Back after a long break

It's been a few years (actually, almost five) since contributing to this blog and it seems that although we live in an ever-changing society, and so much has happened, in many ways not very much has changed at all. Maybe it's even gotten a little worse. I know my hair line has.

So 2009-2014 what's the difference? For starters, we've had the same President. Which sounds like more of the same and maybe it has been judging from poll numbers. Admittedly I was a hopeful optimist back then. In what felt more like a populist uprising, I too was wanting the change, hopeful and ready for new leadership oceans away from the cold restrains of the Republican party.

There was so much to look forward to. The closing of the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention facility, (but moreover the end to a regime of systematic state-sponsored torture). Water-boarding. Ending the occupation of the Middle East, and avoidance of further unnecessary war and bloodshed. Fixing our troubled economy after the massive housing-bubble/derivatives shock of 2007-2008. Possibly winning the War on Terror? The hope of real universal healthcare, and the list goes on. There was even the dream that our fractured nation would somehow begin once again where MLK jr. and JFK left off with a much needed racial healing. Lots of things were wrong with America in my eyes back then, but there was a glimmer. Quite sadly, one that seemed to dim before it even had a chance to shine. The question really is, was it ever meant to?

Probably not is my best guess, and I guess I kind of think of it as a classic bait-and-switch type move with bitterly no lemon law clause attached. Of course now that the lame-duck session is in full swing, we're basically sitting in a death spiral type hold pattern until the next election cycle, of doom. Now to be fair, this isn't just a reflection about the failings of one man, or of a single political party, or even one once-great nation, so please forgive my optimism, there's the rest of the world to consider.

On second thoughts ... I mean, even if you are one of the lucky ones rich enough to have your very own private island, what good will it be when the global warming goblin washes it all away? Aww. You poor sod you. And the idea of somehow avoiding (insert your preferred apocalypse scenario here) by creating a floating island utopia free to make its own laws, in my mind anyway, is about as absurd a way to deal with the underlying population/global warming problem as building 3 massive mile-high walls to prevent tornadoes in the mid-west.  

Then there's at least 1 billion or so other people not so economically fortunate that face imminent starvation due to over-fishing as the world's oceans cough up ever less quantities of radioactive, acid-scorched and chemically poisoned plastic fish sticks. Bees. Fish. The ever elusive tender-footed tree shrews from Patagonia all pretty much toast if the trend of human induced mass extinction continues along its merry way.

Japan, our strongest Asian ally, has basically become a broke-ass limping glow-stick wearing a no-resuscitation bracelet. South Korea still has this massive hunch-back looking growth just waiting to pop itself into a million festering bombs angrily sitting on its doorstep. With their imperial grease-slicked teenage leader testing out his nukes while proclaiming the possibility imminent war over the release of some shitty American comedy movie, I'd really hate to be near that guy when he wakes up on the wrong side of a bad hair day.

The Philippines is only serving itself using the US as a proxy-protectorate from an invading China, or Japan, whichever comes first, and we all know that. Otherwise they pretty much hate us. Speaking of, South America is a complete write-off as far as the US is concerned too, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying and failing by any means. Eventually, something has got to give. Right? We could probably just skip right over Africa all together, except they might possibly hold the most promise - at starting all over again that is. India finds itself torn between what it once was and what it wants to be, but it's also got a problem ... absolutely no idea what it wants to be just yet. Fortunately, that's pretty great for us right now. And by us, I mean the global right-wing corporate hegemony and lovingly cherished alliance of Team America. Yay Team!    

Speaking of big dogs ... there's Russia and China of course. Take your pic of either of these two individually and there's problems, but together? Well that's just not fair, and unfortunately these guys really seem to have some sort of chip on their shoulder these days. Instead of the previous quid pro quo (debt exchanged for plastic crap) back-scratch from China, it's now the dog house for us lot. And by dog house I mean ... (Kenny voice please) ... They took our jobs! (end pretend Kenny voice) ... Then they took our companies, our debt ious, technology and our gold. Now they're here buying up everything else they don't own yet over here. Like New York and poor people. Let's not forget the gobbling up promising Pacific territories like it was some sick Lebensraum-Tibet sequel gone wrong. So far our best come-back seems to be renaming the street in front of the Chinese consulate in DC with the name of the Tiananmen Square guy.

