Is There More to the Recent Oil Spill Than Meets the Eye?

The recent oil spill off the coast of Louisiana seems to ill timed just as the government lifted a decades ban on off-shore drilling. There seems to be more to this story than meets the eye. BP, an oil-industry stalwart, who has an impressive safety track record and touts itself among the cleanest and best in terms of environmental safety has just been a total disaster.

The political fallout will be huge, especially since there`s a considerable amount of voice and opposition to off-shore drilling. Its not conceivable to think a crippling "sabotage" took place at this specific time. Its well within the realm of possibility, not doubt about the it. Safety records and practices, equipment and training have vastly improved environment and personal safety in the oil business and the point well an entire oil platform would just caught on fire and get destroyed is just mind-boggling.

Now, last week's explosion on a deepwater rig finishing a well for BP left 11 workers missing, presumably dead, and a subsequent oil slick that now covers about 28,600 square miles (74,000 sq. km) and could not have come at a worse time for the oil industry. This is a PR nightmare for BP, especially since it touted itself for its impeccable safety track in the oil industry. This has smeared it`s image and must to restore it to begin anew.

After a decades-long moratorium on drilling in most areas outside the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration last month unveiled a limited expansion plan.

The Obama administration has stood by its proposal for new offshore oil drilling in the wake of the accident and seems unlikely to change course on the issue any time soon. The president's plan was already a fairly modest, opening only parts of the U.S. Atlantic coast and Alaska to drilling.

A lot will depend on the cause and severity of the oil spill, but the outcome could undermine supporters of more oil drilling and embolden lawmakers, particularly from Florida, who dislike the expansion plans.If the oil reaches land, damaging coastlines and disrupting sensitive ecosystems, public sentiment could turn against the offshore drilling and make it difficult for lawmakers to call for a significant increase in drilling.

Regardless of how quickly the spill is contained, it will undoubtedly add clout to the arguments of offshore drilling opponents. Lawmakers in coastal states dependent on tourism are already using the accident to question the safety of the offshore oil industry.

Titanic "did not send distress signal for 45 minutes", book claims

In a new book recently published, the author claims no distress signal was sent from the Titanic for three quarters of an hour after it struck ice.

Time was spent assessing the damage from the iceberg when nearby ships could have been steaming to the rescue, research from author Tim Maltin said.

His work - 101 Things You Thought You Knew About The Titanic... But Didn't - is published on claims no alert was sent from the ailing vessel for 47 minutes because the ships' officers wanted to keep the disaster quiet.The largest passenger steamship in the world collided with ice on her maiden voyage in April 1912 and sank with the loss of 1,517 lives.

Mr Maltin said: ''They (the ship's authorities) may have been considering the public relations aspect of it and was it going to sink or not because then they would have rather kept it quiet, there may have been a slight bit of delay.'' He said the order to go to the lifeboats was given at the same time as the distress signal. He said the order to go to the lifeboats was given at the same time as the distress signal. The writer added: ''It may be that it took them that long to look at the damage but it seems likely to me that they were unwilling to send out a distress message.''

He said it was a moot point whether lives could have been saved but added the relatively nearby Californian vessel could have been at the scene earlier had the alert gone out before midnight when key crew were awake. When it eventually received the alert it was after midnight and the Californian waited until 5.30am to respond.

He spent two years researching the book and studied the results of American and British inquiries into the disaster and worked with some of the main Titanic experts around the world.
It claimed Captain Edward Smith, despite being the most experienced seaman in the north Atlantic, was accident-prone and not used to that size of ship (50,000 tonnes).

The Titanic was doing around 22 knots at the time of the accident. At the time it was common but not universal practice to maintain normal speed in areas where icebergs were expected.
Relying on remarks from the captain overheard by a passenger the author said: ''They were trying to beat the Olympic's maiden voyage time. They were trying to surprise everyone and get in on Tuesday night.''

