Oklahoma Memorial Will Honor Pets Poisoned by Melamine
Tulsa couple donates five-acre site to honor dogs and cats felled by tainted pet food
By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

A grieving pet owner is creating a memorial to honor the thousands of dogs and cats that died or became seriously ill during the 2007 melamine-tainted pet food recall.

The Oklahoma woman and her husband, who lost six pets in the recall that “nuked” their lives, have donated five acres of land near Keystone Lake in Tulsa for the sanctuary they’ve named Vindication.

The memorial is scheduled to open on June 12, 2010.

“The animals that were lost or are still suffering need to be counted and acknowledged,” says the woman, who wants to remain anonymous. “I want people to feel like their animals did matter. This memorial is to honor the bond between animals and humans.”

Creating the memorial is also the donor’s way of helping pet owners deal with heartbreaking loss of their beloved dogs and cats.

Such a loss can shatter someone’s life, she says. It devastated hers.

She and her husband lost two dogs and four cats because of melamine-tainted food.

“By March 17, one day after Menu announced its recall, I had three dead animals and three who were dying slowly,” the woman says. “I have cleaned vomit and bloody urine and know what happens when pets die of catastrophic kidney failure. And I can’t tell you how it hurts me to open my door and walk into an empty house.

“But this (memorial) isn’t about my loss,” she adds. “It’s about the thousands and thousands of pet owners out who are being stabbed in the backs. There is no justice or mercy for them or their pets. And there are no safer pet foods out there. I’m doing this as one grieving pet family to the rest of those out there. And I honestly feel this will help their hearts’ heal.”

The donor plans to transform the five acres of Oklahoma’s ancient Cross Timbers -- covered with 500-year-old oak trees -- into a memorial garden that will feature cascading pathways lined with flowers, park benches, and handmade stones. Each stone will bear the name of a dog or cat that died or is still sick because of the contaminated pet food, the donor says.

“I will make all the stones at no cost to pet owners,” she told ConsumerAffairs.com. “I expect I will be overwhelmed, but I felt compelled to do this for the pet people. It’s time somebody did something right for them.”

Remembered 16

At the memorial’s entrance, the donor plans to create what she calls the “Remembered 16 Circle.” She’s making 16 stones to represent each of the animals that died during Menu Foods’ feed tests more than a month before the company announced the 2007 recall, the largest in United States history.

“I gave them each a name,” the donor says. “They deserve to be honored. We need to lay their ghosts to rest.”

The memorial will be divided into two areas -- one to honor the pets that died during the recall and the other for the dogs and cats that continue to suffer from the effects of the melamine-laced food.

“We’re going to show the names of the dead and tell the truth about what it costs to feed poison,” the donor says. “The dead won’t lie; they died because of the pet food.”

The donor also wants to honor the thousands of pets whose bodies are “ravaged” from the tainted food – and the families who still struggle financially to care for their ailing dogs and cats.

“Why were there no provisions made for the pets that are still sick in the lawsuits (filed in the wake of the recall)?” the donor asks. “Do you know the cost people are still paying for kidney failure in their animals? It’s a staggering expense. We’re going to collect stories about the economic devastation caused by the recall. It’s costing pet owners hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The donor is all too familiar with the exorbitant costs of caring for pets with melamine-related illnesses. She and her husband planned to build a house and retire on the five acres they donated for the Vindication memorial.

“But we can’t afford to do that, not after all our (veterinary) expenses,” she says. “I guess the universe had different plans for us.”

She adds: “When I told my husband what I wanted to do, he said, ‘Fine, let’s do it for all the pet owners.’ And then he bought me a chainsaw.”

Sorrow and anger

Traces of sorrow and anger are still etched in the donor’s voice when she talks about the heartache her family endured because of the melamine-tainted pet food.

“We’re still grieving,” she says. “It was unbearable to watch my husband hold our babies (pets) as they died. And it happened again and again.”

She's furious that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) didn’t do more to prevent this “unbelievable nightmare.”

“The FDA can say all they want about how they didn’t know what was going on, but they’re lying through their teeth,” the donor says. “The FDA has intentionally inflicted pain on us….they knew melamine was flooding into the country.

“The cruelties have been done to pets and their owners,” she adds. “The last three years have been an unbelievable nightmare for them.”

The donor, however, doesn’t want to continue waging a verbal battle with the FDA and others involved in the recall. She’s chosen an “unconventional war tactic” to address her concerns and help grieving pet owners nationwide.

“I’m not talking anymore,” she says. “I’m going to be gardening. I’m an unusually gifted gardener and one determined person. And I’ve found peace doing this for others.”

The donor’s generosity has already given a grieving pet owner in Rhode Island a sense of peace.

“This is a gift to all the pets who suffered,” says Carol V., who lost two cats because of the tainted food. “It shows how many pets suffered. It makes them count for something. It means they’re not forgotten.”

Carol’s beloved cats will never be forgotten – by her family or other pet owners who tour Vindication.

The donor has finished a memorial stone for one of Carol’s cats, a Calico named Smudge. The 13-year-old feline died in December 2008 of renal failure.

“I cried like a baby when I saw Smudge’s stone,” Carol told us. “It made me feel like she’s part of something bigger.

“I think she (the donor) understands the depths of sadness pet owners have endured and had to do something. And it gives me a personal sense of peace that Smudge is now part of this memorial.”

Pet advocate Susan Thixton, who runs www.TruthaboutPetFood.com, also applauds the donor’s action and generosity.

“This gift has been given to us because the donors wanted all the innocent pets to be remembered,” says Thixton, the spokesperson for the anonymous donor and her husband. “They wanted no one to forget why these pets died or became ill, and they wanted pet owners to have something that can never be taken away.”

The donors are leaving the five acres in a trust and have set aside money in their estate to maintain the property, Thixton says. “They wanted this (memorial) to go to all pet owners.”

The donors are not independently wealthy people. Thixton says. “They are an average family that has been shattered by pet food. They recognized that we (pet owners) have been crushed time and time again. No laws have changed, no lawsuits have been settled, (and) none responsible have been jailed.

“Now, thanks to this compassionate family, all these pets will be remembered; why they died will be remembered.”

Pet owners who’d like their deceased or ailing dogs or cats memorialized at Vindication can fill out a form on Thixton’s Web site.

“God bless these pet owners,” the donor says. “Everything that’s been done to them in the past three years dishonors them. This (memorial) is to honor them and their pets…I hope it makes them feel better.”