Russia on the other hand, is just one defense treaty away from calling check mate and issuing another state-sponsored, smirk laden I told you so Putin photo-op doing his best bare-chested 007 pose. Forming the BRICS, participating in the 77, and switching away from the petro-dollar trading alone have already had devastating effect. What do we have to show for it? Ukraine? Not very likely. Certainly things are not off to a very good start. Crimea. For what it's worth, overall it means nothing to us, except the very real possibility of igniting WWIII which would be pretty special. Nuclear laced headache that is. But if Russia decides not to take the bait and invade, then what? We get it? I would think (of all countries) Israel would lay claim if they haven't already.  Now in my mind, sticking a national land claim on a land claim on a land claim is bound to ruffle someone's feathers enough to say F_ck it I'm not playing chess anymore. Playing football has to be out of the question, but unfortunately all the right nuclear team players are sitting right there somehow or another getting involved.

Everyone knows no matter how you slice it in a conventional land war in Europe, Russia wins every time. I'm sure some super-intelligent military planner think-tank type guy might come back with, well if we put everyone (US and NATO together) against the reds that just might work. But then he'd be wrong. I would think this time Germany prefers to keep out of things, and anyone else rational enough to remember anything about history or geography for that matter. Everything else is just lip service. Thinking you can kick Russia's ass in a (conventional) war is like losing a basketball game to Michael Jordan every time 50 times in a row, and then expecting a different outcome on the 51st go-round. Wouldn't you be smirking a little bit if you were Mike? I'm not even sure how you could sell this stupid idea to someone. I mean how do you even begin that conversation? ...

US: Oh hey, what up Lithuania. How's it going?

LIT: Not too bad. Soo ... What do you want this time?

US: Good. Good to hear. Oh nothing really, but if it's not too much of a hassle, would you be able to commit to a total war against Russia with us? You know bro, coalition-style we'll pay you and all to do it of course and send in some advisers and stuff. Oh, and hey, Germany and England (let's be generous lol) said they might be willing to, you know, help out and stuff too. So what do you say? You in?

LIT: Uh-huh yeah. So let me ask John, are you calling from Denver or ...

US: No, no this has all been successfully planned out and all. Mocked up. We've done countless computer simulations ... We just need a few more ...

LIT: What? Marbles? You must have forgotten about ... wait. Is this thing being recorded?

US: No. Huh? Oh, no not at all my friend. This time will be different ... I assure

LIT: Oh ok. Sure. So then not like that time with the Mongols at all then?

US: Who? No the ... What? Never-mind anyway, as I was say ...

LIT: ... or Napoleon. Now come to think of it, aren't the French still providing the Russians with ...

US: Now that ...

LIT: Or Germany, or Germany, or Germany either?

US: Well we have ...

LIT: If you say Poland right now, I'm hanging up.

US: Well no, I was going to say Romania, or was that Slovakia? Anyway, and ...

LIT - Click.

Besides, I can't help but wonder where Europe's heat will come from this winter, or next winter for that matter if this sick game of political Russian roulette we seem to keep losing continues. Convoy-style cargo containers containing fracked Nebraska gas? Think tornado prevention wall.

Regardless of any future military monkey business, if these guys end up getting their way, no one will want our funny money to play with anyway, and that's about the best we have to offer at the moment, except for McDonald's, Disneyland and Miley Cyrus of course. At least the Chinese build roads and stuff for the countries it wants to exploit for resources, which seems to work better than private jets and briefcases padded with cash.

And back to the funny money. Like a sinking ship, our modern monetary Titanic is worth less then five years ago, and that was worth less five years before that and so on, but at an ever faster rate. And as we continue to earn our same stagnant wages, pretending to live our same middle-class lifestyles, we just sink deeper into debt and depression. Bitcoin and living off the grid are not viable solutions to the surviving the economy and neither is printing more fake money. Since 2009 the economy has only gotten worse. Looking ahead there are only more waves of downsizing awaiting us. Traditional growth-factor jobs like small and medium businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs are virtually gone, sucked away like a vacuum into the dustbin of an economy trashed by over-regulation and unbridled corporate competition. Even our beloved corporate behemoths are leaking water from the international Snowden fallout to the point of potential outright replacement. Now whether that's due to a massive and systemic unconstitutional overreach on the government's part, or because of one guy who decided to tell the truth is anyone's guess, but the iceberg is still there and the band is beginning to play.