TITANIC AT HISTORY - Get the Full Story on the Titanic. Watch Exclusive Video Clips Online:
HISTORY.COM

India Beefing up its Military

What`s behind the sudden surge in India`s defense spending

India`s been making headlines recently as it openly signed deals and contracts to procure significant military hardware, namely for its navy and airforce. The deals announced between, now the primary arms supplier Russia and India are staggering and the pacts have been valued at more than $10 billion which on top of previous deals still on the books. The high profile deals were officially signed during Prime Minister Vladmir Putin`s visit to India on March 12, 2010. Military hardware aside, the recent pacts additionally call for more increased cooperation and partnership in areas of developing nuclear reactors, equipment for GPS systems and airplane and truck assembly plants.

Russia additionally wants to increase annual trade with India from the current level of about $8 billion to $20 billion by 2015. Russia now currently supplies 60-70% of India`s defense equipment. On the nuclear side, Russian deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia will build up to 16 nuclear reactors for power stations in India. Russia nuclear reactors have been cited as one of the best and safest in the world.

Over the next 12 years, India is set to spend a whopping $200 billion on defence acquisitions to replace its outdated inventory. In this regard, on February 15, 2010, a report of the Indian strategic defense magazine (India Strategic’s DefExpo) revealed that 70% of the inventory of the Indian armed forces is 20-plus years old, and needs to be replaced with modern technology. It explained that nearly half of this funding ($100b) will go to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which would need to replace more than half of its combat jet fleet as well as the entire transport aircraft and helicopter fleet. The army needs new guns, tanks, rocket launchers, multi-terrain vehicles, while the navy needs ships, aircraft carriers and new range of nuclear submarines.

During a recent visit of the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to New Delhi, American Defence officials, however, have said that US weapons sales to India would not be a focus of the trip. Regardless of such denials, the key reason for the Gates’ visit can be found in the fact that India is planning to raise its military budget by 50% to almost $40 billion, making military expenditure 3% of the annual GDP. In contrast to India’s planned defence expenditures, Pakistan’s entire 2009-10 budget amounts to little over $30 billion!

The fact of the matter is, India wants to become a mini-superpower of the region and hence it uses the pretext of deterrence against Pakistan and China. In this context, New Delhi with the dual support of the US and Israel has presumed peace-loving Pakistan and China as their arch enemies, but it does not admit it officially.

Recent major military acquisitions:

-Signed $1.5 bln contract on 29 additional MiG-29K Fulcrum carrier based fighter jets (this is in addition to a contract for 12 single-seat MiG-29k and 4 double-seat MiG-29KUB to India navy)

-Deal to upgrade the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier at a cost of $2.3 bln. (The Gorshkov is a Kiev-class carrier, displaces 45,000 tons, 32 knots and endurance of 13,500 nautical mi. The carrier will be rechristened the Vikramaditya)

- Deal to deliver 42 Su-30MKI jet fighters to Indian airforce, at a cost of $3 bln (This is in addition to 69 jets previously ordered by India and set to be delivered in 2011. The new air-superiority fighters will come on top of the 230 already contracted from Russia in three deals worth a total of $8.5 billion.)

-Joint venture to produce GPS equipment, the Glonass, for the use of defense needs (Glonass- the Global Navigation Satellite System is the Russian equivalent to the US Global Positioning System or GPS.

More to Dr. J. Allen Hynek and UFO`s

Above: Report cover for Project Grudge

This is in conjunction with an earlier post on Dr. J. Allen Hynek: http://rubaiatahmed.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-proof-to-ufo-and-alien-existence.html

To refresh your memory, Dr. Joseph Allen Hynek (5/1/1910 - 4/27/86) acted as a scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the USAF under 3 consecutive names: Project Sign (1947-1949), Project Grudge (1949-1952) and Project BlueBook (1952-1969). For decades afterwards, he conducted his own independent UFO research - which began a turnaround on the UFO question. Only after Project BlueBook was finally dissolved did Hynek speak more openly about his "turnaround."

Project Grudge supposedly operated under a debunking directive. Dr. J. Allen Hynek debunked many legitimate UFO incidents while he functioned as a scientific advisor of Project BlueBook. Dr. Hynek is the man responsible for the infamous "it was only swamp gas" statement. The final report of Project Grudge, which was co-authored by Lt. Col. Friend and Dr. J. Allen Hynek was about 600 pages long.

