HAARP: Secret Weapon Used For Weather Modification, Electromagnetic Warfare

By Fred Burks

HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) is a little-known, yet critically important U.S. military defense program which has generated quite a bit of controversy over the years in certain circles. Though denied by HAARP officials, some respected researchers allege that secret electromagnetic warfare capabilities of HAARP are designed to forward the US military’s stated goal of achieving full-spectrum dominance by the year 2020. Others go so far as to claim that HAARP can and has been used for weather modification, to cause earthquakes and tsunamis, to disrupt global communications systems, and more.

Major aspects of the program are kept secret for alleged reasons of “national security.” Yet there is no doubt that HAARP and electromagnetic weapons capable of being used in warfare do exist. According to the official HAARP website, “HAARP is a scientific endeavor aimed at studying the properties and behavior of the ionosphere, with particular emphasis on being able to understand and use it to enhance communications and surveillance systems for both civilian and defense purposes.” The ionosphere is the delicate upper layer of our atmosphere which ranges from about 30 miles (50 km) to 600 miles (1,000 km) above the surface of the Earth.

The HAARP website acknowledges that experiments are conducted which use electromagnetic frequencies to fire pulsed, directed energy beams in order to “temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere.” Some scientists state that purposefully disturbing this sensitive layer could have major and even disastrous consequences. Concerned HAARP researchers like Dr. Michel Chossudovsky of the University of Ottawa and Alaska’s Dr. Nick Begich (son of a US Congressman) present evidence suggesting that these disturbances can even cause tsunamis and earthquakes.

Two key major media documentaries, one by Canada’s public broadcasting network CBC and the other by the History Channel, reveal the inner workings of HAARP in a most powerful way. The very well researched CBC documentary includes this key quote:

“It isn’t just conspiracy theorists who are concerned about HAARP. In January of 1999, the European Union called the project a global concern and passed a resolution calling for more information on its health and environmental risks. Despite those concerns, officials at HAARP insist the project is nothing more sinister than a radio science research facility.”

To view the European Union (EU) document which brings HAARP and similar electromagnetic weapons into question, click here. The actual wording at bullet point 24 in this telling document states that the EU “considers HAARP by virtue of its far-reaching impact on the environment to be a global concern and calls for its legal, ecological and ethical implications to be examined by an international independent body before any further research and testing.” This reveling document further states that the EU regrets the repeated refusal of the U.S. government to send anyone to give evidence on HAARP.

To watch this engaging 15-minute CBC documentary online, click here. For an even more detailed and revealing 45-minute History Channel documentary on HAARP and other secret weapons used for electromagnetic warfare, click here. Below are two quotes from the History Channel documentary:

“Electromagnetic weapons … pack an invisible wallop hundreds of times more powerful than the electrical current in a lightning bolt. One can blast enemy missiles out of the sky, another could be used to blind soldiers on the battlefield, still another to control an unruly crowd by burning the surface of their skin. If detonated over a large city, an electromagnetic weapon could destroy all electronics in seconds. They all use directed energy to create a powerful electromagnetic pulse.”

“Directed energy is such a powerful technology it could be used to heat the ionosphere to turn weather into a weapon of war. Imagine using a flood to destroy a city or tornadoes to decimate an approaching army in the desert. The military has spent a huge amount of time on weather modification as a concept for battle environments. If an electromagnetic pulse went off over a city, basically all the electronic things in your home would wink and go out, and they would be permanently destroyed.”

For those who still doubt that such devastating secret weapons have been developed, here is an intriguing quote from an article in New Zealand’s leading newspaper, the New Zealand Herald:

“Top-secret wartime experiments were conducted off the coast of Auckland to perfect a tidal wave bomb, declassified files reveal. United States defence chiefs said that if the project had been completed before the end of the war, it could have played a role as effective as that of the atom bomb. Details of the tsunami bomb, known as Project Seal, are contained in 53-year-old documents released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”

If the military secretly developed a weapon which could cause a tsunami over half a century ago, what kind of advanced deadly weapons might be available now? And why is it that the general public still doesn’t know about secret weapons developed over 50 years ago? To understand why the media isn’t covering these highly critical issues, click here. Clearly the military has the capability to cause a tsunami and likely to cause earthquakes and hurricanes, as well. It’s time for us to take action to spread the word on this vital topic.

Having interpreted to for top generals in my work as a language interpreter with the US Department of State, I learned that military planners are always interested in developing the most devastating weapons possible. Yet these weapons are kept secret as long as possible, allegedly for reasons of national security. The many layers of intense secrecy both in the military and government result in very few people being aware of the gruesome capabilities for death and destruction that have been developed over the years. There are many examples of major defense projects kept successfully out of the public’s eyes for years and even decades.

The massive Manhattan Project (development of the first atomic bomb) is one such example. The building of an entire city to support the project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee was successfully kept secret even from the state’s governor. The stealth bomber was kept top secret for many years, and the public still has no way of knowing it’s full capabilities. It is through the use of the highly organized military and intelligence services that the power elite of our world, working in cooperation with key allies in government and corporate ownership of the media, are able to carry out major cover-ups and secret operations like those involved with HAARP.