"Archaeological Coverups"
by David Hatcher Childress
NEXUS magazine.

Most of us are familiar with the last scene in the popular Indiana Jones archaeological adventure film RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in which an important historical artefact, the Ark of the Covenant from the Temple in Jerusalem, is locked in a crate and put in a giant warehouse, never to be seen again, thus ensuring that no history books will have to be rewritten and no history professor will have to revise the lecture that he has been giving for the last forty years.

While the film was fiction, the scene in which an important ancient relic is buried in a warehouse is uncomfortably close to reality for many researchers. To those who investigate allegations of archaeological cover-ups, there are disturbing indications that the most important archaeological institute in the United States, the Smithsonian Institute, an independent federal agency, has been actively suppressing some of the most interesting and important archaeological discoveries made in the Americas.

The Vatican has been long accused of keeping artefacts and ancient books in their vast cellars, without allowing the outside world access to them. These secret treasures, often of a controversial historical or religious nature, are allegedly suppressed by the Catholic Church because they might damage the church's credibility, or perhaps cast their official texts in doubt. Sadly, there is overwhelming evidence that something very similar is happening with the Smithsonian Institution.

The cover-up and alleged suppression of archaeological evidence began in late 1881 when John Wesley Powell, the geologist famous for exploring the Grand Canyon, appointed Cyrus Thomas as the director of the Eastern Mound Division of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of Ethnology. When Thomas came to the Bureau of Ethnology he was a "pronounced believer in the existence of a race of Mound Builders, distinct from the American Indians." However, John Wesley Powell, the director of the Bureau of Ethnology, a very sympathetic man toward the American Indians, had lived with the peaceful Winnebago Indians of Wisconsin for many years as a youth and felt that American Indians were unfairly thought of as primitive and savage.

The Smithsonian began to promote the idea that Native Americans, at that time being exterminated in the Indian Wars, were descended from advanced civilizations and were worthy of respect and protection. They also began a program of suppressing any archaeological evidence that lent credence to the school of thought known as Diffusionism, a school which believes that throughout history there has been widespread dispersion of culture and civilization via contact by ship and major trade routes.

The Smithsonian opted for the opposite school, known as Isolationism. Isolationism holds that most civilizations are isolated from each other and that there has been very little contact between them, especially those that are separated by bodies of water. In this intellectual war that started in the 1880s, it was held that even contact between the civilizations of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys were rare, and certainly these civilizations did not have any contact with such advanced cultures as the Mayas, Toltecs, or Aztecs in Mexico and Central America. By Old World standards this is an extreme, and even ridiculous idea, considering that the river system reached to the Gulf of Mexico and these civilizations were as close as the opposite shore of the gulf. It was like saying that cultures in the Black Sea area could not have had contact with the Mediterranean.

When the contents of many ancient mounds and pyramids of the Midwest were examined, it was shown that the history of the Mississippi River Valleys was that of an ancient and sophisticated culture that had been in contact with Europe and other areas. Not only that, the contents of many mounds revealed burials of huge men, sometimes seven or eight feet tall, in full armour with swords and sometimes huge treasures.

(Vangard note..>Eastern Indian texts say that at one time men lived thousands of years and grew very tall in direct proportion to their age, as does the Bible with the comment "and there were GIANTS in the earth in those days...")

For instance, when Spiro Mound in Oklahoma was excavated in the 1930's, a tall man in full armour was discovered along with a pot of thousands of pearls and other artefacts, the largest such treasure so far documented. The whereabouts of the man in armour is unknown and it is quite likely that it eventually was taken to the Smithsonian Institution.

In a private conversation with a well-known historical researcher (who shall remain nameless), I was told that a former employee of the Smithsonian, who was dismissed for defending the view of diffusionism in the Americas (i.e. the heresy that other ancient civilizations may have visited the shores of North and South America during the many millennia before Columbus), alleged that the Smithsonian at one time had actually taken a barge full of unusual artefacts out into the Atlantic and dumped them in the ocean.

Though the idea of the Smithsonian' covering up a valuable archaeological find is difficult to accept for some, there is, sadly, a great deal of evidence to suggest that the Smithsonian Institution has knowingly covered up and 'lost' important archaeological relics. The STONEWATCH NEWSLETTER of the Gungywamp Society in Connecticut, which researches megalithic sites in New England, had a curious story in their Winter 1992 issue about stone coffins discovered in 1892 in Alabama which were sent to the Smithsonian Institution and then 'lost'. According to the newsletter, researcher Frederick J. Pohl wrote an intriguing letter in 1950 to the late Dr. T.C. Lethbridge, a British archaeologist. The letter from Pohl stated, "A professor of geology sent me a reprint (of the) Smithsonian Institution, THE CRUMF BURIAL CAVE by Frank Burns, US Geological Survey, from the report of the US National Museum for 1892, pp 451-454, 1984. In the Crumf Cave, southern branch of the Warrior River, in Murphy's Valley, Blount County, Alabama, accessible from Mobile Bay by river, were coffins of wood hollowed out by fire, aided by stone or copper chisels.

Either of these coffins were taken to the Smithsonian. They were about 7.5 feet long, 14" to 18" wide, 6" to 7" deep. Lids open.

"I wrote recently to the Smithsonian, and received a reply March 11th from F.M. Setzler, Head Curator of Department of Anthropology (He said) 'We have not been able to find the specimens in our collections, though records show that they were received."

David Barron, President of the Gungywamp Society was eventually told by the Smithsonian in 1992 that the coffins were actually wooden troughs and that they could not be viewed anyway because they were housed in an asbestos-contaminated warehouse. This warehouse was to be closed for the next ten years and no one was allowed in except the Smithsonian personnel!

Ivan T. Sanderson, a well-known zoologist and frequent guest on Johnny Carson's TONIGHT SHOW in the 1960s (usually with an exotic animal with a pangolin or a lemur), once related a curious story about a letter he received regarding an engineer who was stationed on the Aleutian island of Shemya during World War II. While building an airstrip, his crew bulldozed a group of hills and discovered under several sedimentary layers what appeared to be human remains. The Alaskan mound was in fact a graveyard of gigantic human remains, consisting of crania and long leg bones.

The crania measured from 22 to 24 inches from base to crown. Since an adult skull normally measures about eight inches from back to front, such a large crania would imply an immense size for a normally proportioned human. Furthermore, every skull was said to have been neatly trepanned (a process of cutting a hole in the upper portion of the skull).