The Grudge report (conclusions)

Project Grudge issued its only formal report in August 1949. Though over 600 pages long, the report's conclusions stated:

A. There is no evidence that objects reported upon are the result of an advanced scientific foreign development; and, therefore they constitute no direct threat to the national security. In view of this, it is recommended that the investigation and study of reports of unidentified flying objects be reduced in scope. Headquarters AMC [Air Materials Command] will continue to investigate reports in which realistic technical applications are clearly indicated.

NOTE: It is apparent that further study along present lines would only confirm the findings presented herein. It is further recommended that pertinent collection directives be revised to reflect the contemplated change in policy.

B. All evidence and analyses indicate that reports of unidentified flying objects are the result of:

1. Misinterpretation of various conventional objects.

2. A mild form of mass-hysteria and war nerves.

3. Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or to seek publicity.

4. Psychopathological persons.

Not long after this report was released, it was reported that Grudge would soon be dissolved. Despite this announcement, Grudge was not quite finished. A few personnel were still assigned to the project, and they aided the authors of a few more debunking mass media articles.

Turnaround

Hynek began occasionally disagreeing publicly with the conclusions of Blue Book. By the early 1960s—after about a decade and a half of study—Clark writes that "Hynek's apparent turnaround on the UFO question was an open secret."Only after Blue Book was formally dissolved did Hynek speak more openly about his "turnaround."

By his own admission, the soft-spoken Hynek was cautious and conservative by nature. He speculated that his personality was a factor in the Air Force keeping him on as a consultant for over two decades.

It was during the late stages of Blue Book in the 1960s that Hynek began speaking openly about his disagreements and disappointments with the Air Force. Among the cases where he openly dissented with the Air Force were the highly publicized Portage County UFO chase (where several police officers chased a UFO for half an hour), and the encounter of Lonnie Zamora. A police officer, Zamora reported an encounter with a metallic, egg-shaped aircraft near Socorro, New Mexico. Zamora witnessed two humanoid occupants of the craft, and in its apparently hasty departure, the craft left physical evidence of its presence. As of 2007, no entirely adequate explanation has been presented that would contradict Zamora's account—in fact, in a secret memo for the CIA, Blue Book's director at the time, Major Quintanilla, expressed his own bafflement at the case. Hynek described the case as a potential "Rosetta Stone" that might unlock the UFO mystery.

In a 1985 interview, when asked what caused his change of opinion, Hynek responded, "Two things, really. One was the completely negative and unyielding attitude of the Air Force. They wouldn't give UFOs the chance of existing, even if they were flying up and down the street in broad daylight. Everything had to have an explanation. I began to resent that, even though I basically felt the same way, because I still thought they weren't going about it in the right way. You can't assume that everything is black no matter what. Secondly, the caliber of the witnesses began to trouble me. Quite a few instances were reported by military pilots, for example, and I knew them to be fairly well-trained, so this is when I first began to think that, well, maybe there was something to all this."

Regardless of his own private views, Hynek was, by and large, still echoing the post-Ruppelt line of Project Blue Book: There are no UFOs, and reports can largely be explained as misidentifications. Ruppelt is Air Force Captain Edward J. Ruppelt who was Project Blue Book's first director.

Its been alleged in William Cooper`s book, Behold a Pale Horse, that Dr. Hynek was cited as a CIA asset attached to Project Grudge.

Additional Resources:

Project Grudge/Blue Book, William Cooper: http://think-aboutit.com/ufo/project_grudgeblue_book.htm

Project Grudge: http://home.comcast.net/~tprinty/UFO/Grudge.htm

Project Grudge: http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1972.htm

The CIA in contact with Top Iraqi Baathists

The CIA apparently conducted secrets contacts in Yemen with Iraqi Baathist leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri(right), Saddam Hussien`s former Vice President, in a bid to reconcile a political accord between the Sunni-insurgents and the Shiite-led Iraqi government.
The Paris-based Intelligence Online Web site said other meetings were held with Baathist leaders in Damascus, where Douri and his associates reportedly live.

The objective is to reconcile the minority Sunnis, who were the backbone of Saddam's regime, and the majority Shiites, who were brutally suppressed by that regime, before crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for March 7.

There was no official confirmation of the Intelligence Online report by Washington or Baghdad. However, it coincided with reports that U.S. counter-terrorism agents were working with former Saddam-era Iraqi intelligence officers in Yemen to counter the growing al-Qaida threat there.

The regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was close to Saddam and has long employed Iraqi army officers to lead its 67,000-strong armed forces.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, hundreds of former military and intelligence officers who served Saddam have flooded into Sanaa.

The CIA effort got under way early in the summer through the good offices of the head of Jordan's General Intelligence Department, Mohammed al-Raqqad, Intelligence Online said.

According to Intelligence Online, the CIA wants to reconcile Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites before the U.S. military withdrawal is completed by the end of next year so that the Americans can leave a stable, united state behind them.

The prospects of a deal appear to be slender though.

"Aware of their capacity to create mayhem in the run-up to the legislative elections, the Baath Party stalwarts are laying down draconian conditions for any halt to violence," the French Web site reported.

If the CIA's strategy fails, Intelligence Online warned, "The American military could well leave behind a country in the midst of a civil war."

Douri, the last high-ranking fugitive from Saddam's rule still at large with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, regularly exhorts Iraqis to topple the Baghdad government and restore the Baath to power. There were several speculations over the years as to whether he was dead or alive. In other reports, it was believed he fled and sought protection in Syria and Yemen and led the Baath party from there.

Douri, 65, last surfaced on an audiotape broadcast by al-Jazeera on April 9, the anniversary of the founding of the Baath, which ruled from 1968 until Saddam was toppled by the Americans in 2003.

Related Link:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/al-douri.htm

Another Iranian Nuclear Scientist making news

Here we go again, there are news reports about Iran and a nuclear physicist who apparently was murdered by a bomb outside his residence. Iran is saying the US and Israeli spy agencies in cohoots with dissident Iranians conspired the bomb attack that killed the nuclear physicist in Tehran.

On Jan. 12, 2010, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, professor of nuclear physics in Tehran University was killed with a remote controlled device which was planted on a motorcycle in front of his house in Qeytariah. The bomb attack left puzzling mix of clues as to why a 50-year old researcher would be targeted with no prominant political voice, no published work with military relevance and declared links to Iran`s nuclear program.

"Since Ali Mohammadi was one of the scientists of physics and nuclear energy, most probably intelligence services and elements of the Mossad and CIA had a hand in his assassination," the Web site of state television quoted Teheran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabad as saying. The accusation was echoed by the Foreign Ministry. State TV identified the CIA and Mossad has having possible involvement, along with dissident Iranians.

Iran`s Foreign Ministry said it had evidence that a bomb was planted by "Zionist & American" agents. The US State Department has rejected the Iranian`s claim and Israel had no comment.

A spokesman for Iran`s Atomic Energy - Ali Shirzadine, told AP that Ali Mohammadi had no link with the agency. "He was not involved in the country`s nuclear program" he said of the victim. And US experts in the same field said his work had no apparent connection to military uses of nuclear technology.

As I commented in an earlier blog post titled: Iranian Nuke Scientist - Abducted by the US?_12/08/09, this news comes on the heels of another Iranian nuclear scientist, Shahram Amiri, who disappeared in June while on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, raising questions about whether he defected and gave the West information on the country's nuclear program. Amiri worked at a university linked to the Revolutionary Guard and his wife said he was researching medical uses of nuclear technology at a university.

Iran's foreign minister accused the US of helping to kidnap him and demanded his return.

In 2007, state TV reported that another nuclear scientist, Ardeshir Hosseinpour, died from gas poisoning. A one-week delay in the reporting of his death prompted speculation about the causes, including that Israel's Mossad spy agency was to blame.

Ali Mohammadi wrote several articles on quantum and theoretical physics in scientific journals. He was a member of some academic associations focusing on experimental science. In 1992, he received the first doctorate in nuclear physics to be awarded in Iran, from Tehran's Sharif University of Technology.

Michio Kaku, a prominent high energy physics professor at City College of New York, said he had never heard of Ali Mohammadi or his work and a list of papers he published showed his study was clearly not related to making nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear physicists interested in bomb-making would have no interest in these papers," Kaku said. "These papers are highly abstract" with no buzzwords that indicate anything threatening, he added.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the killing of nuclear scientists cannot thwart the country's scientific and technological progress.