Some researchers have raised questions about the possible involvement of HAARP in major disasters like the earthquake in Haiti, Indonesian tsunami, and hurricane Katrina. Could these have been HAARP experiments gone awry? Might they even have been caused by rogue elements which gained control of this devastating technology. Of course disasters like this happen regularly on a natural basis, yet if you begin to research, there is some high strangeness around some of these disasters. The evidence is inconclusive, yet with the known and unknown major destructive capabilities of this weapon, serious questions remain.

Jesse Ventura, the former Navy Seal who turned pro wrestler only to then become governor of Minnesota, has also done a special on HAARP that is a bit sensationalized, yet contains useful information. You can watch this special on YouTube at this link.

Pakistan Doubling Rate of Making Nuclear Weapons | ISIS.

by David Albright and Paul Brannan

Construction of Pakistan’s fourth plutonium production reactor at Khushab proceeds quickly; when finished, the three new Khushab reactors will allow Pakistan to double its annual output of nuclear weapons. The United States should condition a fraction of its military aid on Pakistan halting production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.
New Satellite Image of Fourth Khushab Reactor

Newsweek has published an article examining Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program that includes new GeoEye commercial satellite imagery from April 20, 2011 of the Khushab military nuclear site (see figure 1). Newsweek shared this imagery with ISIS, and we provided our assessment.

The April 20, 2011 image shows significant progress in the construction of a fourth plutonium production reactor at the Khushab site (see figure 2). On February 9, 2011, ISIS released a report featuring satellite imagery from January 15, 2011 showing what ISIS assessed was excavation for a new reactor (see figure 3). In the April 20, 2011 image, the frame of the reactor building and the main reactor hall are visible. At least three cranes and construction material surround the new building construction. It is not clear from the image if there are any reactor vessel components in the center of the main reactor hall.

The precise pace of construction of the fourth reactor relative to the other Khushab reactors cannot yet be determined from the images—though construction has progressed significantly since January 15, 2011. ISIS noted in a June 21, 2007 report that Pakistan was constructing the third reactor much more quickly than the second. It may be building the fourth reactor quicker than the third one. Nonetheless, the fourth reactor will likely take a few years to complete.

The pace may also depend on Pakistan’s overseas illicit procurement of goods for this reactor. Pakistan was recently implicated allegedly operating an illegal network in the United States to procure goods for its Chashma nuclear power reactor project and perhaps other reactors and plutonium separation plants. The equipment included calibration and switching equipment, radiation detection equipment, and nuclear grade resin used to further purify coolant water.

By comparing satellite images, the fourth reactor under construction appears to be a duplicate of the second and third reactors at Khushab. Figure 4 shows the second, third and fourth reactors at different stages of construction. The dimensions of the main reactor halls are the same, as are the dimensions of the entire reactor buildings. The location of structures adjacent to the fourth reactor building is also the same as the ones near the third and fourth reactors.

The Khushab nuclear site originally contained one heavy water reactor, which Pakistan stated was operational in 1998. Sometime between 2000 and 2002, Pakistan began building a second heavy water reactor at the site. In 2006, Pakistan began construction on a third reactor. In early 2010, ISIS reported that commercial satellite imagery from December 2009 showed vapor rising from the cooling towers of the second reactor, indicating that it was starting operation.
Excessive Stocks of Plutonium

Pakistan’s construction of these new reactors at the Khushab site will result in a dramatic increase in its plutonium production capability. Combined, the three new reactors will be able to produce enough plutonium for over 12 nuclear weapons per year, depending on the reactors’ size and operating efficiencies. 1 This compares with Pakistan’s current estimated production of enough weapon-grade uranium and plutonium for about 7-14 weapons per year. 2 These three new reactors will roughly double Pakistan’s annual ability to build nuclear weapons to about 19-26 nuclear weapons per year.

Pakistan appears to want the plutonium to improve the quality of its nuclear arsenal and build a new generation of lighter, more powerful weapons. Plutonium-based weapons can have more explosive yield in smaller, lighter packages than weapons based on weapon-grade uranium. Pakistan appears to want warheads small enough to fit on cruise missiles it is currently developing. It also may want larger yield (50-100 kiloton) fission weapons that can cause far more damage to Indian cities than its current relatively low-yield weapons. In addition, plutonium-based fission weapons could enable Pakistan to build deliverable thermonuclear weapons (i.e., hydrogen bombs). Thus, the recent activity at Khushab should be viewed as further evidence of an accelerated nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan.

In total, through 2010, Pakistan has produced enough weapon-grade uranium and plutonium for roughly 100-170 nuclear weapons. Based on available information, the number of deployed weapons is probably less. Assuming that about 30 percent of its stock of weapon-grade uranium and plutonium is located in its weapons production pipeline, stored, or otherwise unused in weapons, Pakistan has an estimated total of 70-120 nuclear weapons. It can currently add to that stock at the rate of about 7-14 warheads per year and that value will go up to 19-26 warheads per year when all four Khushab reactors are operational.
Risks of Nuclear Explosive Stock

Pakistan’s great increase in production of plutonium is by itself an inherent nuclear material security risk. The construction of these new Khushab reactors also further complicates attaining a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT). Already, Pakistan is the sole nation blocking the negotiations of this important treaty at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
Recommendation

The Obama administration should publicly insist that Pakistan halt construction of these new reactors at Khushab. Congress should condition a fraction of U.S. aid on Pakistan announcing a moratorium on further construction and agreeing to a FMCT.