In fact, the habit of flattening the skull of an infant and forcing it to grow in an elongated shape was a practice used by ancient Peruvians, the Mayas, and the Flathead Indians of Montana. Sanderson tried to gather further proof, eventually receiving a letter from another member of the unit who confirmed the report. The letters both indicated that the Smithsonian Institution had collected the remains, yet nothing else was heard. Sanderson seemed convinced that the Smithsonian Institution had received the bizarre relics, but wondered why they would not release the data. He asks, "...is it that these people cannot face rewriting all the textbooks?"

In 1944 an accidental discovery of an even more controversial nature was made by Waldemar Julsrud at Acambaro, Mexico. Acambaro is in the state of Guanajuato, 175 miles northwest of Mexico City. The strange archaeological site there yielded over 33,500 objects of ceramic;stone, including jade; and knives of obsidian (sharper than steel and still used today in heart surgery). Jalsrud, a prominent local German merchant, also found statues ranging from less than an inch to six feet in length depicting great reptiles, some of them in ACTIVE ASSOCIATION with humans - generally eating them, but in some bizarre statuettes an erotic association was indicated. To observers many of these creatures resembled dinosaurs.

Jalsrud crammed this collection into twelve rooms of his expanded house. There startling representations of Negroes, Orientals, and bearded Caucasians were included as were motifs of Egyptians, Sumerian and other ancient non-hemispheric civilizations, as well as portrayals of Bigfoot and aquatic monsterlike creatures, weird human-animal mixtures, and a host of other inexplicable creations.

Teeth from an extinct Ice Age horse, the skeleton of a mammoth, and a number of human skulls were found at the same site as the ceramic artefacts.

Radio-carbon dating in the laboratories of the University of Pennsylvania and additional tests using the thermoluminescence method of dating pottery were performed to determine the age of the objects. Results indicated the objects were made about 6,500 years ago, around 4,500 BC. A team of experts at another university, shown Jalrud's half-dozen samples but unaware of their origin, ruled out the possibility that they could have been modern reproductions.

However, they fell silent when told of their controversial source.

In 1952, in an effort to debunk this weird collection which was gaining a certain amount of fame, American archaeologist Charles C. DiPeso claimed to have minutely examined the then 32,000 pieces within not more than four hours spent at the home of Julsrud. In a forthcoming book, long delayed by continuing developments in his investigation, archaeological investigator John H. Tierney, who has lectured on the case for decades, points out that to have done that DiPeso would have had to have inspected 133 pieces per minute steadily for four hours, whereas in actuality, it would have required weeks merely to have separated the massive jumble of exhibits and arranged them properly for a valid evaluation.

Tierney, who collaborated with the later Professor Hapgood, the late William N. Russell, and others in the investigation, charges that the Smithsonian Institution and other archaeological authorities conducted a campaign of disinformation against the discoveries. The Smithsonian had, early in the controversy, dismissed the entire Acambaro collection as an elaborate hoax. Also, utilizing the Freedom of Information Act, Tierney discovered that practically the entirety of the Smithsonian's Julsrud case files are missing.

After two expeditions to the site in 1955 and 1968, Professor Charles Hapgood, a professor of history and anthropology at the University of New Hampshire, recorded the results of his 18-year investigation of Acambaro in a privately printed book entitled MYSTERY IN ACAMBARO. Hapgood was initially an open-minded skeptic concerning the collection but became a believer after his first visit in 1955, at which time he witnessed some of the figures being excavated and even dictated to the diggers where he wanted them to dig.

Adding to the mind-boggling aspects of this controversy is the fact that the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, through the late Director of PreHispanic Monuments, Dr. Eduardo Noguera, (who, as head of an official investigating team at the site, issued a report which Tierney will be publishing), admitted "the apparent scientific legality with which these objects were found." Despite evidence of their own eyes, however, officials declared that because of the objects 'fantastic' nature, they had to have been a hoax played on Julsrud!

A disappointed but ever-hopeful Julsrud died. His house was sold and the collection put in storage. The collection is not currently open to the public.

Perhaps the most amazing suppression of all is the excavation of an Egyptian tomb by the Smithsonian itself in Arizona. A lengthy front page story of the PHOENIX GAZETTE on 5 April 1909 (follows this article), gave a highly detailed report of the discovery and excavation of a rock-cut vault by an expedition led by a Professor S.A. Jordan of the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian, however, claims to have absolutely no knowledge of the discovery or its discoverers.

The World Explorers Club decided to check on this story by calling the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., though we felt there was little chance of getting any real information. After speaking briefly to an operator, we were transferred to a Smithsonian staff archaeologist, and a woman's voice came on the phone and identified herself.

I told her that I was investigating a story from a 1909 Phoenix newspaper article about the Smithsonian Institution's having excavated rock-cut vaults in the Grand Canyon where Egyptian artefacts had been discovered, and whether the Smithsonian Institution could give me any more information on the subject.

"Well, the first thing I can tell you, before we go any further," she said, "is that no Egyptian artefacts of any kind have ever been found in North or South America. Therefore, I can tell you that the Smithsonian Institute has never been involved in any such excavations." She was quite helpful and polite but, in the end, knew nothing. Neither she nor anyone else with whom I spoke could find any record of the discovery or either G.E. Kinkaid and Professor S.A. Jordan.

While it cannot be discounted that the entire story is an elaborate newspaper hoax, the fact that it was on the front page, named the prestigious Smithsonian Institution, and gave a highly detailed story that went on for several pages, lends a great deal to its credibility. It is hard to believe such a story could have come out of thin air.

Is the Smithsonian Institution covering up an archaeological discovery of immense importance? If this story is true it would radically change the current view that there was no transoceanic contact in pre-Columbian times, and that all American Indians, on both continents, are descended from Ice Age explorers who came across the Bering Strait. (Any information on G.E. Kinkaid and Professor S.A. Jordan, or their alleged discoveries, that readers may have would be greatly appreciated.....write to Childress at the World Explorers Club at the above address.)

Is the idea that ancient Egyptians came to the Arizona area in the ancient past so objectionable and preposterous that it must be covered up? Perhaps the Smithsonian Institution is more interested in maintaining the status quo than rocking the boat with astonishing new discoveries that overturn previously accepted academic teachings.