Fortunately, all this still hasn't seem to have done very much to effect how we collectively feel about ourselves as a nation, or how we admit how we feel about ourselves to others. We're still the good ole' deluded rockin', sockin' best gift to humanity since sliced bread (and we invented that so don't you forget it) US of A! But how the times have changed and now we sadly are that used prophylactic smelling middle-aged excuse for a balding Maserati. The US now proudly ranks last in just about everything socially important compared to the rest of the western economic nations. Math, reading comprehension, standard of living, etc. all bottom of the list. On the top? Obesity, divorce, personal debt, drug use, and incarceration ... At least pride is not one of our shortcomings. If only that was worth something. Anything really would be nice.

At least our closest friends are too busy eagerly following along in our romanticized footsteps of hypocrisy to even notice the greedy stinking mess the world has become strangely accustomed to. And in that dire, murky cesspool we swim at one with the universe we have collectively created for ourselves. But really it's not all that bad. Really.

There's always soccer and space travel to look forward to, right?

Anyway, that's my two cents. For what it's worth, I hope to come back a little more frequently and contribute articles with a little more uplifting tone. Be well.

My Dad and the FBI, Part 1.

One night, a friend of mine mentioned a revealing conversation he had at a backyard barbecue about five years ago with an ex four-star general. Care to join in? I mean, why not? It's just a friendly Chicago summer barbecue with plenty of drinks and conversation! Come. Join in and take the red pill with the green beer sunny ...   

And somehow, somewhere in my mind, I'm drifting into my own familiar thoughts of endless childhood stories while growing up as the son of someone whose life was probably not so unfamiliar to that of the four-star general.

My Dad and the FBI, Part 1.

Secretly as a child, while dad was away, I would sometimes sneak into the den and look around for hidden treasures. My favorite stash was a bunch of pictures and medals he had stored in a sharply varnished wooden box with a metal latch. That's also where he kept his dog tags from Vietnam, and I'd always have to put them around my neck when carefully looking through Dad's treasure.  

And in a flash upon hearing the slightest sound coming from the driveway, I would always make sure to return everything to its exact position, quickly ducking under the desk in front of the bay window as I tiptoed out into the hallway just before the front door opened.

Occasionally, I would even convince him to tell me one of his many stories. And this is how this one begins ...

A relative prodigy of sorts, young Fred eagerly starts UW at just 16 years of age. Even though he immediately tests out of all but the highest level courses, it takes him eight long years to finally earn his Bachelors degree while never dropping, or flunking a class.

His purpose, he used to joke to all who would listen (including the Chancellor), was in trying not to graduate at all. It was the dream of the eternal 4.0 college student. After switching majors to practically everything but Home Economics, he gets snagged in some bureaucratic technicality and they regretfully make him anyway.

As the years passed, I would want to hear more about his extravagant life and slowly the pieces would begin to fit into place, but only in their own time. When he seemed ready.

How hard it must have been! Eight long and grueling years of spring-time panty raids at the girls dorms, and sledding down the hill in front of Bascom Hall on food service trays in winter. Often chuckling about his close friends who were always up to no good. Oh, and don't forget all those late nights, fun filled student-activist protests, and anti-war riots.

It was only later that I learned of the role he played in the FBI and his job to infiltrate various student organizations, reporting upon individuals of interest and their activities within those groups.

Sometimes, I still try to remember him mentioning this little fact to me and I can't.  He never did. At no time did he ever say to me that he worked with the FBI. And in a way, I'm glad that he didn't.

I do remember clearly the first time I saw a photograph of the SR-71 Blackbird just after it had been declassified. It was a warm Saturday morning and I was eagerly pointing to a poster of one in the classroom at a gifted and talented chess camp. "Look Dad! That's it! That's the one!" Smiling, somewhat patriotically, he calmly patted me on the head and told me that even though it was new, it was already 20 years old. They were now building a much better one in the desert where they made that one, he said.

"Where in the desert dad?" Thinking of how vast the desert was in Australia. "In America?"

"Yes," he turned to look down at me, meeting my eyes saying, "but that's the secret."