Avengers Tops DVD and Blu-Ray Sales, Lifts All Marvel’s Films

By: Russ Burlingame

 Marvel’s The Avengers, the year’s top-grossing film and the third-most moneymaking movie of all time, is not only blowing away the competition on the DVD sales chart but is also driving so much interest that it has dragged the previous Marvel Studios films near the top of the sales charts as well.

Home Media Magazine reports five of the earlier installments of the Marvel tentpole franchises have entered the First Alert Top 25 list for DVD and Blu-ray sales: Thor at No. 8, Captain America: The First Avenger at No. 13, Iron Man 2 at No. 14, The Incredible Hulk at No. 19 and the first Iron Man at No 23. The five films also reappeared on the top 20 Blu-ray chart. The only thing missing from that list is Ang Lee’s The Hulk, which is years older than the others and only very tenuously connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Polls show presidential race tightening a month from Election Day

By The Associated Press The Times-Picayune

WASHINGTON -- As the White House race shows signs of tightening nationally, President Barack Obama's campaign is banking on a massive get-out-the-vote operation and state-by-state shades of economic improvement to maintain its apparent polling edge in battlegrounds from Ohio to Virginia.
Republican Mitt Romney, re-energized by last week's debate, is flashing new confidence on the campaign trail and pressing toward the political center on both foreign and domestic issues. But aides have outlined no clear path to winning the 270 Electoral College votes required to gain the White House.
"Things are going pretty good," the usually cautious Romney said Monday with a smile.
Among Democrats, the swagger of the previous few weeks has all but vanished since the debate.
"Ultimately this is a tight race, and it's going to remain a tight race until the end," said Bill Burton, who runs Priorities USA Action, a pro-Obama super political action committee.
Indeed, one month from Election Day, polls show a close race. And with millions of Americans already voting and the potential for game-changing moments diminishing, the candidates have little room for error as they seek to sway a narrow swath of undecided voters.
Obama aides acknowledge Romney's strong turn on the debate stage helped him shift gears from a rocky September. But they also argue that Romney's momentum was arrested somewhat by a Friday jobs report showing the unemployment rate declined to 7.8 percent, the lowest level of Obama's presidency.
They say the president was thrown during the debate by what they call Romney's willingness to abandon his previous positions, including his $5 trillion tax cut proposal. In the next debate -- and in television advertisements before then -- the Democrat and his aides are expected to accuse Romney of lying about his own plans.
Romney's team, meanwhile, is tempering expectations that tightening national polls will translate into success on the ground in the key states most likely to decide the race. Things may be moving in the right direction, they say, but significant work remains.
Still, they're seeking to paint Obama's campaign as desperate.
"It seems pretty clear that their new strategy is basically just call us liars, to descend down into a mud pit and hopefully, with enough mudslinging back and forth and distortion, people will get demoralized and they can win by default," said Romney running mate Paul Ryan.
Both Democrats and Republicans say internal campaign surveys following last week's debate show Romney has cut into the lead Obama had built up in many key battleground states. But they say Obama still has an advantage in most of the nine or so critical states, including Ohio and Virginia. A lack of independent polling makes it difficult to know whether that's true. Romney pulled ahead of Obama, 49 to 45 percent nationally, among likely voters according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted after the debate.
In a foreign policy speech at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., on Monday, Romney cast himself as a statesman who would be part of a long, bipartisan tradition of American leadership in the world. He said the U.S. should use its power "wisely, with solemnity and without false pride, but also firmly and actively."
At the same time, he is moving away from some of the more conservative positions he pressed during the GOP primary. The shift is aimed at appealing to the independents and disaffected members of both parties who could swing the race. He is to deliver at least two more policy speeches in the coming weeks focused on job growth and debt and spending.
As Obama's aides worked to poke holes in Romney's foreign policy address, Obama declared a national monument at the Keene, Calif., home of Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez, the United Farmworkers Union founder who died in 1993.
Sure to appeal to some Hispanic voters in swing states, Obama's move came at the start of a day in which he also was raising political cash at events in San Francisco, as his campaign closed in on $1 billion in donations. Democrats said the $181 million they raised in September would allow Obama to keep advertising heavily on television in all battleground states and fully fund major registration and early voting efforts in the campaign's crucial final weeks.
The president has more get-out-the-vote offices than Romney in every competitive state; some offices never closed after the 2008 campaign. Democrats say that network helped them register more than 130,000 new voters -- most in battleground states in the week before the debate. There are more registered Democrats than Republicans in nearly every competitive state with party registration, including Florida and Nevada.
Romney's team is working hard to chip away at that margin.
Democrats have an edge in Iowa, where 62 percent of the 111,000 voters who have cast absentee ballots so far were registered Democrats. Twenty-percent were Republicans and 18 percent were unaffiliated, according to the Iowa secretary of state's office.
In Ohio, a perennial battleground state, Democrats have an edge over Republicans among people who have requested absentee ballots, though relatively few completed ballots have been submitted. Among the 691,000 people who have requested absentee ballots in 49 of the state's 88 counties, 30 percent are Democrats and 24 percent are Republicans. Forty-six percent are unaffiliated voters, according to data collected by the AP.
But Romney's early voting efforts are showing signs of paying off in North Carolina and Florida, two competitive states that the Republican nominee can ill afford to lose.
Despite a strong debate performance, Romney's path to the presidency remains narrower than Obama.
Particularly worrisome for Republicans is Ohio, a state that every Republican presidential candidate has needed to win the White House.
If Obama wins Ohio's 18 electoral votes, Romney would need to win Florida and in all likelihood secure several up-for-grabs states such as Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, New Hampshire and Nevada to take the White House.
Romney, following his selection of Wisconsin Rep. Ryan as his running mate, has tried to put Wisconsin into the toss-up category, but public polling has shown Obama ahead, giving the president more breathing room.
In the season of debates, next up is the only match-up between Vice President Joe Biden and Ryan.
A strong performance by Biden, a former senator who essentially made a career out of debating colleagues, could quell nervousness among some Democrats, though neither party expects undecided voters to be swayed by the face-off between the running mates. Ryan's challenge is to overcome his lack foreign policy expertise or national debate experience against Biden, who has extensive experience on both fronts.
"Believe you me, I understand this man is extremely experienced, he's a gifted speaker, he's a proven debater," Ryan said on The Frank Beckman Show on Detroit radio station WJR. "So we definitely have our work cut out for us. But the problem the vice president has that he just can't get around is he has to try and defend Barack Obama's record, and it's not a very good record to defend."
Biden was preparing for the face-off in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., where he has held two mock debates with Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who is playing the role of Ryan.
Obama and Romney will face off again on Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y. in a town hall debate.

