News in General

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Former Goldman Sachs trader Morgan Sze is set to launch his highly anticipated $1 billion-plus hedge fund in Hong Kong on Friday, three sources familiar with the plan told Reuters.

Sze's Azentus Capital has received commitments of more than $1 billion for his multi-strategy fund, said the sources, who declined to be identified because the plan has not been made public.
The launch comes as a growing number of high-profile traders plan hedge funds as Goldman and other Wall Street banks shut proprietary trading desks in response to the "Volcker rule."

That rule limits the risks banks can take with their own capital in the wake of the global financial crisis.

"It's a long time since Asia has seen a launch of that size," said Andrew Gordon, head of alternative investment services at BNY Mellon in Asia Pacific.

"I think it's the sign of the ongoing progress of the industry which is good news. Maybe the less good news is that it's making it more difficult for some to launch small and grow big," he added.
Hong Kong-based Sze, former head of Goldman's Principal Strategies group, received an asset management license for Azentus Capital in February from the Securities and Futures Commission.
The firm, one of the biggest hedge funds to launch since the onset of the credit crisis, is one of the most high-profile in Asia, home to only 18 hedge funds managing more than $1 billion.
By comparison, London has 63 managers with assets of more than $1 billion, while New York has 128, data compiled by industry tracker Hedge Fund Intelligence shows.

The fund, which plans to adopt a number of investment strategies including equity long-short, risk arbitrage and special situation investing, has hired Roger Denby-Jones, former chief executive of Asia-focused hedge fund Boyer Allan Investment Management.
Other team members include former Goldman Sachs (Asia) executives Bruce Kirk, Mohan Rajasooria, Jenny Sun Kin-nam and Jeffrey Zielinski.

INDUSTRY MILESTONE

The launch is a significant milestone and lifts the prospects of the $152 billion Asian hedge funds industry, as tried and tested fund managers expand options for an increasing number of institutional investors aiming to raise exposure to the region in search of higher yield.
It also strengthens the revival of flows into the industry that saw 95 new launches attract $3.84 billion in 2010, an increase of 50 percent from a year earlier, data from industry tracker AsiaHedge showed.

Last year, hedge funds in the region added $20 billion to their assets, backed by positive returns and accelerated flows in the second half of the year.
Some of the biggest launches were Gaoling Natural Resources Fund ($250 million) from Hillhouse Capital, Hareion Fund ($220 million) from Areion Asset Management and Sertorius Global Opportunities Fund ($200 million) from CSAM Asset Management.
More significantly, funds such as Senrigan Capital, seeded by Blackstone, quadrupled assets to above $800 million last year.

Others such as Turiya Capital, launched by ex-Goldman Sachs executive Davide Erro and Orchard Capital, which spun-off Stark Investments in 2009, saw assets grow to close to $500 million.
Some of the other big expected launches in 2011 include funds planned by industry veteran Carl Huttenlocher who quit Highbridge Capital recently.
The growing list also includes Charlie Chan, former Credit Suisse proprietary trader, and Benjamin Fuchs who earlier worked as a proprietary trader for the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers in Tokyo, according to media reports.

Interest in the region is on the rise with the Asia Pacific emerging as the top-ranked geography for net investor demand in 2011, according to a survey released by the prime broking unit of Credit Suisse earlier this month.

Nearly half of the more than 600 investors surveyed by Credit Suisse said they had demand for exposure to the region which contributes about a fifth to the global hedge fund assets of about $1.9 trillion.
(Editing by Ken Wills and Vinu Pilakkott)

WASHINGTON – NASA is studying a surprising cosmic burst at the center of distant galaxy that has burned for more than a week, longer than astronomers have ever seen before, the US space agency said Thursday.

Calling it "one of the most puzzling cosmic blasts ever observed," NASA said it has mobilized the Hubble Space Telescope along with its Swift satellite and Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the phenomenon.

"More than a week later, high-energy radiation continues to brighten and fade from its location," NASA said in a statement.

"Astronomers say they have never seen such a bright, variable, high-energy, long-lasting burst before. Usually, gamma-ray bursts mark the destruction of a massive star, and flaring emission from these events never lasts more than a few hours."

The first in a series of explosions was detected by a NASA telescope on March 28 in the constellation Draco.

Astronomers think the the blast occurred "when a star wandered too close to its galaxy's central black hole," NASA said.

"Intense tidal forces probably tore the star apart, and the infalling gas continues to stream toward the hole. According to this model, the spinning black hole formed an outflowing jet along its rotational axis. A powerful blast of X- and gamma rays is seen when the jet is pointed in our direction."