Iran also directed suspicion at the exiled opposition group the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran. Tabnak, a conservative Iranian Web site close to the ruling establishment, said the group carried out the attack under direction of Israeli agents.

Sources: http://aljazeera.com/news/articles/34/Iran-accuses-US-Israel-in-nuclear-scientist-murde.html

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1142079.html

The "true" version of the third Fatima Prophecy?

As it is already known, in 1944, Lucia wrote out the thrird prophecy of Fatima as she heard it as a 10-year old girl in 1917, sealed it and presented it to Portugal`s Bishop of Leira. She told him that Our Lady`s instructions were that it was not to be revealed to the public until 1960. The Bishop turned over the prophecy to the Vatican.

In 1960, Pope John Paul XXIII opened and read the prophecy but in apparent defiance to Our Lady`s instructions, he did not reveal it, citing it did not relate to his time. It has also been said, the Pope fainted when he read the third prophecy, according to eyewitnesses, as it states the Pope would betray the flock and turn his sheep over to the slaughter devised by Lucifer himself. John XXIII fainted because he thought he would be the Pope who would open the door to Satan and that he would the long awaited antipope.

It has been said subsequent Popes also read the prophecy and likewise chose not to make it public. The complete texts of the third prophecy supposedly is out there but again there is controversey to its authenticity and accuracy. Many Fatima supporters say the vatican did not disclose all the whole prophecy or may have altered the message. On March 10, 2000, the Pope visited Fatima and said he would finally reveal the third prophecy, that it in fact in was a foretelling of the 1981 assasination attempt on him by Mehmet Ali. This view brought on more controversy and the Vatican quickly downplayed the prophecies.

Well, as I was reading William Cooper`s book Behold a Pale Horse, he wrote about the Fatima prophecy that I thought to share with everyone. He disclosed information that shed light about the true account of prophecy as well as what the Vatican knows about it. From Cooper`s book, he says:

"The events of Fatima in the early part of the century were scrutinized. On the suspicion that it was alien manipulation, an intelleigence operation was put into motion to penetrate the secrecy surrounding the events. The U.S. utilized its Vatican moles and soon obtained the entire Vatican study which included the prophecy. This prophecy stated that if man did not turn from evil and place himself at the feet of Christ, the planet would self-destruct and the events described in the book of Revelations would indeed come to pass. The prophecy demanded that Russia be consecrated to the Sacred Heart. It stated that a child would be born who would unite the world with a plan for world peace and a false religion. The people would discern that he was evil and was indeed the Anti-Christ. WWIII would begin in the Middle East with an invasion of Israel by a United Arab nation using conventional weapons, which would eliminate in a nuclear holocaust, Most of the life on this planet wouls suffer horribly and die as a result. The return of Christ would occur shortly thereafter."

Is this the "smoking gun" to Iran`s nuke program?

Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times Online show that Iran is working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb. (Click here for full english transalation - The Times Online)

The documents, purportedly from Iran’s most sensitive military nuclear project, describe a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Foreign intelligence agencies date them to early 2007, four years after Iran was thought to have suspended its weapons program.

The technical document describes the use of a neutron source, uranium deuteride, which have no possible civilian or military use other than in a nuclear weapon. Uranium deuteride is the material used in Pakistan’s bomb, from where Iran obtained its blueprint. The technical document describes the use of a neutron source, uranium deuteride, which independent experts confirm has no possible civilian or military use other than in a nuclear weapon. Uranium deuteride is the material used in Pakistan’s bomb, from where Iran obtained its blueprint.

The documents detail a plan for tests to determine whether the device works — without detonating an explosion leaving traces of uranium detectable by the outside world. If such traces were found, the IAEA and the international world would have surely taken that as irreversible evidence of Iran’s intention to become a nuclear-armed power.

The documents have been seen by intelligence agencies from several Western countries, including Britain. A senior source at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that they had been passed to the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

This revelation coincides with growing international concern about Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran insisting it wants to build a civilian nuclear industry to generate power, but critics suspect that the regime is intent on diverting the technology to build an atomic bomb.
In September, Iran was forced to admit that it was constructing a secret uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom. President Ahmadinejad then claimed that he wanted to build ten such sites. Over the weekend Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, said that Iran needed up to 15 nuclear power plants to meet its energy needs, despite the country’s huge oil and gas reserves.