Historian and linguist Carl Hart, editor of WORLD EXPLORER, then obtained a hiker's map of the Grand Canyon from a bookstore in Chicago. Poring over the map, we were amazed to see that much of the area on the north side of the canyon has Egyptian names. The area around Ninety-four Mile Creek and Trinity Creek had areas (rock formations, apparently) with names like Tower of Set, Tower of Ra, Horus Temple, Osiris Temple, and Isis Temple. In the Haunted Canyon area were such names as the Cheops Pyramid, the Buddha Cloister, Buddha Temple, Manu Temple and Shiva Temple. Was there any relationship between these places and the alleged Egyptian discoveries in the Grand Canyon?

We called a state archaeologist at the Grand Canyon, and were told that the early explorers had just liked Egyptian and Hindu names, but that it was true that this area was off limits to hikers or other visitors, "because of dangerous caves."

Indeed, this entire area with the Egyptian and Hindu place names in the Grand Canyon is a forbidden zone - no one is allowed into this large area.

We could only conclude that this was the area where the vaults were located. Yet today, this area is curiously off-limits to all hikers and even, in large part, park personnel. I believe that the discerning reader will see that if only a small part of the "Smithsoniangate" evidence is true, then our most hallowed archaeological institution has been actively involved in suppressing evidence for advanced American cultures, evidence for ancient voyages of various cultures to North America, evidence for anomalistic giants and other oddball artefacts, and evidence that tends to disprove the official dogma that is now the history of North America.

The Smithsonian's Board of Regents still refuses to open its meetings to the news media or the public. If Americans were ever allowed inside the 'nation's attic', as the Smithsonian has been called, what skeletons might they find?

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from the front page of THE PHOENIX GAZETTE of April 5th, 1909
EXPLORATIONS IN GRAND CANYON
Mysteries of Immense Rich Cavern being brought to light Jordan is enthused

Remarkable finds indicate ancient people migrated from Orient

The latest news of the progress of the explorations of what is now regarded by scientists as not only the oldest archaeological discovery in the United States, but one of the most valuable in the world, which was mentioned some time ago in the Gazette, was brought to the city yesterday by G.E. Kinkaid, the explorer who found the great underground citadel of the Grand Canyon during a trip from Green River, Wyoming, down the Colorado, in a wooden boat, to Yuma, several months ago.

According to the story related to the Gazette by Mr. Kinkaid, the archaeologists of the Smithsonian Institute, which is financing the expeditions, have made discoveries which almost conclusively prove that the race which inhabited this mysterious cavern, hewn in solid rock by human hands, was of oriental origin, possibly from Egypt, tracing back to Ramses. If their theories are borne out by the translation of the tablets engraved with hieroglyphics, the mystery of the prehistoric peoples of North America, their ancient arts, who they were and whence they came, will be solved. Egypt and the Nile, and Arizona and the Colorado will be linked by a historical chain running back to ages which staggers the wildest fancy of the fictionist.

A Thorough Examination

Under the direction of Prof. S. A. Jordan, the Smithsonian Institute is now prosecuting the most thorough explorations, which will be continued until the last link in the chain is forged. Nearly a mile long tunnel underground, about 1480 feet below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like the spokes of a wheel.

Several hundred rooms have been discovered, reached by passageways running from the main passage, one of them having been explored for 854 feet and another 634 feet. The recent finds include articles which have never been known as native to this country, and doubtless they had their origin in the orient. War weapons, copper instruments, sharp-edged and hard as steel, indicate the high state of civilization reached by these strange people. So interested have the scientists become that preparations are being made to equip the camp for extensive studies, and the force will be increased to thirty or forty persons.

Mr. Kinkaid's Report

Mr. Kinkaid was the first white child born in Idaho and has been an explorer and hunter all his life, thirty years having been in the service of the Smithsonian Institute. Even briefly recounted, his history sounds fabulous, almost grotesque.

"First, I would impress that the cavern is nearly inaccessible. The entrance is 1,486 feet down the sheer canyon wall. It is located on government land and no visitor will be allowed there under penalty of trespass. The scientists wish to work unmolested, without fear of archaeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters.

A trip there would be fruitless, and the visitor would be sent on his way. The story of how I found the cavern has been related, but in a paragraph: I was journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral. Some forty-two miles up the river from the El Tovar Crystal canyon, I saw on the east wall, stains in the sedimentary formation about 2,000 feet above the river bed. There was no trail to this point, but I finally reached it with great difficulty.

Above a shelf which hid it from view from the river, was the mouth of the cave. There are steps leading from this entrance some thirty yards to what was, at the time the cavern was inhabited, the level of the river. When I saw the chisel marks on the wall inside the entrance, I became interested, securing my gun and went in. During that trip I went back several hundred feet along the main passage till I came to the crypt in which I discovered the mummies. One of these I stood up and photographed by flashlight. I gathered a number of relics, which I carried down the Colorado to Yuma, from whence I shipped them to Washington with details of the discovery.

Following this, the explorations were undertaken.

The Passages

"The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to nine feet toward the farther end. About 57 feet from the entrance, the first side-passages branch off to the right and left, along which, on both sides, are a number of rooms about the size of ordinary living rooms of today, though some are 30 by 40 feet square. These are entered by oval-shaped doors and are ventilated by round air spaces through the walls into the passages. The walls are about three feet six inches in thickness.

The passages are chiseled or hewn as straight as could be laid out by an engineer. The ceilings of many of the rooms converge to a center. The side-passages near the entrance run at a sharp angle from the main hall, but toward the rear they gradually reach a right angle in direction.

The Shrine

"Over a hundred feet from the entrance is the cross-hall, several hundred feet long, in which are found the idol, or image, of the people's god, sitting cross-legged, with a lotus flower or lily in each hand. The cast of the face is oriental, and the carving this cavern. The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet.

Surrounding this idol are smaller images, some very beautiful in form; others crooked-necked and distorted shapes, symbolical, probably, of good and evil. There are two large cactus with protruding arms, one on each side of the dais on which the god squats. All this is carved out of hard rock resembling marble. In the opposite corner of this cross-hall were found tools of all descriptions, made of copper. These people undoubtedly knew the lost art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemicals for centuries without result. On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal and other material probably used in the process. There is also slag and stuff similar to matte, showing that these ancients smelted ores, but so far no trace of where or how this was done has been discovered, nor the origin of the ore.

"Among the other finds are vases or urns and cups of copper and gold, made very artistic in design. The pottery work includes enameled ware and glazed vessels. Another passageway leads to granaries such as are found in the oriental temples. They contain seeds of various kinds. One very large storehouse has not yet been entered, as it is twelve feet high and can be reached only from above. Two copper hooks extend on the edge, which indicates that some sort of ladder was attached. These granaries are rounded, as the materials of which they are constructed, I think, is a very hard cement. A gray metal is also found in this cavern, which puzzles the scientists, for its identity has not been established. It resembles platinum. Strewn promiscuously over the floor everywhere are what people call "cats eyes', a yellow stone of no great value.