Help Catch A Terrorist

fbi.gov

U.S. Citizen Wanted for Supporting Al Qaeda

The FBI today announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Ahmad Abousamra, a U.S. citizen from Massachusetts charged with traveling to Pakistan and Yemen to seek military training so he could kill American soldiers.
“Knowing that the public is the FBI’s best ally in finding fugitives, today we’re requesting your assistance to locate Abousamra,” said Richard DesLauriers, special agent in charge of our Boston office.

Abousamra is charged with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to al Qaeda. He was indicted in 2009 for taking multiple trips to Pakistan and Yemen in 2002 and 2004 to seek jihad training. He also traveled to Iraq with the hope of joining forces fighting against Americans overseas. Abousamra left the U.S. in 2006 and may be living in living in Aleppo, Syria with his wife, at least one daughter, and extended family.
Abousamra’s co-conspirator, Tarek Mehanna, was convicted of terrorism charges by a federal jury in December 2011 and sentenced last April to 17.5 years in prison.
“Both men were self-radicalized and used the Internet to educate themselves,” said Special Agent Heidi Williams, a member of our Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Boston who has been working the case since 2006. “They came to it independently, but once they found each other, they encouraged each other’s beliefs,” Williams said, adding that both Abousamra and Mehanna were inspired by the 9/11 terror attacks. “They celebrated it,” she said.
Abousamra is of Syrian descent and has dual U.S. and Syrian citizenship. He is 31 years old, 5’11” tall, and at the time of his disappearance weighed about 170 pounds. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes. He is fluent in English and Arabic, has a college degree related to computer technology, and was previously employed at a telecommunications company. Abousamra last lived in the U.S. in a prosperous Boston suburb and has family members in the Detroit, Michigan area.
One of his distinguishing characteristics is his higher-pitched voice, which can be heard on our website.

Today’s announcement is part of a publicity campaign employing traditional and social media to seek the public’s assistance. We are using social media to reach an overseas audience—information about Abousamra such as photos and audio clips can be found on the website and our Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter pages.
“Combining the reach and power of multiple media platforms is a powerful way to inform the public about our search,” DesLauriers said. “We believe publicizing Abousamra’s photo and characteristics will lead to a tip about his whereabouts and, ultimately, to his arrest.”
Thomas Daly, a sergeant with the Lowell Police Department in Massachusetts and a task force officer on the Boston JTTF since 2002, said catching Abousamra “will close the chapter on this story. We had two people who were planning to harm U.S. soldiers overseas,” Daly said, referring to Abousamra and Mehanna. “These two were actively radicalizing others. We can only assume Abousamra is still on the same path and remains a threat to our soldiers overseas.”
We need your help. If you have any information regarding Ahmad Abousamra, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip electronically on our website.
Resources:
- FBI Boston Press Release Announcing $50,000 Reward- Tarek Mehanna Sentenced in Boston to 17 Years in Prison on Terrorism-Related Charges
- Superseding Indictment Charges Two Men with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization
- Two Men Charged with Material Support to Terrorists, Conspiracy to Kill in a Foreign Country, and Other Offenses

Isaac churns in Gulf along Katrina's path

cbnews.com

(CBS/AP) KEY WEST, Fla. - Tropical Storm Isaac targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday and had New Orleans in its crosshairs, bearing down just ahead of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The potential for a landfall as a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Tuesday prompted evacuations along a wide area of the Gulf Coast and sent people out to stock up on staples.

"I gassed up -- truck and generator," John Corll, 59, a carpenter, said as he left a New Orleans coffee shop Monday morning. He went through Katrina in 2005 and was expecting a weaker storm this time, adding that he thinks the levee system is in better shape to handle a storm surge than when Katrina hit. "I think the state and local governments are much better prepared for the storm surge and emergencies," Corll said.

The storm that left 10 dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic blew past the Florida Keys with little damage, and rolled northwestward over the open Gulf of Mexico on Monday. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would grow to a hurricane over the warm water, with winds of between 74 and 95 mph. It is predicted to hit sometime Tuesday along a roughly 300-mile stretch of coastline, from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the edge of the Florida Panhandle.