On April 4, the Hubble telescope spotted the source of the explosion at the center of a galaxy 3.8 billion light-years away from Earth.

"We have been eagerly awaiting the Hubble observation," said Neil Gehrels, the lead scientist for Swift at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"The fact that the explosion occurred in the center of a galaxy tells us it is most likely associated with a massive black hole. This solves a key question about the mysterious event."

The Swift telescope has catalogued the event as gamma-ray burst (GRB) 110328A, alerting worldwide astronomers to its existence for further study.

Antimatter derivative cosmic rays coming to our galaxy soon dramictically changing our sun and all the interplanetary magnectic gravitational fields. Pole shifts will occur on all planets in our solar system. The sun will have massive CMEs and humans will go underground.

This is your future and no the space toys can deflect the incoming 34,000 mph boulders that will bomb out planet earth with force far exceeding atomc bombs. Quakes, tsunamis, and errupting volcanoes before November 21, 2011 (the awareness date).

Morphic dissonace will affect your entire understanding of the universe at the time of this event. The resonace of the sun will change as will all human and animal understanding and awareness. All that you have learned and all that you have beleived with rare exception shall be destroyed and truth shall prevail as you realize your purpose of existance. You will recongnize the evil of the world through understanding all that is good and righteous at that time.

Man has become destroyer of worlds and he shall not be allowed to continue.

THIS IS TRUTH
RMV

THE END. Your beginning.

An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology.

The impending disclosure announcement follows upon the secret implementation of a year long openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the period February 12-14, 2008, the United Nations held closed doors discussions where approximately 30 nations secretly agreed on a new openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life in 2009. The openness policy was implemented but never publicly announced due to threats against UN diplomats not to disclose details of the secret agreement. h The secret UN agreement was based on two conditions. First, UFOs would continue to appear around the world; and second, the openness policy would not lead to social unrest in liberal democracies. Both conditions have been satisfied making it possible for the next stage to begin – official disclosure of extraterrestrial life.

Obama’s September 24, 2009 chairing of the UN Security Council meeting on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, signaled his emerging leadership role in tackling major global issues such as nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize was an important step in giving global legitimacy to President Obama in making an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. Obama is therefore poised to play a prominent role in the increased global governance that will be necessary after an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. The timing would most likely coincide sometime soon after his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on December 10, 2009 in Oslo, Norway.

There have been various sources that have revealed deliberations are underway to make an announcement concerning the existence of extraterrestrial life by the end of 2009. These include, Dr Pete Peterson, a whistleblower who has recently emerged revealing high level discussions have taken place concerning announcing the existence of extraterrestrial life. In a Project Camelot interview, Dr Peterson revealed that “Obama is planning to disclose the reality of ET contact by the end of the year; and that most, but not all, of the ET visitors are friendly.”
Another source is David Wilcock, a prominent researcher of emerging scientific paradigms. Wilcock has been told by additional independent sources that extraterrestrial disclosure will take place by the end of 2009. He furthermore claimed in a Coast to Coast AM radio interview that “a 2-hour international TV special has already been booked that will introduce an alien species, similar to humans, to the world.”

In addition, popular NASA and space researcher, Richard Hoagland, has publicly come forward to reveal that the October 9, LCROSS ‘bombing’ mission of the moon, discovered an ancient base at the moon’s South Pole. Reviewing the scientific data achieved by NASA’s LCROSS mission, Hoagland concluded, also on the popular late night Coast to Coast AM radio show, that “LCROSS is part of a carefully constructed campaign to prepare the populace for imminent disclosure. The President of the United States will soon announce that scientists have discovered ruins on the moon, he added. Nobody saw the LCROSS debris plume because the probes struck a building which swallowed the effects of the explosion.”

Finally, two independent and confidential sources have revealed to me that face to face meetings have recently occurred between U.S. military officials with one or more groups of extraterrestrial visitors. This has allegedly led to confidence being built for future cooperation with the extraterrestrials that will be formally announced to the world public either at the end of 2009, or early 2010.

In conclusion, a diverse number of sources and events point to some form of extraterrestrial disclosure being made by the end of 2009, or early 2010. Official disclosure will most likely emerge in either of two scenarios. One is that President Obama will announce the existence of extraterrestrial visitors, and describe one or more of these to the world. This scenario is supported by Peterson, Wilcock, and my own confidential sources. The second scenario is that an announcement will be made concerning the discovery of artificial structures at the moon’s South Pole, as revealed by the LCROSS mission. This scenario is supported by Hoagland.