Each one is engraved with the head of the Malay type.

The Hieroglyphics

"On all the urns, or walls over doorways , and tablets of stone which were found by the image are the mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institute hopes yet to discover. The engraving on the tables probably has something to do with the religion of the people. Similar hieroglyphics have been found in southern Arizona. Among the pictorial writings, only two animals are found. One is of prehistoric type.

The Crypt

"The tomb or crypt in which the mummies were found is one of the largest of the chambers, the walls slanting back at an angle of about 35 degrees. On these are tiers of mummies, each one occupying a separate hewn shelf. At the head of each is a small bench, on which is found copper cups and pieces of broken swords. Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric.

The urns or cups on the lower tiers are crude, while as the higher shelves are reached, the urns are finer in design, showing a later stage of civilization. It is worthy of note that all the mummies examined so far have proved to be male, no children or females being buried here. This leads to the belief that this exterior section was the warriors' barracks.

"Among the discoveries no bones of animals have been found, no skins, no clothing, no bedding. Many of the rooms are bare but for water vessels. One room, about 40 by 700 feet, was probably the main dining hall, for cooking utensils are found here. What these people lived on is a problem, though it is presumed that they came south in the winter and farmed in the valleys, going back north in the summer.

Upwards of 50,000 people could have lived in the caverns comfortably. One theory is that the present Indian tribes found in Arizona are descendants of the serfs or slaves of the people which inhabited the cave. Undoubtedly a good many thousands of years before the Christian era, a people lived here which reached a high stage of civilization. The chronology of human history is full of gaps. Professor Jordan is much enthused over the discoveries and believes that the find will prove of incalculable value in archaeological work.

"One thing I have not spoken of, may be of interest. There is one chamber of the passageway to which is not ventilated, and when we approached it a deadly, snaky smell struck us. Our light would not penetrate the gloom, and until stronger ones are available we will not know what the chamber contains. Some say snakes, but other boo-hoo this idea and think it may contain a deadly gas or chemicals used by the ancients. No sounds are heard, but it smells snaky just the same. The whole underground installation gives one of shaky nerves the creeps. The gloom is like a weight on one's shoulders, and our flashlights and candles only make the darkness blacker.

Imagination can revel in conjectures and ungodly daydreams back through the ages that have elapsed till the mind reels dizzily in space."

An Indian Legend

In connection with this story, it is notable that among the Hopi Indians the tradition is told that their ancestors once lived in an underworld in the Grand Canyon till dissension arose between the good and the bad, the people of one heart and the people of two hearts. Machetto, who was their chief, counseled them to leave the underworld, but there was no way out. The chief then caused a tree to grow up and pierce the roof of the underworld, and then the people of one heart climbed out. They tarried by Paisisvai (Red River), which is the Colorado, and grew grain and corn.

They sent out a message to the Temple of the Sun, asking the blessing of peace, good will and rain for people of one heart. That messenger never returned, but today at the Hopi villages at sundown can be seen the old men of the tribe out on the housetops gazing toward the sun, looking for the messenger. When he returns, their lands and ancient dwelling place will be restored to them. That is the tradition.

Among the engravings of animals in the cave is seen the image of a heart over the spot where it is located. The legend was learned by W.E. Rollins, the artist, during a year spent with the Hopi Indians.

There are two theories of the origin of the Egyptians. One is that they came from Asia; another that the racial cradle was in the upper Nile region. Heeren, an Egyptologist, believed in the Indian origin of the Egyptians. The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages.

source: NEXUS New Times - Volume 2, Number 13
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Is 2nd Coming of Jesus etched in night sky?
'The devil perverts everything God has. There's nothing wrong with biblical astronomy'
By Joe Kovacs
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

Is it possible the return of Jesus Christ to Earth has been foretold not only in the Bible, but also in the night sky since the creation of the universe?

The constellation known as Bo-otes, or "the Coming One," shows a man with a sickle coming to reap a harvest, and, according to some, is a heavenly sign predicting the return of Jesus to Earth.

A Christian minister who uses NASA tracking of solar and lunar eclipses in his teaching of the great event is now explaining how at least one constellation is an outright declaration of the "Second Coming."

In a new DVD series called "Studies in Our Hebrew Roots," Mark Biltz, pastor of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash., revisits what he and some others believe is the biblical plan of God on display in the physical heavens.

In his videotaped lectures, Biltz focuses on a star called Arcturus, which is mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Job: "Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south." (Job 9:9)

If one were to consult a map of the night sky, Arcturus could be found in the "left knee" of a constellation called Bo-otes (often spelled Bootes), meaning "the Coming One," depicted as a warrior coming to harvest, according to Biltz, citing previous research by noted 19th century Bible scholar E.W. Bullinger who wrote "The Witness of the Stars."

Biltz explains the Hebrew word translated as "Arcturus" in Job comes from the same root word found in the Book of Joel discussing the return of Jesus, but is rendered in Joel 3:11 as "assemble."

"The word 'assemble' is the same word that is translated as 'Arcturus' in Job," he said. "So it means the same thing, to assemble, to come. And if you'll notice the word 'come' is 'bo,' which is the name of this constellation: 'Bo-otes.' So this constellation .... He's got a sickle in one hand and a spear in the other. This is a sign of the Messiah who says 'I'm coming.' That's what this constellation is all about, the Coming One. In Revelation it talks about He has a sickle in His hand."

The Book of Revelation states from the apostle John's perspective, "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. ... And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." (Revelation 14:14-16)

NASA says the afterglow of a 2008 gamma ray burst in the Bo-otes constellation is the most intrinsically bright object ever observed by humans in the universe.

Interestingly, on March 19, 2008, a powerful gamma ray burst detected by NASA's Swift satellite in the Bo-otes constellation shattered the record for the most distant object that could be seen with the naked eye.

"It was a whopper," said Swift principal investigator Neil Gehrels of the Goddard Space Flight Center. "This blows away every gamma ray burst we've seen so far."

NASA said the afterglow "was 2.5 million times more luminous than the most luminous supernova ever recorded, making it the most intrinsically bright object ever observed by humans in the universe."

The sheer brilliance of the event led some Christian analysts to suggest it was an indicator that Jesus would come back soon.