That would be one day shy of seven years after Katrina struck catastrophically in 2005, although Katrina was a much stronger Category 5 storm with winds above 157 miles per hour. Isaac is expected to have top winds of around 90 mph when it hits land.

But Isaac could pack a watery double punch: If it hits during high tide, floodwaters as deep as 12 feet could be pushed ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and up to six feet in the Florida Panhandle, as up to 18 inches of rain is dumped over the region, the National Weather Service warned.

At 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, Isaac remained a tropical storm with top sustained winds of 65 mph. Its center was about 310 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and it was moving northwest at 14 mph.

Seven years after Katrina, New Orleans braces for Isaac

Tropical Storm Isaac turns northwest after soaking Florida
WFOR Miami's interactive storm tracker

The size of the warning area and the storm's wide bands of rain and wind prompted emergency declarations in four states, and hurricane-tested residents were boarding up homes, sticking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate.

On the Alabama coast, Billy Cannon, 72, was preparing to evacuate -- with several cars packed with family and four Chihuahuas -- from a home on a peninsula in Gulf Shores. Canon, who has lived on the coast for 30 years, said he thinks the order to evacuate Monday was premature.

"If it comes in, it's just going to be a big rain storm. I think they overreacted but I understand where they're coming from. It's safety," he said.

Houston Texans: 5 Reasons Preseason Game vs. Saints Should Matter to Fans

By Ben Layman
(Contributor) on August 21, 2012

The Houston Texans face another formidable NFC opponent in this week's preseason game.  Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints will undoubtedly test the Texans defense with their juggernaut offense.

The third week of preseason is always the most entertaining for fans.  Out of all the preseason games, the third game is treated most like a regular season game.

In the Texans case, there are still a few important questions to be answered at key spots.

2012 NCAA Football Rankings - Preseason

espn.go.com AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	USC (25)	0-0	1445
2	Alabama (17)	0-0	1411
3	LSU (16)	0-0	1402
4	Oklahoma (1)	0-0	1286
5	Oregon	0-0	1274
6	Georgia	0-0	1107
7	Florida State	0-0	1093
8	Michigan (1)	0-0	1000
9	South Carolina	0-0	994
10	Arkansas	0-0	963
11	West Virginia	0-0	856
12	Wisconsin	0-0	838
13	Michigan State	0-0	742
14	Clemson	0-0	615
15	Texas	0-0	569
16	Virginia Tech	0-0	548
17	Nebraska	0-0	485
18	Ohio State	0-0	474
19	Oklahoma State	0-0	430
20	TCU	0-0	397
21	Stanford	0-0	383
22	Kansas State	0-0	300
23	Florida	0-0	214
24	Boise State	0-0	212
25	Louisville	0-0	105

• Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 83, Washington 55, Auburn 53, North Carolina 32, Utah 30, Georgia Tech 25, Brigham Young 22, Tennessee 15, South Florida 11, Baylor 9, Texas A&M 5, UCF 4, Missouri 3, North Carolina State 3, Cincinnati 3, Houston 1, Louisiana Tech 1, Mississippi State 1, Northern Illinois 1

Olympics 2012: Let the games begin!

CBSSports.com Official Partner

(CBS/AP) LONDON - The 2012 London Olympics opened in spectacular fashion Friday night when, after a star-studded show, seven unknown teenage athletes lit the Olympic cauldron that will burn for the duration of the games.

British newspapers proudly hailed it with headlines claiming "London Sets The World Alight."

Seen by millions around the world, the high-octane, musical celebration of British history and culture rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who. It was inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and spliced together by director Danny Boyle.

The highlight of the Oscar-winning director's $42 million show was pure movie magic, using film tricks to make it seem as if Britain's beloved 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had parachuted into the stadium with the nation's most famous spy - Daniel Craig as 007.
Boyle turned the stadium into a giant juke box, with a nonstop rock and pop homage to cool Britannia that ensured the show never caught its breath.

The high-adrenaline soundtrack veered from classical to irreverent. Boyle daringly included the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and a snippet of its version of "God Save the Queen" an anti-establishment punk anthem once banned by the BBC.

The encyclopedic review of modern British music continued with a 1918 Broadway standard adopted by the West Ham football team, the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Bohemian Rhapsody,'" by still another Queen, and other tracks too numerous to mention, but not to dance to.

The evening started with fighter jets streaming red, white and blue smoke and roaring over the stadium, packed with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people, at 8:12 p.m. or 20:12 in the 24-hour time observed by Britons.

Boyle, one of Britain's most successful filmmakers, who directed "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting," had a ball with his favored medium, mixing filmed passages with live action in the stadium to hypnotic effect, with 15,000 volunteers taking part in the show.

Actor Rowan Atkinson as "Mr. Bean" provided laughs, shown dreaming that he was appearing in "Chariots of Fire," the inspiring story of a Scotsman and an Englishman at the 1924 Paris Games.

Opening the ceremony, children popped balloons with each number from 10 to 1, leading a countdown that climaxed with Bradley Wiggins, the newly crowned Tour de France champion.
Wearing his yellow winner's jersey, Wiggins rang a 23-ton Olympic Bell from the same London foundry that made Big Ben and Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. Its thunderous chime was a nod to the British tradition of pealing bells to celebrate the end of war and the crowning of kings and queens.

The parade of nations featured most of the roughly 10,500 athletes marching behind the flags of the 204 nations taking part.