The publication of the documents will increase pressure for tougher UN sanctions against Iran, which are due to be discussed this week. But the latest leaks in a long series of allegations against Iran will also be seized on by hawks in Israel and the US, who support a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities before the country can build its first warhead.

The fall out would be explosive on all fronts, especially if it proves Iran has been actively working on the bomb after 2003, if the four-year plan was followed through. Mark Fitzpatrick,

senior fellow for non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London said, "Is this the smoking gun?" Thats the queston we should all be asking ourselves.

Related Links:
Leaked Memo identifies man at head of Iranian nuclear program
Discovery of UD3 raises fears over Iran`s nuclear intentions

Tim Osman aka Osama bin Laden

CIA assest "Tim Osman" has recently become better known as Osama bin Laden
Tim Osman or Tim Osmann has recently become better known as Osama Bin Laden. "Tim Osman" was the name assigned to him by the CIA for his tour of the U.S. and U.S. military bases, in search of political support and armaments needed to fight of the Russians during the 80’s.
"There is some evidence that Tim Osman and Ralph Oldberg visited the White House. "Ralph Olberg" was an American businesman who was leading the procurement of American weapons and technology on behalf of the Afghan rebels. He worked through the Afghan desk at the U.S. State Department and looked after the Afghanis through a curious front called MSH—Management Sciences for Health. There is certainty that Tim Osman toured some U.S. military bases, even receiving special demonstrations of the latest equipment." So why hasn't this information been reported in the major media?


More controversy:

>In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, whilst Osama was being treated for a serious kidney ailment in Dubai at an American hospital, he was visited by a CIA Agent...."US intelligence agent met Osama Bin Laden in a Gulf hospital… the meeting took place between July 4 and 14… Bin Laden was visited by… the local representative of the CIA." - Ananova

>An interesting fact you may want to know - the US probably knew the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden before, during and shortly after the 9/11 attacks. As mentioned above, Osama was in the hospital for a kidney dialysis in July, but that’s not all, on September 10, 2001, one day before the 9/11 attacks, he was admitted to hospital again. This time, it was at a hospital with America’s ally, Pakistan. Sources from Pakistan’s Military Intelligence (ISI) and witnesses from the Rawalpindi told the CBS about Osama.....“Pakistan intelligence sources tell CBS News that bin Laden was spirited into a military hospital in Rawalpindi for kidney dialysis treatment."On that night," said a medical worker who wanted her identity protected, "they moved out all the regular staff in the urology department and sent in a secret team to replace them." - CBS

>Now, usually inpatient dialysis treatment trends to be longer than 24 hours in most U.S. hospitals, which suggests that Osama would have been discharged from the hospital on or AFTER September 11. If the CBS report is accurate and Osama had really indeed been admitted to the Pakistani military hospital on September 10, he was in all likelihood still in the hospital in Rawalpindi on September 11, when the attacks occurred. Without a doubt, his whereabouts were known to US officials on the morning of September 12, when Secretary of State Colin Powell initiated negotiations with Pakistan, with a view in arresting and extraditing bin Laden. So why has the Bush administration denied all along knowing where Osama is?

The Tim Osman alias document(s):

More Proof to UFO and Alien Existence?

Recent interview with assistant of renowned astrophysicist sheds new light on UFO and alien existence

(Left: Dr. J. Allen Hynek)

Recently, George Noory of Coast-to-coast-am hosted Paola Harris, an investigative reporter in the field of extraterrestrial related phenomena research and Ann Eller, secretary to the late renowned astrophysicist Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who is known as the Father of UFO-Alien research.

For a full four hours, they both discussed the life of late J. Allen Hynek, who was the scientific advisor to Project Blue Book and the techinical advisor for the film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Eller recalled her tenure with the legendary ufologist that shed some light about his life and research. She described him as a, "very quiet, private and soft-spoken man." As a researcher, she said he was "a true scientist" who wanted "tangible proof." Based on Eller`s time working with Hynek, she sensed he "was close enough, for twenty years, to the inner sanctum that he had a certain amount of fear" for the safety of his family and himself.