Years later, after he passed, I happened to find a document that looked like a formal report he wrote in another box I had probably helped him move countless times over the years. At some point while attending UW, he delivered an unusual paper to the FBI which detailed new methods in group subversion and population control techniques among other things. 

So much time had passed between the formulation of those documents, to his bedtime stories and then finally the opening of that box. It was my own little family time capsule of conspiracy staring me right in the face. This must be after he wrote that book with Noam Chomsky, I thought. Yes. That was after Vietnam.

The language was clear in its own typewritten beauty, and ended almost as briefly as it began. You, this, without ending was the message. It was fascinating to see the youthful words of my father and the formation of philosophical thought emerging within the FBI. 

I imagined the youth of the organization. Growing, learning. By graduation, he was flying to D.C. almost once a month. These were the last days of our innocence before Kennedy's death; of black and white TV, and propeller-powered passenger planes. Of course, Dad was well used to flying regularly by this time from his years of service in the Civil Air Patrol as a young boy.

Silently, reading that paper I felt like a child all over again. Sneaking, watching my breath. I didn't know what to think, other than to simply know how wide-spread these and other techniques are now commonly being used in America and around the world.

Closing my eyes, I felt as though I were swimming and put the booklet down on my lap.

I was standing upright underwater holding onto an electric eel, but not being electrocuted. Odd, I thought as I rubbed my temples and continued staring at the creature as it glowed brightly in my hands.

"Do you want another beer?" I heard someone say off in the distance. Somewhere above me. "Beer."

"I'll take one. Sure." I replied.

More on Dr. Maurice Hilleman

Some more information about Dr. Maurice Hilleman here, and his 1991 "leaked" memo here.

I guess Ralph Nader loved this guy ... 

Finally, an obit from IAVIReport.

So there can be no question that his video testimony is damning evidence in his involvement in growing and spreading the AIDS virus and SV40 through the safe refuge of corporate America.

While you may argue that he saved countless lives through these vaccination programs, we've also become firmly indoctrinated into the pharmaceutical world of government sponsored vaccinations and immunizations which may be just as deadly.

This is how many people are estimated to have died from AIDS so far.

Lookout! the Chinese are building UFOs

David Hambling's article in Wired Magazine,"‘Impossible’ Device Could Propel Flying Cars, Stealth Missiles" sounds more like we may have just figured out how to build UFO-style devices.  "Getting to Australia in 4 hours" and to ... "the moon in 4 days with a 40 tonne payload"? Oh, and silently with no visible thrust and also no need for wings or anything like that either.

You know, all I have to say about this for now is ... Rave in Space! Rave in Space!

The Emdrive is an electromagnetic drive that would generate thrust from a closed system — “impossible” say some experts.

‘Impossible’ Device Could Propel Flying Cars, Stealth Missiles

• By David Hambling

To critics, it’s flat-out junk science, not even worth thinking about. But its inventor, Roger Shawyer, has doggedly continued his work. As Danger Room reported last year, Chinese scientists claimed to validate his math and were building their own version.

Shawyer gave a presentation earlier this week on the Emdrive’s progress at the CEAS 2009 European Air & Space Conference. It answered few questions, but hinted at how the Emdrive might transform spaceflight — and warfare. If the technology works, that is.

The heart of the Emdrive is a resonant, tapered cavity filled with microwaves. According to Shawyer, a relativistic effect generates a net thrust, an effect confirmed by various Emdrives he has built as demonstrations. Critics say that any thrust from the drive must come from another source. Shawyer is adamant that the measured thrust is not caused by other factors.

While the argument over the drive’s impossibility continues, so does the engineering work. The problem is that nobody wants to talk about it. Even Shawyer gives little away. Last year, professor Yang Juan of the College of Astronautics at Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xi’an was happy to confirm that they were building an Emdrive which would be tested by the end of the year. But following the publication of this news in Danger Room, the situation changed. I was informed that the publicity was very unwelcome, especially any suggestion that there might be a military application. (Yang had previous published a study on the use of plasma as a weapon against low-orbiting satellites. [.pdf]) No further information has been forthcoming, and no Chinese papers have been published on the Emdrive, though Yang has recently published work on (unrelated) microwave plasma thrusters (.pdf).

