Roswell on Alert; Possible Mars Needs Women

By PeraclesPlease on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 10:40am |

URL:

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/15/us/national-solar-observatory-closed-evacuated-trnd/index.html

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Whatever is going on, I noticed at the end of the WaPo article on it, they've decided to milk the attention on their website:

As of Friday, the observatory was still shuttered, although McAteer said the researchers were ready to return “as soon as possible.” The observatory even seemed to embrace the interest in the mysterious evacuation, writing on its website, “With the excitement this closure has generated, we hope you will come and visit us when we do reopen, and see for yourself the services we provide for science and public outreach in heliophysics.”

So maybe they have aliens, or know Armageddon is upon us, or maybe they don't.

by artappraiser on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 1:16pm

P.S. When I saw on twitter that the local post office was also evacuated, I immediately thought: possible anthrax letters or mail bomb, that's how my conspiracy thinking goes, it's very plebian, not very imaginative...

by artappraiser on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 1:19pm

Bulk mailing aliens vs special delivery. "Beam me up, Scotty - next day EMS"

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 2:17pm

Sure when a secret delegation of extraterrestrials arrives from space for a top secret diplomatic conference on interstellar issues they close down the observatory to hide their arrival. Then they want us to come and support them after the extraterrestrials leave. I think not!

by ocean-kat on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 1:41pm

I am suspect of your motivation for this comment, you being an expert in courting tourist dollars round those parts of the country. Makes me curious which would be the larger demographic, ghost hunters or alien hunters....a Hollywood producer would surely have those figures at the tip of ~~his~~ her fingers.

by artappraiser on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 1:51pm

I was surprised and amused by the large number of people coming though who asked me for ghost stories.

by ocean-kat on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 2:45pm

Try "Pedro Paramo", one of the greats.

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 4:04pm

I read and reread a few books on the history of Ruby, Arizona just so I wouldn't look like an idiot when people asked me questions. I suppose I should read this novel so I have answers to the questions of a different segment of visitors. History is written by the victors, a lie written by and for the powerful, so who's to say which has more validity. The history books I've read or the story of Pedro Paramo.

by ocean-kat on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 4:20pm

You mentioned ghosts, I give you ghosts. The land is full of them. Lies? Truth? I'd say it's just a story but "just" is demeaning. It's a story. Perhaps another way to talk to your guests, perhaps your own enjoyment, perhaps nothing. Perhaps you're ready to provide your own answers and don't need anyone else's.

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 5:06pm

Shutdown Of New Mexico Observatory Was Part Of Investigation Into Child Pornography

By Shannon Von Sant @ NPR.org, September 20, 2018 7:10 PM ET

[....] According to unsealed federal court documents, the FBI was examining the observatory – but not for the presence of aliens. In an affidavit, an FBI agent wrote that she was looking at the "activities of an individual who was utilizing the wireless internet service of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, to download and distribute child pornography."

The FBI says it closed the observatory in case the suspect posed a danger to other employees. The observatory reopened on Monday.

NPR's Laurel Wamsley reported that the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy said the decision to evacuate the facility was based on "the need for expeditious response to the potential threat."

"Our desire to provide additional information had to be balanced against the risk that, if spread at the time, the news would alert the suspect and impede the law enforcement investigation. That was a risk we could not take," AURA said in a statement [....]

by artappraiser on Thu, 09/20/2018 - 8:30pm

Oh, child porn. I thought for sure it would turn out to be swamp gas.

by ocean-kat on Thu, 09/20/2018 - 9:05pm

In the News

Indian elections are a referendum on Modi’s politics
Indian elections are a referendum on Modi’s politics

submitted by artappraiser 3 hours ago

Voting concluded in India on Sunday in the final phase of a weeks-long election. With more than 900 million registered voters, the final results expected Thursday will decide if Prime Minister Narendra Modi stays in power,
says @gettleman of @nytimes https://t.co/uolF4SaOgJ
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) May 20, 2019

Read the article at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/indian-elections-are-a-referendum-on-modis-politics

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Opinion: The Suburbs Are Coming to a City Near You
Opinion: The Suburbs Are Coming to a City Near You

submitted by artappraiser 3 hours ago

Is a city still a city if urban living is a luxury good?

"In 2000, the nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene had a combined black population of about 45,000 and a white population of about 37,000. By 2015, there were 32,000 black residents and 62,000 whites." https://t.co/jH9LQeucJ1
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) May 20, 2019

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/opinion/sunday/the-suburbs-cities.html

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‘They Were Conned’: How Reckless Loans Devastated a...
‘They Were Conned’: How Reckless Loans Devastated a Generation of Taxi Drivers

submitted by artappraiser 3 hours ago

950 taxi drivers ended up in bankruptcy after buying NYC medallions, many at the goading of unscrupulous lenders who saw immigrant strivers as easy marks for brazenly predatory loans. An infuriating expose: https://t.co/MrJlPVVWKk
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) May 20, 2019

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/nyregion/nyc-taxis-medallions-suicides.html

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In Cities Where It Once Reigned, Heroin Is Disappearing
In Cities Where It Once Reigned, Heroin Is Disappearing

submitted by artappraiser 4 hours ago

Fentanyl is killing so many longtime drug users, especially older African-Americans in cities like Baltimore, that many are now pining for less-deadly heroin, which is increasingly hard to find. A harrowing, dystopian piece by the great @abbygoodnough: https://t.co/7wDe30ETAw
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) May 20, 2019

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/health/heroin-fentanyl-deaths-baltimore.html

1 comment

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"Don’t Rebrand Corruption"
"Don’t Rebrand Corruption"

submitted by artappraiser 4 hours ago

No one is happier about the Supreme Court’s rebranding of corruption than sketchy politicians, argues Brennan Center Fellow Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.