Greece had the lead, as the spiritual home of the games, and Team Great Britain was last, as host.

As they marched around the stadium, music from the Bee Gees played in the background.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, strode confidently with his nation's flag while playing up to cameras and cheering fans.

Prince William and his wife, Kate, joined in thunderous applause that greeted the British team, which marched to the David Bowie track "Heroes."

Both Bahrain and Brunei featured female flagbearers in what has been called the Olympics' Year of the Woman. For the first time at the games, each national delegation includes women, and a record 45 percent of the athletes are women. Three Saudi women marching behind the men in their delegation flashed victory signs with their fingers.

Former world heavyweight champion and 1960 Rome Olympic gold medalist Muhammad Ali was cheered when he appeared briefly with his wife, Lonnie, before the Olympic flag was unfurled.

Unknown Offender Linked by DNA in Two Separate Cases

fbi.gov

In October 2009, college student Morgan Harrington left a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and disappeared. It would be several months before her body was discovered in a field about 10 miles away.
We need your help to find her killer. The Virginia State Police, Fairfax City Police, and the FBI have released two enhanced sketches of the suspect and are reminding the public there is a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. 

 A reward of up to $150,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the Harrington case. Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information to contact the following authorities. All tips may remain anonymous:   
Virginia State Police
- Call (434) 352-3467

City of Fairfax Police
- Call (703) 385-7959
FBI
- Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- Submit a tip at  tips.fbi.gov.

Most Wanted Terrorists

fbi.gov

ADNAN G. EL SHUKRIJUMAH

Adnan G. El Shukrijumah was indicted in the Eastern District of New York in July of 2010 for his alleged role in a terrorist plot to attack targets in the United States and the United Kingdom. The charges reveal that the plot against New York City's subway system, uncovered in September of 2009, was directed by senior Al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan, and was also directly related to a scheme by Al-Qaeda plotters in Pakistan to use Western operatives to attack a target in the United States. El Shukrijumah is thought to have served as one of the leaders of Al-Qaeda's external operations program.

El Shukrijumah occasionally wears a beard. He has a pronounced nose and is asthmatic. El Shukrijumah speaks English and carries a Guyanese passport, but may attempt to enter the United States with a Saudi, Canadian, or Trinidadian passport.

ADAM YAHIYE GADAHN

Adam Yahiye Gadahn was indicted in the Central District of California for treason and material support to Al Qaeda. The charges are related to Gadahn's alleged involvement in a number of terrorist activities, including providing aid and comfort to Al Qaeda and services for Al Qaeda.

IBRAHIM SALIH MOHAMMED AL-YACOUB

Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub has been indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for the June 25, 1996, bombing of the Khobar Towers military housing complex in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Al-Yacoub is an alleged member of the terrorist organization, Saudi Hizballah.

HASAN IZZ-AL-DIN

Hasan Izz-Al-Din was indicted for his role in planning and participating in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a commercial airliner which resulted in the assault on various passengers and crew members, and the murder of one United States citizen.

Izz-Al-Din is an alleged member of the terrorist organization, Lebanese Hizballah. He is thought to be in Lebanon.

Hasan Izz-Al-Din was indicted for his role in planning and participating in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a commercial airliner which resulted in the assault on various passengers and crew members, and the murder of one United States citizen.
Izz-Al-Din is an alleged member of the terrorist organization, Lebanese Hizballah. He is thought to be in Lebanon.

HUSAYN MUHAMMAD AL-UMARI

Husayn Muhammad Al-Umari was indicted in the District of Columbia for his alleged role in the August 11, 1982, bombing of Pan Am Flight 830, while it was en route from Japan to Hawaii. He is alleged to have prepared the bomb that was placed under a seat on Flight 830, resulting in the death of a 16-year-old passenger and injuring 16 other passengers.

Al-Umari has thin lips, a cleft chin, and a wide mouth. He wears a mustache, glasses, and dresses very well. Al-Umari is a Sunni Muslim and doesn't drink or gamble, but smokes Cuban cigars. He has a high school education and is a mechanic and explosives expert. Al-Umari formed 15 May Organization in 1979, whose mission was to promote the Palestinian cause through violence towards supporters of Israel. Al-Umari has a Lebanese passport.

MOHAMMED ALI HAMADEI

Mohammed Ali Hamadei was indicted for his role and participation in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a commercial airliner which resulted in the assault on various passengers and crew members, and the murder of one United States citizen.

Hamadei is an alleged member of the terrorist organization, Lebanese Hizballah. He is thought to be in Lebanon.

ABDULLAH AHMED ABDULLAH

Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah has been indicted for his alleged involvement in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.

Abdullah fled Nairobi, Kenya, on August 6, 1998, and went to Karachi, Pakistan. He may wear a moustache.

SAIF AL-ADEL

Saif Al-Adel is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.

Al-Adel is thought to be affiliated with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), and is believed to be a high-ranking member of the Al-Qaeda organization.

ABD AL AZIZ AWDA

Abd Al Aziz Awda is wanted for conspiracy to conduct the affairs of the designated international terrorist organization known as the "Palestinian Islamic Jihad" (PIJ) through a pattern of racketeering activities such as bombings, murders, extortions, and money laundering. Awda was one of the original founders and the spiritual leader of the PIJ and is presently still involved in the organization, which has its headquarters located in Damascus, Syria. He was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" under United States law on January 23, 1995. Awda was indicted in a 53 count indictment in the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Awda was educated in Arab and Islamic Studies in Cairo, Egypt. He has worked as a lecturer at a university and as an Imam at a Mosque, both of which were located in the Gaza Strip. He normally wears a moustache and a beard.