"I believe that this sign in the heavens points to the imminent return of Christ to judge His household," wrote Joseph Herrin of the Georgia-based Heart4God website. "We do live at the end of the age. It has been 6,000 years since Adam and 2,000 years since Christ first appeared. ... This sign in Bootes is another witness, and those who have set themselves apart to follow the Lord can anticipate what is to come."

Others, including Dr. T. L. Marshall of Community Bible Church in Brooksville, Fla., have been promoting the biblical study of the zodiac for years.

"The truth is that almost every ancient civilization stressed the importance of the zodiac," Marshall writes on zodiactruth.com. "But why? Is it just some ancient religion? The answer might surprise you! Are you ready for this? God drew the zodiac.

"God drew the lines in the night sky which connected just the right stars to form just the right pictures which, when taken all together, form just the right story of His incredible grace and mercy, and His amazing plan to save mankind from the curse of sin."

While the Bible itself condemns astrology, Biltz says there's a big difference between astronomy, the study of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere, and astrology, the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions. He claims the astronomical truth of God has been twisted into astrological confusion by Satan the devil himself.

"I am totally against astrology," says Biltz. "Astrology is evil. I want nothing to do with that, but the devil perverts everything God has. That's what he does. There's nothing wrong with biblical astronomy. The big difference is, astrology says, 'It's all about you.' Believe me, you're very sweet, but it's not about you. It's all about God, and when we have the proper perspective that it's not about us, it's all about Him and to glorify Him then we'll have a proper understanding."

Total lunar eclipses often make the moon appear red

The constellation connection is just part of Biltz's message, as he also goes into an in-depth analysis of how God is signaling his followers through other sky phenomena, as WND first reported two years ago.

Biltz began focusing on the precise times of both solar and lunar eclipses, sometimes called "blood moons" since the moon often takes on a bloody color. He logged onto NASA's eclipse website which provides precision tracking of the celestial events.

He noted a rare phenomenon of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad.

He says during this century, tetrads occur at least six times, but what's interesting is that the only string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God's holy days of Passover in the spring and the autumn's Feast of Tabernacles (also called Succoth) occurs between 2014 and 2015 on today's Gregorian calendar.

Regarding this rare cluster of eclipses in that one-year span, Biltz said: "The religious calendar starts with a total solar eclipse. And then two weeks later on Passover, you have a total lunar eclipse, followed by a solar eclipse on the Feast of Trumpets followed by another total lunar eclipse on Succoth all in 2015. Now is God trying to tell us something? Is He sending any signals? I almost feel like the coach on a baseball team, frantically [waving], 'Will you please steal the base?!'"

Biltz is careful, though, not to say that Jesus is definitely returning between 2014 and 2015.

"I'm not telling you what's gonna happen," he said. "I'm not gonna tell you this is the beginning, the middle, the end or anything of the tribulation. ... All I'm telling you, [is] you can put this in your own theological pipe and smoke it like you want. All I'm saying is God is sending some signals here."

Hal Lindsey, a well-known biblical commentator and author of "The Late Great Planet Earth," told WND in 2008 that Biltz's analysis was "pure speculation."

"In my 50-something years of studying prophecy, to me the greatest indication of the time of Christ's return is based around the general things of prophecies coming together in the same time frame."

He mentioned not only Israel's birth as a political state in 1948, but the increase in tensions with Muslims, the rise of Russia, China and the European Union, which he says is even "calling itself the revived Roman Empire."

"I see the whole sweep and panorama spinning together in a precise scenario," Lindsey said.

Bullying in School: What Can Be Done About It?
By Nancy Gibbs

Phoebe Prince, a high school freshman, hanged herself after being bullied by classmates.
The Prince Family

Adolescence, that swampy zone between safety and power, is best patrolled by adults armed with sense and mercy, not guns and a badge. That's one of many reasons the awful story of Phoebe Prince leaves me so uneasy.

The tragedy is now a global parable: a cute Irish girl moves to a new town — South Hadley, Mass. — and starts dating a popular football player. Other girls, alpha girls, get jealous. They taunt her, cross out her picture on a student-body poster, fling abuse on Facebook. It goes on for months; her mother tries to get the school to do something. Finally, on Jan. 14, after a day when she was allegedly harassed in the library, in the hallways and on her way home from school — a canned drink thrown at her, and the words "You Irish slut, you Irish whore" — Phoebe Prince went home, picked out a scarf her sister had given her for Christmas and hanged herself in a stairwell. Her sister found her. The mean girls? They logged on and mocked her death. (See 10 social-networking apps.)

These dismal stories have grown familiar, but it is what happened next that tangles our instincts. When district attorney Elizabeth Scheibel charged nine students in connection with Phoebe's suicide, she forced us to explore the line between the cruel and the criminal.

Scheibel had to be creative to find charges that fit. Seven girls were charged variously with stalking and criminal harassment, civil rights violations and assault by means of a dangerous weapon (the drink). Two boys were charged with statutory rape (sex, even consensual, with someone under 16). The town now turns on itself: Is this who we are? Who is to blame? The alleged accessories to the crime range from the teachers who overheard the abuse and did nothing, to the adults who appear just as cowed by the powerful kids as their peers are, to the technologies that give new meaning to mean.

"The kids have a way of communicating with each other without us knowing about it," superintendent Gus Sayer told the Boston Globe. "They really have their own world." But Facebook is accessible to adults too, and the prosecutor called the bullying "common knowledge" around the school and the inaction of officials "troublesome," though not criminally so.

Forty-one states have laws against bullying, and Congress is debating various federal versions. But it's unclear whether lawmakers are stepping in because bullying is more common or just more conspicuous. The circle is literally vicious: one study cited during a House hearing last fall found that 27% of girls who were bullied online became bullies themselves. Lawmakers draft laws as memorials to the fallen, like HR 1966, the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, named for the 13-year-old Missouri girl who hanged herself after being tormented by her (fake) MySpace friend Josh. Megan's Law would make it a federal crime to send a communication intended to "coerce, intimidate, harass or cause substantial emotional distress to another person." (Comment on this story.)

This brings us into slippery realms. "When a bully beats up a smaller student and the smaller student goes home, gets on the Internet and says the playground bully is mean, ugly and stupid," said Texas Republican Louie Gohmert in a hearing, "it's the smaller student victim that has now probably committed a federal felony under this proposed law."