Which ever of the above scenarios is used for announcing the existence of extraterrestrial life or technology, President Obama will figure prominently. Behind the scenes, powerful institutions are ensuring that nothing derails the planned disclosure announcement. The disclosure will follow upon a year of greater government openness on UFOs in accord with a policy secretly developed at the United Nations. If extraterrestrial disclosure does occur at the end of 2009 or early 2010, President Obama will lead an unprecedented effort to promote global governance through the United Nations. The Obama administration and its supporters are poised to take a bold step forward in helping our planet become an interplanetary culture that openly deals with the challenges posed by extraterrestrial life.

Remember that technology is a tool, provided by consciousness, to create as pleasurable an environment as possible. You need to make the next grand ‘leap’ – that is, to grow from a planetary society to a galactic one. Never forget, dear Ones, that you are mutating into ‘Homo Galactica’, A more integrated version of you, this galactic human, possesses the ability to hold open, meaningful dialogue with your true self.

Our mission is divine and our aim will be to manifest many important projects, to promote world peace, alter social, cultural and economic structures, and permit Mother Earth to transform herself. As a final step, we will introduce you to your local Spiritual Hierarchy, and re-unite you with your brethren in the Inner Earth.

Crucial inroads in our ability to control and force a series of major resignations in a number of powerful governments are also in place.

We have observed the many biological projects produced in the dark cabal’s laboratories. While we have drastically curtailed these projects since the late 1990’s, several of them, introduced during the 1970’s and ‘80s, devastated your world and became major global epidemics.

We have also tightened the special inter-dimensional security shield that surrounds your planet, and can prevent anyone that we have not authorised, from leaving or entering your planet. We will disarm all nuclear weaponry, and supply suitable replacements for all nuclear powered electrical generation facilities in your world.

Our vehicles are living, organic Beings, equipped with highly advanced organic computers that are enlarged reproductions of our brains. A ship has the capacity to interconnect with us on all levels. There are long range working networks that are built into each ship, there is a smaller range network that telepathically connects all crew members to the ship. As you board one of our craft, you are immediately ‘plugged’ in to this network, which comprehensively monitors all of your body functions, thought processes and emotional states of each individual on board. This wondrous piece of technology will appear to you as a living, highly intelligent Being. One of the major abilities of this technology is interstellar travel. We can adjust a ship’s frequency in order to move it from star to star. These ‘jumps’ from one solar system to another, occur because of the way physicality is constructed.

Originating from scout ships or large Mother Ships, we will reveal through radio, T.V. and computer networks, the true picture of the world’s history, also of conspiracies to deny you a cache of technology.

Originating from scout ships or large Mother Ships, we will reveal through radio, T.V. and computer networks, the true picture of the world’s history, also of conspiracies to deny you a cache of technology. Broadcasts will explain how people of the Inner Earth have looked after you. They have prepared an almost endless array of enclaves for you, Eden-like realms where you will complete your mutation into fully conscious Beings. The special places built for you are fully operational and waiting. Mass landings will be delayed until the time arrives to deliver you to your new temporary homes, in Inner Earth. Heaven has set aside a period from mere weeks to almost 14 months to serve as a transition.

We have come from all sectors of this galaxy – also from many nearby galaxies, and vast Orders and Life-Streams of Heaven. We will start producing your Galactic Society, and you will be able to travel anywhere throughout this immense universe. Soon, you will move closer to Sirius and take your place in its multi-star system. In the year 2013, it is your destiny to join the Lion Beings of Sirius ‘A’ and the human galactic societies of Sirius ‘B’ and ’C’. In a short time, Mars will bloom once more, Venus; land of abundant oceans will teem with life. Maldek will re-emerge, and the innermost planet astronomers have named Vulcan. The Moon will become your new near-Earth ‘Space Station’. You will become as familiar with Mars as you are now with your precious Mother Earth.

Your reality is in the midst of a process that is changing it forever. Underlying your present transformation, is creation of a new, fully conscious reality. Past, present and future will become one. The need to be limited, or dwell with the dark will have ended. Every collective consciousness reality, shifts only when it attains proper critical mass. When this occurs, your reality as a whole will transmute.

NEW YORK – A jailed former Mafia boss who once ordered a payback killing in the infamous "Donnie Brasco" case made gangland history Tuesday by becoming the highest-ranking member of the city's five Italian organized crime families to break their sacred vow of silence and testify against one of their own.

