"How real is the possibility of such an overwhelming rush of refugees? He said the DPS gives it a high probability of happening within six months!"

[...]

"Whatever you choose to do, your district can support you. We have some volunteers and other resources we can call on...although we can't and won't try to take over your response effort. Those who indicate an interest beforehand will hear from us when we know it's happening. That may not give you much notice, though. Even the DPS planner said they expect their best warning source to be CNN. The next six months may see an historic event that will influence US-Mexico relations for a century and change the lives of many Mexican citizens. Let us know if you want to be part of it."

The violence situation in Mexico, particularly very close to US borders, has gotten pretty out of control over the past year. It seems to be reaching some sort of critical breaking point, as drug cartels
are now on the verge of fully taking over towns in areas near the border.

There's a ton of info out there on specific threats lately so I'll spare a dozen links. So, with all this in mind, I came across the post below that is supposedly

We have a new channel on youtube if you'd care to post videos anonymously that may be controversial in nature.  I opened it last night in order to post a video response to a creationist that was spouting off pure nonsense.  I think the video's rather funny, but I made it so I'm probably not the best judge.

<

He's back, and full of hate for Iran:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090220/D96FA6903.html

Strongly against Iran's pursuit of uranium enrichment, Netanyahu said "It’s 1938, and Iran is Germany, and Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs”. In an 8 March 2007 interview with CNN, he asserted that
there is only one difference between Nazi Germany and the Islamic Republic of Iran, namely that the first entered a worldwide conflict and then sought
atomic weapons, while the latter is first seeking atomic weapons and, once it has them, will then start a world war.

Netanyahu repeated these remarks at a news conference in April, 2008, stating that "where that [Nazi] regime embarked on a global conflict before it developed nuclear weapons," he said. "This regime [Iran] is developing nuclear weapons before it embarks on a global conflict."

The Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a court order halting an alleged Ponzi scheme by Hawaii-based Billions Coupons and its CEO Marvin R. Cooper that was targeting members of the Deaf community in the U.S. and Japan.

The SEC alleges Billions Coupons and Cooper raised more than $4.4 million from 125 investors since at least September 2007 by holding investment seminars at community centers for investors who were deaf.

The SEC is also alleging that Cooper pocketed at least $1.4 million in investor funds to pay personal expenses as well as purchase a new home.

This is the latest in a series of investor Ponzi schemes uncovered since the mammoth $50 billion investment fraud caused by Bernard Madoff was revealed in December.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/29280259

Jimmy Carter's former National Security Adviser expressed his concern about the possibility of riots on Morning Joe today. To stave them off, he proposes the creation of a voluntary National Solidarity Fund,
whose contributors would be those who made out very well in recent times.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: You also talked about the possibility of class conflict.

ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI: I was worrying about it because we're going to have millions and millions of unemployed, people really facing dire
straits. And we're going to be having that for some period of time
before things hopefully improve. And at the same time there is public
awareness of this extraordinary wealth that was transferred to a few
individuals at levels without historical precedent in America . . .
And you sort of say to yourself: what's going to happen in this
society when these people are without jobs, when their families hurt,
when they lose their homes, and so forth?

We have the government trying to repair: repair the banking system, to
bail the housing out. But what about the rich guys? Where is it?
[What are they] doing?

It sort of struck me, that in 1907, when we had a massive banking

An interesting article was published in the journal Science today that shows that the hallucinogen Dimethyl-tryptamine (better known as DMT) is an endogenous chemical signal that triggers activation of a certain neuro-receptor in brain tissue.  In other words, DMT is in everyone's brain and is actually a cog in the machinery of a healthy, well-oiled machine of the brain. 


This is pretty crazy, as most common hallucinogens are not endogenous brain chemicals, or at least aren't thought of that way.  This actually has therapeutic value, as it turns out schizophrenic patients have elevated levels of a DMT cousin (bufotenine) in their system.  (In other words, that crazy guy freaking out in the subway is tripping 24-7.)  Since there is target for DMT overstimulation, a drug that dampens the sigma-1 receptor output would be a potential therapeutic for schizophrenia.