Aurora Shooting: Suspect Opens Fire At Colorado Movie Theater, Killing 12

huffingtonpost.com

A heavily armed man entered a movie theater in suburban Denver early Friday and opened fire, killing at least 12 people and injuring 50 others.
The incident, which took place about 12:30 a.m. at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo., occurred during midnight screenings of the new Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises."
"This is a horrific event," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said during a news conference.
Click here for latest updates.
The gunman, who was wearing a gas mask, reportedly set off a smoke or tear gas bomb then walked up to the front of the screen in one of the theaters and opened fire.
When the movie patrons realized the attack was real and not part of the movie, pandemonium erupted and they began to flee. The film continued to play on the screen as bloodied customers took refuge outside. According to witnesses on the scene, some of the bullets also went through the walls of an adjacent theater, injuring patrons.

“There was this one guy on all fours crawling. There was this girl spitting up blood. There were bullet holes in some people’s backs, in some people’s arms. There was one guy who was just stripped down to his boxers. It looked like he had been shot in the back or something,” Donovan Tate, who escaped from the packed theater with his girlfriend, told CBS4.

Soon after receiving a flood of 911 calls, hundreds of police officers, ambulance and emergency crews arrived on the scene.

The suspect was found near a car behind the theater and arrested. He was dressed in black, carrying a knife, rifle and a handgun, and wearing a bulletproof vest.
"He did not resist," police spokesman Frank Fania. "He did not put up a fight."
The shooter's identity has not been released but he is thought to be in his early 20s. A motive for the attack is unknown.

Police also searched the suspect's North Aurora home after he spoke of "possible explosives in his residence," Oates said. Authorities evacuated the building as a precautionary measure.

The police originally announced that 14 people had been killed in the attack, but revised the death toll around 7:45 a.m. ET, NBC News reported.
At this time, there is no evidence of additional shooters.
President Barack Obama, who is in Palm Beach, Fla., was notified of the shooting by Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan at 5:26 a.m. ET. He released the following statement:

"Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come."

GOP challenger Mitt Romney said he and his wife Ann are "deeply saddened" by the shooting.

"We are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice."

The theater where the attack took place is just about 25 miles from Columbine High School, where two students shot and killed 13 people in 1999.

Cleveland viewers helping NBA Finals to record TV ratings

cleveland.com

Basketball fans are eating up the NBA Finals, and the appetite in Cleveland is bigger than any other city that doesn’t have a team involved.

Through three games, the 2012 NBA championship between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder are the most-watched Finals ever on ABC, averaging 16,099,000 viewers, according to Nielsen’s Fast Nationals.

Sunday night’s Game 3 delivered 15,452,000 viewers and increased by double digits among men age 18 to 34 and all viewers 18 to 34 from the corresponding game in 2011.

Cleveland is the fifth-highest-rated market for the first three games and is 50 percent higher than the national average, said Gary Stark, director of programming and research at WEWS Channel 5.

The top four markets are Oklahoma City, Miami, Tulsa, Okla., and West Palm Beach, Fla.

For Game 3 on Sunday night, Oklahoma City had a 42 rating, Miami, 30; Tulsa, 24; West Palm Beach, 18.2; and Cleveland, 18.1.

The national average is between 11 and 12, Stark said.

iPad vs. Android Tablets





by Christopher Lampton

Tablet computers aren't new. In fact, they've been around for about 20 years, but nobody much was buying them until April 2010, when Apple shook up the consumer electronics marketplace with the iPad. Perhaps because it bore a strong resemblance to Apple's already wildly popular iPhone – it even runs the same operating system – the iPad caught fire immediately with the public and turned tablet computers into a major product category. And why shouldn't they be? Tablet computers are the ultimate in electronic simplicity. Highly portable, with few built-in controls except for a flat touch-screen interface, tablet computers are attractive, easy to use and just plain cool.
Competition wasn't long in coming. Google had already released an open-source operating system for smart phones called Android and it was easy to scale it up for tablet computers the way Apple had scaled up its iOS operating system for the iPad. The Android 3.0 operating system, codenamed "Honeycomb," was the first version intended for tablet use and in February 2011 Motorola released the first Android tablet: the Xoom.
Like the iPad, Android tablets have a touch-screen interface, which allows the user to activate icons with the tap of a finger or move objects around and scroll screens with a swiping gesture of their hands. Both Apple and the various Android manufacturers offer an online marketplace where programs – known as apps in mobile computing parlance – can be purchased and downloaded directly to the device. In fact, Android tablets are enough like iPads that at a casual glance a user unfamiliar with the two types of tablet might mistake one for the other.
So which is the better tablet? That's a tough question. It's not so much like comparing apples (or Apples) with oranges as it's like comparing one or two apples with a whole basketful of oranges. Only Apple makes the iPad and there are only two versions: the iPad and the iPad 2. On the other hand, any company that's able to manufacture hardware that will support Google's operating system can make an Android tablet and inevitably some companies are going to do a better job of it than others. Some companies even disguise their Android tablets as something else. (The Barnes & Noble Nook e-book reader is an android tablet with a limited range of features and a small subset of available Android apps.) But it's possible to compare the iPad against some representative Android tablets.
When the Xoom hit the marketplace, Motorola knew that it would have to beat the iPad's specs, so it shipped with a dual core processor, potentially allowing software to run twice as fast as on the iPad, and two built-in cameras, a 5-megapixel camera facing forward and a 2-megapixel camera facing backward toward the user to allow video chatting. This was exciting for the many people who had been annoyed that Apple hadn't gotten around to including a camera in its first iPad. The Xoom's screen, at 10.1 inches, was slightly larger than the iPad's, and its 1280x800 display offered marginally higher graphics resolution. The Xoom comes with 32 gigabytes of memory, but its memory can be expanded using MicroSD (Secure Digital) cards.
But Apple still had the advantage for most users. Why? Because programmers had been developing apps for the iPad for nearly a year before the Xoom appeared and the Apple App Store was bursting with thousands of programs while the Android app store was nearly empty. And Apple quickly struck a new blow in the hardware wars when it replaced the original iPad with the iPad 2. We'll look at the iPad 2 and take a closer look at iPad apps vs. Android apps on the next page.