Inflicting emotional distress has typically been treated as a civil action. How "substantial" does the distress have to be for it to turn criminal? Severe enough to interfere with schoolwork? Or only if it drives the victim to suicide? The attacks on Phoebe were orchestrated and unrelenting; they "far exceeded the limits of normal teenage relationship-related quarrels," Scheibel charged. But ultimately it was Phoebe's response to the abuse that gave definition to the crime.

We want laws to be applied predictably. The boys charged with statutory rape are probably not the only seniors having sex with freshman girls. At what point did the girls begin behaving in some fundamentally different way than other obnoxious kids? They created a toxic culture that poisoned a classmate. But was the line they crossed visible to all, or blurred and subject to interpretation?

It's easy to criticize Scheibel for overreaching, but her defenders argue that she was forced to act by the craven failures she saw, just like the prosecutors who have charged kids with sex crimes for forwarding naked pictures of their girlfriends. If you don't police this, we will, they declare — a warning aimed at the abdicators as much as the perpetrators. Parents who imagine they can escape the implications of this might want to spend some time clicking through the virtual playground where their children live.

Wrong video of health protest spurs N-word feud
By Jesse Washington,
AP National Writer Jesse Washington, Ap National Writer

In this March 20, 2010 file photo, tea party demonstrators protest outside of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)

Three Democratic congressmen — all black — say they heard racial slurs as they walked through thousands of angry protesters outside the U.S. Capitol. A white lawmaker says he heard the epithets too. Conservative activists say the lawmakers are lying.

What does the video show? Not much. Indeed, new interviews show that a much-viewed YouTube recording cited as evidence by conservatives was actually shot well after the time in question.

It was March 20, near the end of the bitter health care debate, when Reps. John Lewis, Andre Carson and Emanuel Cleaver say that some demonstrators, many of them tea party activists, yelled the N-word as the congressmen walked from House office buildings to the Capitol.

Stung by the charges of racism, conservatives and tea party activists insist it never happened. And one of them is offering big money if anyone can prove it did.

With so many media and citizen cameras at the demonstration, any epithets would have been caught on tape, says Andrew Breitbart. He's the web entrepreneur who released the video of ACORN workers counseling actors posing as a pimp and prostitute, and has pledged $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund if anyone provides proof of the epithets.

"It didn't happen," said Breitbart, who wasn't there. "This is 2010. Even a racist is media-savvy enough not to yell the N-word."

The dispute pits the lawmakers — one of them, Lewis, is a leader and survivor of 1960s civil rights battles — against conservatives determined to counter claims of racism within the predominantly white and middle-aged tea party movement. The criticism has proven a distraction to a nascent movement pushing a unified message of fiscal conservatism and limited government.

The issue still echoes in the media and blogosphere.

"Listen, I was there," Carson, D-Ind., said in an interview. "In many regards I think (the challenges are) a veiled attempt to justify actions that are simply unjustifiable. I think we need to move toward a dialogue that explores why this kind of divisive and reprehensible language is still making it into our political debate."

A fourth Democrat, Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, who is white, backed up his colleagues, telling the Hendersonville (N.C.) Times-News that he heard the slurs.

A reconstruction of the events shows that the conservative challenges largely sprang from a mislabeled video that was shot later in the day.

Breitbart posted two columns on his Web site saying the claims were fabricated. Both led with a 48-second YouTube video showing Lewis, Carson, other Congressional Black Caucus members and staffers leaving the Capitol. Some of the group were videotaping the booing crowd.

Breitbart asked why the epithet was not captured by the black lawmakers' cameras, and why nobody reacted as if they had heard the slur. He also questioned whether the epithets could have been shouted by liberals planted in the crowd.

But the 48-second video was shot as the group was leaving the Capitol — at least one hour after Lewis, D-Ga., and Carson walked to the Capitol, which is when they said the slurs were used.

Questioned about using a video on his Web site from the wrong moment, Breitbart stood by his claim that the lawmakers were lying.

"I'm not saying the video was conclusive proof," he said.

Lewis declined to discuss the issue with The Associated Press. Asked whether the epithet was used, his spokeswoman said: "Yes. Congressman Lewis did hear the N-word yelled from the crowd."

Carson described leaving the Cannon House Office Building for votes and bumping into Lewis in the elevator. They chose to walk outside to the Capitol, rather than through the underground tunnels.

Conservatives say Democrats staged a march through a hostile crowd to instigate a reaction. Carson said there was no such plan: It was just the first day of spring.

Soon after leaving Cannon, "I hear someone say it," said Carson, a former police officer. "You see one or two tea party people kind of look at him, and then you hear it again as we're walking. Then we walk across (Independence Avenue), and that's when it starts getting deeper."

Carson said he heard it coming from different places in the crowd. "You heard it in spurts, in the midst of 'Kill the bill. Kill the bill.'"

"One guy, I remember he just rattled it off several times. Then John looks at me and says, 'You know, this reminds me of a different time.'"

Cleaver, D-Mo., was walking a distance behind Carson and Lewis. He says he heard the epithet and was spit on. Capitol police handcuffed a man after Cleaver said he was spit on, but Cleaver told reporters that he did not want to press charges. No arrests were made. The moment was captured on video; debate continues over whether it shows any spitting.

In a separate case, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is gay, said he was called "faggot."

On Fox News, Bill O'Reilly discussed the issue on four of his shows, beginning March 22. The first segment led with clips from the 48-second video and featured Dana Loesch, a radio talk-show host who accused the congressmen of fabricating their claims.

O'Reilly said, "Just because it's not on tape doesn't mean it's fabricated." A spokeswoman said O'Reilly thinks that something happened, but is not sure exactly what.

A few days later, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., told an audience, "No witness saw it, it's not on camera, it's not on audio."

Only 22 seconds of video have emerged from the time in question, filmed by Lee Fang of the liberal American Progress think tank. His YouTube clip — labeled as being filmed about five minutes after the crowd rushed Lewis and Carson — has been posted by Breitbart and dozens of blogs accusing Democrats of lying.

Fang told the AP he was standing "pretty far away" across Independence Avenue from the Cannon building when he saw the crowd erupt, so he hurried over. Fang did not hear the epithet, but he said he believes it was used. "The hatred was palpable," he said.

Some conservatives insist the absence of racial epithets on Fang's video and the 48-second clip show there was no hate.

"If it didn't happen on YouTube," says a regretful Fang, "it didn't happen at all."

Jim Nantz criticizes Tiger Woods' vocal tantrums
By Shane Bacon

Before the Masters started, Tiger Woods told us that he had changed. His outbursts would be quieted, his club tossing would be softened and he was going to be a different guy on the golf course.