Some revelations shared by Eller was that Hynek was a "closet Rosicrucian" who was "very spiritual." Rosicrucianism is the theology of a secret society of mystics, formed in late medieval Germany, holding a doctrine "built on esoteric truths of the ancient path," which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm." Hynek also had in his possession a remarkable letter, received in 1954 from someone at Ohio State`s Astronomy Department. This letter according to Eller, documented the fact that "intelligent signals were being received, by their radio telescope, from the vicinity of Venus." Eller said when she showed the letter to Hynek, he simply put it away and "it was never spoken of again."

Eller also claimed to have seen a list containing the names of the original members of MJ-12 in Hynek`s office. MJ-12, also known as Majestic 12, is the code name of a secret committee of scientists, military leaders and government officials, supposedly formed in 1947 by an executive order by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. The purpose of the committee was allegedly to investigate UFO activity in the aftermath of the Roswell incident-the purported crash of an alien spacecraft near Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. This alleged committee is an important part of the UFO conspiracy theory of an ongoing cover up by the government on UFO information. Its important to note, the FBI has concluded that the MJ-12 documents are false. The FBI adopted the Air Force Office of Special Investigation`s (AFOSI) opinion the documents are "bogus" and the FBI’s official position became that the MJ-12 documents were "completely bogus.” A copy of the purported Harry Truman letter Authorizing Majestic Twelve:

Hynek also voiced concern and suspicion about the origins of the cancer that ultimately cost him his life.

Paola Harris, who was a friend and colleague of Hynk from 1980 until his death in 1986, recalled how his passing impacted the field of Ufology as well as her career as a UFO researcher. She stressed and noted that how his loss created a void in the field of UFO studies, since he was a highly respected scientist in the field. "I cried my eyes out when he died," she recalled, "I stopped every part of my research after he died. I did not want to do anything."

Iranian Nuke Scientist - Abducted by the US?

Iran has accused the US of abducting one of its nuclear scientists who has been missing since June

Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist disappeared in Saudi Arabia while on a Muslim pilgrimage. That fact Mr. Amiri was a nuclear scientist wasn`t disclosed by Tehran at first in their prrviuos announcements.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told journalists the Iranians expected the US to return Mr Amiri, and asked the Saudis to co-operate too.
"Based on existing pieces of evidence that we have at our disposal the Americans had a role in Mr Amiri's abduction," Mr Mottaki said. "The Americans did abduct him. Therefore we expect the American government to return him." Mr Amiri worked as a researcher at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, according to Iran's state-run Press TV.

Earlier Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Mehr news agency that "Riyadh handed over Amiri to Washington" and that he is now one of 11 Iranians sitting in US jails. Its no wonder the The Saudis and the US were working together. The Saudis would have every step Mr. Amiri made in the kingdom while performing his pilgrimage. This would have greatly aided US intelligence

India, Slowly Becoming a South-East Asian Superpower

The Hindustani nation of India slowly flexing it`s muscles in South-East asia

The nation of India is making headlines on the international front that slowly is making the hindustani nation become a superpower in the south-east asian region. This week, ahead of scheduled meetings between the heads of state, India and Russia signed deals on nuclear energy and arms sales.

Russia is already building two nuclear power units in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and agreed to install four more nuclear reactors there as part of an agreement signed during Medvedev's visit to India last year. The Russia's state-owned nuclear power firm - Rosatom could build up to 20 nuclear power units in India in all, including four to six in the state of West Bengal, the ITAR-TASS state news agency reported, citing the company's chief.

"These are not just billions, these are tens of billions of dollars" worth of contracts, Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko said, quoted by ITAR-TASS. On the arms side, India is looking for better air-defense capabilities, bolstering it`s navy as well as their airforce. It has been known for some time, India has been looking into AWACS for their airforce and other electronic warfare equipment as well as upgrading their soviet-era air fleet. India also soon will have an additional member to it`s navy fleet, the retired soviet-era 44,570-ton aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.

All this comes on the heels of a joint venture between India and Russia to develop multirole transport aircraft (MTA). The plan calls for the production of 21o MTA`s jointly, with Russia buying 100 and India buying the rest. The MTA is intended to replace the Indian Air Force's transport aircraft, most of which were bought from Russia. India has about 100 medium-lift An-32s and about 20 heavy-lift Il-76s. In 2008, India signed a contract for the purchase of six C-130 Hercules transport planes from the U.S.