Joseph Massino took the witness stand at the Brooklyn trial of Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, who served as one of his captains in the Bonanno crime family. Prosecutors say that Massino secretly recorded Basciano admitting he ordered a hit on an associate who ran afoul of the secretive Bonannos.

"You will hear the defendant did not tolerate being disrespected or disobeyed and that the penalty for both was death," Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Argentieri said in opening statements.
Moments after being sworn in, Massino pointed across the courtroom and identified Basciano — "the guy sitting in the gray suit" — as the crime family's former acting boss. The defendant stared back at the government's star witness, steadily chewing on a piece of gum.

In clipped tones, Massino gave the anonymous jury a colorful tutorial on the Mafia.
By cooperating, he explained, he was violating a sacred oath he took during a 1977 induction ceremony to protect the secret society. It was understood, he said, that "once a bullet leaves that gun, you never talk about it."

He testified that when he took control of the family he gave strict orders to never utter his name — a precaution against FBI surveillance. Instead, his soldiers touched their ears to refer to him, earning him the nickname "The Ear."

Asked about his duties as boss, he replied, "Murder. ... Making captains. Breaking captains" — lingo for promoting and demoting capos. He said he also had to assess talent.

"It takes all kinds of meat to make a good sauce," said Massino, the one-time proprietor of a Queens restaurant called CasaBlanca. "Some people, they kill. Some people, they earn, they can't kill."

Massino, 68, broke ranks and began talking with investigators after his 2004 conviction for orchestrating a quarter-century's worth of murder, racketeering and other crimes as he rose through the ranks of the Bonannos. The bloodshed included the shotgun slayings of three rival captains and the execution of a mobster who vouched for FBI undercover Brasco in the 1980s. Brasco's story became a movie starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.

While imprisoned together in 2005, the former Bonanno boss agreed to wear a wire and betray Basciano.

The understudy "told me that he killed him," Massino said in recounting a conversation about the 2004 slaying charged in the current case. "He said (the victim) was a scumbag, a rat, a troublemaker, a bad kid."

In his opening statement, defense attorney George Goltzer told jurors that Basciano took credit for the coldblooded murder to protect the real killer — a friend in the Bonannos who acted without proper permission — "from the wrath of Joseph Massino." The lawyer described Massino and other turncoats slated to testify for the government as deceitful opportunists.

"The United States government needs to make deals with the devil. ... You don't have to accept what they say," Goltzer said.

Prosecutors say Basciano, the one-time owner of the Hello Gorgeous beauty salon, rose to his leadership role after a series of Bonanno defections and successful prosecutions in the 2000s decimated its leadership.

The 50-year-old defendant, known for his explosive temper, could face the death penalty if convicted of racketeering, murder and other charges. He already is serving a life term for a conviction in a separate case in 2007.

Massino is serving two consecutive life terms for eight murders. He testified his cooperation spared his wife from prosecution, allowed her to keep their home and gave him a shot at a reduced sentence.
He said he hoped "one day maybe I'll see a little light at the end of the tunnel."
And what about Donnie Brasco?

Massino said he had never met the real-life undercover. Asked whether the movie was accurate, he started to move his hand in a dismissive way before the judge cut him off.
"Jurors, disregard this," the judge instructed while making the same motion.

the Easter Bunny has a long history as a pagan symbol. Experts believe that early Christians "co-opted" the rabbit as a way to make their own holiday more popular.

The abbreviated history: "Many pagan cultures held spring festivals" hundreds of years ago. One such festival was in celebration of "Eostre, the goddess of dawn." Mental Floss explains that Eostre was "linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility." As a way to convert the pagans to Christianity, missionaries began turning the festivals into Christian holidays.

• 
  "Mmmmm yummy, roasted rabbit in mustard sauce."

In 331, Constantine commissioned Eusebius to deliver fifty Bibles for the Church of Constantinople. Athanasius (Apol. Const. 4) recorded Alexandrian scribes around 340 preparing Bibles for Constans. Little else is known, though there is plenty of speculation. For example, it is speculated that this may have provided motivation for canon lists, and that Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus are examples of these Bibles. Together with the Peshitta and Codex Alexandrinus, these are the earliest extant Christian Bibles.

I still can't believe people are taken in by this shit when they read about its history.
I mean if you need something like this to make you ethical and moral...then you just don't have it in you to begin with and are part of the problem.

There has been much speculation concerning what is most likely to have been the identity of the original plant. There is no solid consensus on the question, although most Western experts outside the Vedic and Avestan religious traditions now seem to favour a species of Ephedra, perhaps Ephedra sinica

have you ever seen or heard so much utter bullshit in your entire life?