I've seen this guy a few times, somebody sent me this one, it's pretty clever.

At least 30 people were killed and 55 injured when Israeli artillery shells landed outside a United Nations-run school in Gaza, UN officials have said.

A number of children were among those who died when the al-Fakhura school in the Jabaliya refugee camp was hit, doctors at nearby hospitals said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7814054.stm

Boy, you guys really took it to Hamas ! Blowing the arms of 7 yr olds will show them who's boss. I'm definitely sure this will once and for all stop the violence and solve the deeply complex issues which plague the region.

Israel totally tried to bargain with the people who's land they stole, and
those jerks wouldn't be reasonable about it ! Random, unguided rockets that
kill about four people a year being fired from Gaza completely justifies a
full scale shock-and-awe with multimillion dollar equipment, paid and
provided for by the good ole US. But don't worry, everyone knows the US is
very Fair and Balanced in their Mid-East policy. How dare the Arabs plink
at Israel with their useless slings and arrows, onwards with the
extermination of the people who lived here before everything was stolen

Interested to hear from Brian for any local info/reaction, but watching this video, it looks like the cop just executed the guy for no reason:

http://www.ktvu.com/video/18409133/index.html

A taze might have been expected, but pulling your gun out and shooting a dude on the ground ? WTF was the cop thinking.

RAW STORY
Published: Monday December 29, 2008

Deepening economic strife in the US could lead to civil unrest and violence that would require military intervention, warns a new report from the US Army War College.

"Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security," writes Nathan Freier, a 20-year Army veteran and visiting professor at the college.

A copy of the 44-page report, "Known Unknowns: Unconventional 'Strategic Shocks' in Defense Strategy Development," can be downloaded here (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=890).
Freier notes that his report expresses only his own views and does not
represent US policy, but it's certain that his recommendations have
come before at least some Defense Department officials.

The author warns potential causes for such civil unrest could include
another terrorist attack, "unforeseen economic collapse, loss of
functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance
or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic

There's nothing like a surprise to break the monotony of life, right?

I think Kieran mentioned it a few weeks ago ... we get so stuck on the dreariness of the economy and the political campaigns and work that anything to break the mindless routine is like a storm wind that rips
through the stagnation of a humid summer afternoon ...

This past week or so I've been somewhat elevated beyond truly caring about all the insanity of this country at this moment in history because of ... new music ... ! music sometimes has that effect on me,
especially something that becomes addicting, like way back in the day The Downward Spiral did, or OK Computer, or In the Aeroplane Over the
Sea ...

or ... Dummy by Portishead ...

I don't know if it's been mentioned on here yet, but Portishead's
first album in like 11 years is called Third ... it came out I think
in the Spring ...

Do yourself a favor, if you've never heard Portishead, go download
Dummy and spend about a year absorbing it into your mind like a bad
hit of acid ...

if you know Portsihead, then you have to check out Third ... it was
astonishing enough to me when I snagged Third that this was even

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR200810...

Does vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin consider herself intellectual?
You betcha!

You couldn't make this s**t up if you tried.

Kieran

All politics aside, let's acknowledge something we all agree on: F the F-ing Dodgers.

I check the game and see:

1) a very serious Tiger Woods in the crowd (like, can you crack an F-ing smile - your team is winning, a-hole?)

2) the dodger's pitcher throwing the ball squarely at Victorino's head.

3) they've got the Fonz on their side.



7 to 1

This can't be happening...

I've been waiting 25 years for this to come back on the air. The original show was relatively successful as far as ratings go, but at the time the special effects were really expensive, making it the most expensive show to produce on tv at the time. Its a really great story
and if you ever get a chance to watch the intro mini-series to it, go for it. People have been trying to get it aired again since it left the small screen, but it seems this time they are really close to making the dream come to true.

Here's a little background on the original:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_TV_Series

////

"V," the 1980s miniseries about alien lizards visiting Earth, will invade primetime once again.

ABC is developing a new adaptation of the franchise — which spawned a
second mini and TV spinoff — written by "The 4400" co-creator/exec