Anyone who tries to tell you that corruption is only a Republican problem or only a Democratic problem is a partisan hack. Two recent scandals show that corruption is a bipartisan problem, writes Brennan Center fellow @ProfCiara. https://t.co/r5qqPHLrOi

Read the article at https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/dont-rebrand-corruption

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Trump Is Now Defending War Crimes; It's not just...
Trump Is Now Defending War Crimes; It's not just bluster anymore.

submitted by artappraiser 5 hours ago

"Gallagher faces war crimes charges. His accusers are fellow Navy SEALs—not pantywaist factotums in Washington. The SEALs allege that Gallagher was an out-of-control killer who shot women and old men as well as combatants. "https://t.co/1wWsV7gAmB
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) May 19, 2019

Read the article at https://thebulwark.com/trump-is-now-defending-war-crimes/

2 comments

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Refugee crisis: Chart shows staggering rise of displaced...
Refugee crisis: Chart shows staggering rise of displaced people in the world

submitted by artappraiser 22 hours ago

By Stef W. Knight @ Axios.com, May 18 CHART @ LINK

As of 2017, more people have been forced by violence and conflict to flee their homes than live in the U.K. or France.

Why it matters: That's upwards of 60 million people — a global nation of refugees. If all of these asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and refugees were a country, they'd be the 21st most populous nation in the world, according to UNHCR estimates. More than half of refugees are under the age of 18.

Read the article at https://www.axios.com/refugee-population-world-9d7e786e-3773-4d17-ac0b-5baa3bee031e.html

1 comment

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Timber Laundering in Peru: The Mafia Within
Timber Laundering in Peru: The Mafia Within

submitted by artappraiser 1 day ago

In Peru's gubernatorial elections in late 2018, the toxic influence of the timber trade was again evident. The elections became a runoff between two timber barons, Edwin Vásquez and Francisco Pezo.https://t.co/bNwhHBgrGQ
— InSight Crime (@InSightCrime) May 19, 2019

Read the article at https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/timber-laundering-in-peru-the-mafia-within/

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Iran Hard-Liners' New Headache: Dancing Schoolchildren
Iran Hard-Liners' New Headache: Dancing Schoolchildren

submitted by artappraiser 1 day ago

By Golnza Esfandiari @ RFERL.org, May 10, with a tweeted video embedded

Read the article at https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hard-liners-new-headache-dancing-schoolchildren/29933684.html

1 comment

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U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R) of Michigan says:
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R) of Michigan says:

submitted by artappraiser 1 day ago

Here are my principal conclusions:
1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.
2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.
3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.
4. Few members of Congress have read the report.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 18, 2019

continues as whole thread of tweets

Read the article at https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1129831615952236546

6 comments

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The feds need to up their game against domestic extremists...
The feds need to up their game against domestic extremists, critics say

submitted by artappraiser 1 day ago

Michael German — Brennan Center expert and former FBI agent who infiltrated white supremacist groups — discusses the need for a significant shift in how the FBI approaches white supremacist violence. https://t.co/DjBcSQubiK
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) May 18, 2019

Read the article at https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/feds-need-their-game-against-domestic-extremists-say-critics-n1006001?cid=public-rss_20190515

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A Kiss is Just a Kiss? Gay Robots Up In Arms
A Kiss is Just a Kiss? Gay Robots Up In Arms

submitted by PeraclesPlease 1 day ago

Read the article at https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/444398-calvin-klein-apologizes-after-backlash-over-video-of-bella

1 comment

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Half-court Press: leading the news cycle by the nose
Half-court Press: leading the news cycle by the nose

submitted by PeraclesPlease 1 day ago

Read the article at https://newrepublic.com/article/153927/watergate-editor-trump-leads-press-around-nose

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Hillary's top secret email revealed; leaked CIA methods
Hillary's top secret email revealed; leaked CIA methods

submitted by PeraclesPlease 1 day ago

I love it when @CIA doesn't pay attention to consistency & it reveals their BS to the Court. In today's example, the same page was inconsistently redacted in two places, revealing that the "classified intelligence source & method" they're withholding is "sending a hooker." pic.twitter.com/vbTK5mA71d

Read the article at https://twitter.com/NatlSecCnslrs/status/1129590623466598400

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Venezuela’s Collapse Is the Worst Outside of War in Decades...
Venezuela’s Collapse Is the Worst Outside of War in Decades, Economists Say

submitted by artappraiser 2 days ago

From MARACAIBO, Venezuela by Anatoly Kurmanaev @ NYTimes.com, May 17

The crumbling of Venezuela’s economy has now outpaced the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s unraveling in the 1990s and Zimbabwe’s collapse under Robert Mugabe. 
Shortages of food, water and medication have sunk most of the population into a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/world/americas/venezuela-economy.html

3 comments

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