Leaked Microsoft Document Reveals the Xbox 720, Kinect 2, and a Possible Google Glass Competitor



Image via CrunchBase

gizmodo.com

E3 has come and gone without any sign of the Xbox's successor. But a leaked Microsoft presentation, dating back to August of 2010, seems to indicate that the oft-rumored Xbox 720 is definitely on the way, and is on track for a holidays 2013 release complete with Kinect 2, more set-top box functionality, and a pair of enhanced glasses.
Some of the more obvious improvements to the Xbox 720 outlined in the doc include native Blu-ray support, PVR functionality, true 1080P support with 3D, improved processor and graphics hardware (through a continued partnership with AMD, formerly ATI), low power modes during media playback, and even an always-on mode. That last tidbit should help as Microsoft seems to be positioning the Xbox 720 as an all-in-one type media box by downloading content 24/7. And even access to broadcast TV and cable is hinted with mentions of PVR functionality.
There's also indicators that the Xbox 720 will be able to connect to smartphones, tablets, and other Windows devices for sharing media, and even games across platforms. But given the nature of the gaming industry at this point, those seem more like 'must-have features' than just speculation about future technologies.

Still On Fire: LeBron, Heat Moving On To NBA Finals

sbnation.com

LeBron James once again put together a huge performance as the Heat beat the Celtics, 101-88, to move on to the NBA Finals.

about 3 hours ago:MIAMI, FL - JUNE 09: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat reacts after making a three-pointer in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on June 9, 2012 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Jobbed: Manny Pacquiao Loses Split Decision To Timothy Bradley

sbnation.com

In an incredibly controversial decision, Timothy Bradley was awarded a split-decision win over Manny Pacquiao.

about 1 hour ago:LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 09: (R-L) Manny Pacquiao lands a right to the head of Timothy Bradley during their WBO welterweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 9, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Al-Qaida's Yemen underwear bomber was a CIA man

Herald Sun

UPDATE: THE CIA had al-Qaida fooled from the beginning. Last month, US intelligence learned that al-Qaida's Yemen branch hoped to launch a spectacular attack using a new, nearly undetectable bomb aboard an airliner bound for America, officials say.

But the man the terrorists were counting on to carry out the attack was actually working for the CIA and Saudi intelligence, US and Yemeni officials told The Associated Press.
The dramatic sting operation thwarted the attack before it had a chance to succeed.
It was the latest misfire for al-Qaida, which has repeatedly come close to detonating a bomb aboard an airliner.
For the United States it was a victory that delivered the bomb intact to US intelligence.
The co-operation of the would-be bomber was first reported on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times.
The FBI is still analysing the explosive, which was intended to be concealed in a passenger's underwear.
Officials said it was an upgrade over the bomb that failed to detonate on board an airplane over Detroit in 2009.
This new bomb contained no metal and used a chemical that was to be a detonator in a nearly successful 2010 plot to attack cargo planes, officials said.
Security procedures at US airports have remained unchanged, a reflection of both the US confidence in its security systems and recognition that the government can't realistically expect travellers to endure much more.
While airline checks in the United States mean passing through an onerous, sometimes embarrassing series of pat-downs and body scans, procedures overseas can be a mixed bag.
The US cannot force other countries to permanently adopt the expensive and intrusive measures.
Officials believe that body scanners probably would have detected this latest attempt by al-Qaida to bring down a jetliner.
Such scanners allow screeners to see objects hidden beneath a passenger's clothes.
But while scanners are in place in airports in the US, their use is scattershot overseas.
Even in security-conscious Europe, the European Union has not required full-body imaging machines for all airports, though a number of major airports in Paris, London, Frankfurt and elsewhere use them.
All passengers on US-bound flights are checked against terrorist watch lists and law enforcement databases.
Al-Qaida has repeatedly tried to take advantage of overseas gaps in airport security.
The 2009 bomb attempt originated in Amsterdam, where the bomber did not receive a full-body scan.
And in 2010, terrorists smuggled bombs onto cargo jets, which receive less scrutiny than passenger planes.
In both those instances, the bombs were made by al-Qaida's master bomb maker in Yemen, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri.
Officials believe this latest bomb was the handiwork of al-Asiri or one of his students.