Shawyer asserts that work is also being carried out in France, Russia and in the United States by a major aerospace company. But he cannot provide details beyond vague promises of “significant progress [that] has been made in both theoretical and experimental work, within these groups.” He also asserts that the British National Space Centre is said to be reviewing the Emdrive. Again, no details.

The CEAS 2009 paper outlines recent progress and plans. Previous thrusters generated relatively modest forces; the latest version now being built is based on a cooled superconductor and should generate more than 300 pounds of thrust for a 6-kilowatt input, Shawyer promises. (But does not yet appear to have done so.) The plan is to mount four of these thrusters on an unmanned demonstration vehicle that will weigh about 1,000 pounds. The craft will have no wings: It will be supported by the Emdrives and propelled by jet engines to about 230 knots. It will be capable of vertical takeoff and hovering silently in place. If successful, it will be adapted as a personal transport -– your very own flying car.

In the longer run, perhaps 10 years, Shawyer envisages a hybrid spaceplane using Emdrive technology — see the photo above of a 2-meter scale model. The idea is a craft capable of making the 10,000-mile run from London to Sydney, Australia in under three hours … or taking a 40-ton payload on the moon in about four days.

Aeronautical engineers have been dreaming of such a craft for decades; none have ever panned out. The theoretical advantage of the Emdrive spaceplane compared to rockets is that it allows a slow ascent with low acceleration rate. There is also no telltale rocket exhaust plume, and this may be the source of some of the interest. At present, the launch of a ballistic missile anywhere on Earth can be immediately spotted from space. An Emdrive-based launch system would be undetectable and could arrive from any direction, leaving the target of an attack no way of knowing who to retaliate against.

This is the kind of factor that might drive governments to put money into Emdrive projects. An investment in contested science is not a  probable winner — but  the payoff could be a big one.
Photo: Roger Shawyer/SPR Ltd
ALSO:

• Chinese Say They’re Building ‘Impossible’ Space Drive

Chinese Say They’re Building ‘Impossible’ Space Drive

• By David Hambling

Chinese researchers claim they’ve confirmed the theory behind an "impossible" space drive, and are proceeding to build a demonstration version. If they’re right, this might transform the economics of satellites, open up new possibilities for space exploration –- and give the Chinese a decisive military advantage in space.

To say that the "Emdrive" (short for "electromagnetic drive") concept is controversial would be an understatement. According to Roger Shawyer, the British scientist who developed the concept, the drive converts electrical energy into thrust via microwaves, without violating any laws of physics. Many researchers believe otherwise. An article about the Emdrive in New Scientist magazine drew a massive volley of criticism. Scientists not only argued that Shawyer’s work was blatantly impossible, and that his reasoning was flawed. They also said the article should never have been published.

"It is well known that Roger Shawyer’s ‘electromagnetic relativity drive’ violates the law of conservation of momentum, making it simply the latest in a long line of ‘perpetuum mobiles’ that have been proposed and disproved for centuries," wrote John Costella, an Australian physicist. "His analysis is rubbish and his ‘drive’ impossible."

Shawyer stands by his theoretical work. His company, Satellite Propulsion Research (SPR), has constructed demonstration engines, which he says produce thrust using a tapering resonant cavity filled with microwaves. He is adamant that this is not a perpetual motion machine, and does not violate the law of conservation of momentum because different reference frames apply to the drive and the waves within it. Shawyer’s big challenge, he says, has been getting people who will actually look into his claims rather than simply dismissing them.

Such extravagant claims are usually associated with self-taught, backyard inventors claiming Einstein got it all wrong. But Shawyer is a scientist who has worked with radar and communication systems and was a program manager at European space company EADS Astrium; his work rests entirely on Einstein being right. The thrust is the result of a relativistic effect and would not occur under simple Newtonian physics. Many have dismissed his work out of hand, and British government funding has ceased. He has had some interest from both the United States and China. Now the Chinese connection with the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xi’an seems to have paid off.

"NPU started their research program in June 2007, under the supervision of Professor Yang Juan. They have independently developed a mathematical simulation which shows unequivocally that a net force can be produced from a simple resonant tapered cavity," Shawyer tells Danger Room. "The thrust levels predicted by this simulation are similar to those resulting from the SPR design software, and the SPR test results." What’s more, Shawyer says, NPU is "currently manufacturing" a "thruster" based on this theoretical work.

