will not use biologicals. He was also on the Red Integrated Strategic Operational Plan Team to test the Single Integrated Operational Plan. His career combines federal service and starting up, growing and turning around companies and charities. He was Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on the team that worked major insider trader investigations, and consultant to the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics regarding tankers and other issues.

• Massive fish kill blankets Arkansas River
  By the CNN Wire Staff
  January 3, 2011
  
  (CNN) -- Arkansas officials are investigating the death of an estimated 100,000 fish in the state's northwest, but suspect disease was to blame, a state spokesman said Sunday.
  
  Dead drum fish floated in the water and lined the banks of a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near Ozark, about 125 miles northwest of Little Rock, said Keith Stephens of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. A tugboat operator discovered the fish kill Thursday night, and fisheries officials collected some of the dying animals to conduct tests.

• 4,000 Dead birds followed by unexplained death of 100,000 fish
  Jan 03, 2011
  
  Thousands of dead birds have been joined by dead fish in a disaster of Biblical proportion.
  
  Preliminary reports show no evidence of poisoning in some 4,000 birds that fell from the sky dead on January 2, 2011 in Beebe, Arkansas.
  
  In an odd twist, just 24 hours after the unexplained death of thousands of birds, more than 100,000 fish have also suddenly died in a nearby river.
  
  Some people are now suggesting that the fish and bird deaths are part of a Biblical plague, [dumb ass stupid fucking morons; they can sit in front of a computer and research this shit yet they still insist on believing in this nonsense] according to MSNBC News.