With all this said, India slowly is becoming a major superpower in the region but nothing close to China`s level yet but, India does have a faster rate of growth. If you look at Indian state ideals for the past 50-60 years, they have overcome so much to be where they are all in spite of their bitter neighboring rival Pakistan over nuclear capabilities. Now, it seems India wants to have an upper hand in the region to counter any possible Pakistani aggression should the government be dissolved and left to the radical mullahs or any other potential action to destabilize the region.

Holes in Iranian Air Defense?

Flaws found in recent Iranian air defense exercise

Iran`s recent air and missile-defense exercise has revealed flaws in its capabilities to effectively defend high value sites - namely its nuclear installations from attack. This is according to international experts who have spoken to janes.

The 3-part exercise was conducted in late November to showcase Iran`s ability to make it "impossible for enemy jets to enter Iranian territory," by Brig. Gen. Ahmad Mighani, commander of the air force and of the exercise. Of all the positive spin about the exercise, it hid the shortcomings of Iran`s ground-based air-defense systems, that were apparently seen in photos released by the state media during and after the exercise.

The photos released indicated the age and the technical deficiencies of the air-defense systems in the exercise. Aside from the Russian-made Tor-M1 (SA-15) surface-to-air missile systems, the entire cache of Iranian air-defense equipment would no match for current air fleets and electronic warfare systems used by USAF or IAF, according to analysts.

This should be a wake up call for Iran to bolster it`s air-defense capabilities against it`s nuclear installations. USAF or IAF air fleets have the capability to quickly deal a devastating strike on Iranian high-value targets without significant casualties. Although Russian-Tor-M1 missiles surely pose a direct threat to air fleets, they but can`t cover all the territory than encompasses Iranian high-value targets. It is known Iran signed a deal worth $1 billion covering the procurement of up to 29 Tor-M1 missile systems.

However, Iranian military commanders in closed-door sessions may have taken wind of their air-defense results and secretly contemplating the next step. They may be discussing options of procuring sophisticated air-defense batteries as well as additional Tor-M1 missiles systems from Russia. It is known though, through Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defense minister, that Moscow will continue to develop military and technical cooperation with Tehran. This could hint on further sales of S-300 (SA-12) air-defense missiles, which were requested by Iran for several years, but so-far denied by Russia.

What ever the result, Russia has a vested interest in Iran and will see it through that Iran survives any conflict while trying to reduce a U.S. hegemony in the region

Venezuela Arming Itself

It seems Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, is readying itself for a possible confrontation with neighboring Colombia - considered a proxy for the U.S. This is all comes on the heels of recent news that the U.S. will continue to have access to Colombian military bases that are around the capital of Bogota and the border with Venezuela as well as increasing troop levels at the bases. The seven bases the U.S. military will operate from is termed for the use in controlling the drug trade and insurgents in Colombia and around the region.

Chavez claims his country will be attacked, a charge both the U.S. and Colombia denies, and is strengthening his country to counter any possible military conflict. "They are preparing a war against us," Chavez said during a televised address, repeating a charge he has been making for months. "Preparing is one of the best ways to neutralize it."

Russia of course is the main supplier of arms to Venezuela, recently opening a $2.2 billion line of credit for the purpose to sell more weapons. Russian arms sales since 2005 to Venezuela has been more than $4 billion, including 24 Sukhoi fighters, attack helicopters and about 100,000 kalashnikov rifles.

Chavez`s claim on Monday that Russian T-72 main battle tanks will be arriving soon will surely complicate the situation even further to possible U.S./Colombian intervention. His additional claim that thousands of missiles will also be arriving was unspecified of the type but Venezuela does have a growing arsenal of Russian-made Igla-1S surface-to-air missiles. There`s no doubt Venezuela will soon acquire these arms even if not more from Russia. Both Colombian and US forces should take notice and closely monitor the situation, treading lightly into any "possible" operation into Venezuela.

As we all know by now, US special forces are around and operate in the region - something that will always be denied. Venezuela too wouldn`t escalate into a full scale operation unless it felt directly or imminently threatened but would deal a nasty blow to any incursions made by "forces" on its soil.