The NPU have confirmed that they have reproduced the theoretical work, and are building a demosntration version of the Emdrive.

Needless to say, independent confirmation is a big deal — though many will want to see it published in a peer-reviewed journal. Even when it is, I doubt the controversy will subside. Prof. Yang has plenty of experience in this type of area, having previously done work on microwave plasma thrusters, which use a resonant cavity to accelerate a plasma jet for propulsion. While the theory behind the Emdrive is very different, the engineering principles of building the hardware are similar. The Chinese should be capable of determining whether the thruster really works or whether the apparent forces are caused by experimental errors.

The thrust produced is small, but significant. Shawyer compares a C-Band Emdrive with the existing NSTAR ion thruster used by NASA. The Emdrive produces 85 mN of thrust compared to 92 for the NSTAR (that’s about one-third of an ounce), but the Emdrive only consumes a quarter of the amount of power and weighs less than 7 kilos, compared to over 30 kilos. The biggest difference is in propellant: NSTAR uses 10 grams per hour; the Emdrive uses none. As long as it has an electricity supply, the Emdrive will keep going.

The possibilities are phenomenal: Instead of going out of service when they run out of fuel, satellites would have greatly extended endurance and be able to move around at will. (We wouldn’t have to shoot them down because of the risk from toxic fuel either.) Deep space probes could go further, faster –- and stop when they arrive. Shawyer calculates that a solar-powered Emdrive could take a manned mission to Mars in 41 days. Provided it works, of course.

What will China do with the technology? It may be relevant that professor Yang is not unknown in military circles, having published a paper called "Plasma Attack Against Low-Orbit Spy Satellites."

Meanwhile, what about the American interest? Shawyer told me that "the flight thruster program is on hold for the present. [O]nce the U.K. government had provided an export license for a U.S. military application, the major U.S. aerospace company we had been dealing with stopped talking to us. "

The company may have decided that the Emdrive could not work. If they’re wrong, China has at least a year’s head start in a technology that will dominate space and make previous satellites as obsolete as sailing ships in the age of steam.

(Picture: SPR Ltd)

• Video: ‘Impossible’ Space Drive In Action?

When Chinese scientists claimed that they had validated the math behind the "impossible" Emdrive — and are building their own demonstration model — it brought a predictable storm of protest. Many said it can’t be true. Others objected that the only proof would be to build an actual "Emdrive" that converts drive converts electrical energy into thrust via microwaves. Roger Shawyer, inventor of the Emdrive, has built several. The video appears to show one of them in action.

The drive allegedly produces a fraction of an ounce of thrust. That may not seem much, but it’s comparable to existing ion engines used on deep space probes. Seeing is not necessarily believing, however. The video could be anything, and even if it is real it proves nothing, as British space blog Rocketeers points out:

Here’s my take on it. It "works" after a fashion (actually generates thrust), but not in the way that Shawyer thinks it does. It’s actually a form of Asymmetric Capacitor Thruster (ACT), which generates thrust by the Biefeld-Brown effect — charged metal surfaces ionise the surrounding air by corona discharge, and create an ‘"ion wind" which pushes the apparatus along. Good for the continued integrity of the laws of physics, but bad for space applications of the EmDrive, because in a vacuum it would do precisely nothing.

This is much the same explanation for those supposed antigravity "lifters" which were popular a few years back. However, Shawyer claims that this and other effects have been taken into account.

"Stray electromagnetic effects were eliminated by using different test rigs, by testing two thrusters with very different mounting structures, and by changing the orientation by 90 degrees to eliminate the Earth’s magnetic field," he writes. "Electrostatic charges were eliminated by the comprehensive earthing required for safety reasons, and to provide the return path for the magnetron anode current."

Independent testing looks like the only sensible solution. But if the basic science is not accepted, who’s going to waste time testing something that’s impossible? I’d like to see this resolved one way or another; perhaps the definitive answers will come from the Chinese work at the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Shawyer will be presenting a paper at the 59th International Astronautical Conference in Edinburgh this week. He might be able to reveal some more results from his own work, but making converts in the world of commercial spaceflight looks like being an uphill struggle.

UPDATE: When I asked him about the possibility of "ion wind" being the real cause of thrust, Dr Shawyer patiently explained that it had been addressed at a very early stage:
"Air currents from whatever source were eliminated in the first Proof of Concept project by testing the experimental thruster mounted in a hermetically sealed box. The experiment was reviewed and accepted by professional government scientists." [The research was being supported by the British government at the time.]

He also points out that real ion drives need much higher voltage and that "Anyone who thinks they can create grammes of thrust from ion wind at the voltages we work at clearly doesn’t understand physics." He does not believe a vacuum chamber test would show anything, as ion drives function in a vaccum and there would still be the question of wehther some ionised material was somehow being ejected. However, the hermetically sealed box test should have negated that possibility.

This seems to strengthen the case for independent testing. But would it convince the skeptics? I suspect that even if the Emdrive was propelling a space probe around the solar system there would still be some saying "Yeah, it works but it can’t be working the way he says it does…"

I'm just so shocked, and yet not-so-shocked by this at the same time. I mean is YouTube to blame for this? I've seen so many back-yard demonstrations on magnetic free energy and Bob Lazar talking about S-4, etc. I guess it would just be a matter of time before someone decided to take them seriously.

Was hoping it wouldn't be the Chinese government though.

I would guarantee that someone figures out real quick exactly how to make one work (because this technology has already been discovered/invented) and I'd bet the race is on.

Merck Scientist Admits Cancer & AIDS Came From Vaccines

Dr. Maurice Hilleman who was a senior vaccine scientist at Merck reveals the real story behind AIDS and the SV40 virus which causes cancer.

The Health Link “Because” Campaign commercial

Ahh, welcome to RFID hell. Wonder when it will become mandatory ... like the DNA collections at birth, or may be it will be hyped like vaccinations.  They could fine us for wasting paper resources if we don't get one I guess.  If that happens, it should be called something like the "I want to remain a human being"  fee.  From anti-spam to anti-scanned in 10 years ... progress.

Our future from 50 years ago

Fall of the Republic

is the latest movie by Alex Jones.  This should move him up a few notches from 25 on President Obama's "unofficial" shit list. If your in the mood for some light comedy ... this probably isn't it. The power of this movie is really delivered through the words of the politicians and those in power themselves. Expert commentary provided by the likes of Gerald Celente and several others, is just helping to elaborate upon the obvious.

2012: The End of the World blog by Woody.

Find courtesy of Gisela...Thanks! It's hilarious!

Summary notes from Official Version of 9/11 Commission Report (not)

Summary notes from Official Version of 9/11 Commission Report (not really)

The Official Version of 9/11 (Onion Report) goes something like this...

Terrorist events in the United States occurring on September 11th, 2001 were orchestrated by an (ex-CIA financed) bearded-guy from some cave in Afghanistan somewhere. He completely brainwashes nineteen hard-drinking, coke-snorting, devout Muslims who enjoy lap dances, and cavorting with women generally to take flight training classes using small prop planes before their mission to meet Allah...

Despite there being questionable evidence that several of the 19 named hijackers were even on these flights, using nothing more than craft knifes (box-cutters), they overpower cabin crew (even before a simple distress code can be entered), passengers and pilots on four planes...

And hangovers or not, they manage to give the world's most sophisticated air defense system the slip...

Unphased by leaving their “How to Fly a Passenger Jet” guide in the car at the airport, they master the controls in no-time and manage to score direct hits on two towers, causing THREE to collapse completely...

Then, defying the known laws of physics, perform a feat of (Red Baron-like) acrobatic genius hitting the Pentagon perfectly and leaving virtually no visual or physical evidence of any kind.

Having the foresight to leave a last will and testament in a conveniently placed bag on a bench in the airport lobby, Mohamad Atta and 18 others are all fingered in record time with photos appearing on TV within hours.

Meanwhile, George W. is reading to schoolchildren in Florida, Bush Sr. and the Bin Laden family (also in NY), watch events unfold from the comfort of the conference screens as Cheney was making some last minute phone calls in the bunker.

Now, after 8 long years (whereby millions of people worldwide have relinquished their basic civil liberties and freedoms), trillions of dollars, and hundreds of thousands of troops committed to the effort, we unfortunately report Osama’s cave can’t be found.