No matter if you bought that or not, it's true that the weekend brought out some of the old Tiger. He screamed "Tiger, you suck!," only to follow that up with a profanity unlike any other in the third round. On Sunday on the 13th hole, Woods screamed "Jesus Christ!" after a tee shot and he wasn't complimenting the man upstairs.

It wasn't something new with Tiger, but it is something he told us would be avoiding in the future. Jim Nantz, the voice of CBS at the Masters, had a chance to talk with Mike Francesa of WFAN on Monday, and let it be known that he wasn't happy with the way Woods acted.

"If I said what he said on the air, I would be fired. I read in the USA Today and it was called “mild language.” Someone on my broadcast dismissed it as him having a camera in his face. Well, guess what? Phil Mickelson had a camera in his face all week and did you even hear him come close to approaching that? He didn’t hit every shot the way he wanted. Have you ever heard Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus use that kind of language? What are the parameters between what’s right or wrong?"

Nantz then admitted that this isn't something that has disturbed him in the past, but the fact that Tiger promised us a change is why it rubbed him the wrong way. He mentioned that he doesn't speak perfectly, but when the red light is on, he has things he cannot say.

He also said that there are people watching the telecast that shouldn't be subjected to such profanities.

"How about the father and son who are standing right there by the tee? How about the hundreds of people who are around that tee who hear that? How about the hundreds of letters I’ve gotten through the years from people who have been outraged at the language they’ve heard there and have written me and said, ‘Why don’t you guys ever say something about that?’ "

Nantz obviously has some great points here. If you're going to cuss when the cameras are rolling over a live broadcast, that is one thing, but when you tell us you won't and still do it, it sure makes you look bad. Especially for a guy trying to bulldoze his past image.

Baby James Villar’s ‘secret endorser’
By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer

BANGUI, ILOCOS NORTE—Out of the mouths of babes come the best endorsements—particularly if the child is Baby James Yap.

At a recent campaign sortie of the Liberal Party in Bacolod City, Baby James, a nephew of Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, innocently made a pitch for his uncle’s closest rival.

The story of how the child blurted out “Villar!” on stage, while his mother was holding him in her arms, caused Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar to smile widely.

“I am happy, and it’s a huge honor for me to be liked by children because it’s the children who are the most honest [persons],” Villar said Tuesday in Filipino at a press conference, drawing laughter and cheers from his supporters.

The press conference was held in a coffee shop by the sea where the famous Bangui windmills stand.

Baby James is the 3-year-old son of Noynoy Aquino’s youngest sister, celebrity TV host Kris Aquino, and her husband, basketball superstar James Yap.

The public took notice of his endearing ways during the wide TV coverage of the wake and funeral of his grandmother, former President Corazon Aquino, who died of colon cancer in August 2009.

YouTube

Aside from appearing with his mother in a soap opera, Baby James has also been tagging along in his uncle’s campaign sorties because of insistent public demand.

A short clip posted on the video-sharing site YouTube showed Kris Aquino onstage carrying Baby James in her arms and telling him to greet the crowd.

“Hallow!” the boy said into the mic. “Hello!” the crowd roared back.

Then, with a big smile on his face, Baby James said, “Villar!”

The clip showed his mother looking bewildered, turning him away from the crowd, and mouthing “No!”

Observers said Baby James had probably seen and heard Villar’s ubiquitous political advertisements on TV showing children singing “Naging Mahirap/Dagat ng Basura” and “Puedeng Mangarap/Hindi Bawal Mangarap ang Mahirap.”

The jingles have become hugely popular among children, who would sing aloud and call out his name by way of greeting the candidate in his campaign sorties.

YouTube posts have tagged Baby James as “Villar’s secret endorser,” an apparent play on the LP allegation that the billionaire politician is the “secret candidate” of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Palito's family cries foul over hoax text messages
ABS-CBN

MANILA, Philippines - In times of need, Filipinos readily lend their helping hands, but crooks also create chaos and sinister deeds.

Jut like what’s happening to Palito’s family.

The family of Palito, Reynaldo Hipolito in real life, the corpse-like comic who’s confined at the Philippine General Hospital for serious lung ailment, has been a victim of this unscrupulous act.

One of his sons, Jhune Hipolito, disclosed: “Ang dami na pong nanloloko sa amin. Sinasabi na taga-showbiz sila, kaibigan daw sila ng father namin, taga-ABS-CBN daw sila. Hinihingi nila ang account number ng ATM namin. ‘Yon, ibinigay naman namin, wala namang dumarating na tulong.”

“Ewan ko po kung saan nila nakukuha ‘yong number namin,” wondered Jhune.

A cellphone number has been posted on Palito’s Facebook page as his family appealed for financial assistance. The number is owned by a certain Flor, who introduced herself in her text message as somebody from Rivermaya band.

It was from Flor where we got the mobile phone number of Jhune.

“Yes, kilala ko po si Tita Flor. Totoong manager siya ng Rivermaya. Tumutulong talaga po siya sa amin,” Jhune explained. “Ang ipinagtataka naman po namin ay ang daming tumatawag at nagti-text sa amin na kesyo tutulong sila pero wala namang dumarating.”

Jhune was with his father when he was rushed to a hospital in Imus, Cavite early this week. Palito has been moved to Philippine General Hospital Wednesday morning.

Outpouring of support

Meanwhile, Jhune disclosed that many celebrities have already offered to help their father.

According to Jhune, actor Robin Padilla has expressed his desire to sponsor the CT scan of his dad. Drama actor Jericho Rosales has also promised support to the senior star.

“Dapat po ay dadalaw si Jericho kahapon pero tumawag siya sa amin, nagpasabi na pagod na pagod siya at puyat na puyat kaya hindi siya natuloy. Pero pupunta raw po siya anytime,” recounted Jhune.

Fernando Poe, Jr.’s half-brother, Conrad Poe, has also signified his intention to extend financial help to the Hipolitos.

“Tutulong si Conrad. Kasi, matagal din silang nagkasama n’yan. Kakausapin din niya ang KAPPT (Actors Guild) para tumulong. Kasi vice-president si Conrad ng grupo,” volunteered Zeny Poe, Conrad’s better half.

According to Jhune, his family is planning to transfer Palito from the ward section to a private suite. “Masyadong maraming tao sa ward.”

Who is Palito?

Palito, who was born on Sept. 4, 1934, is a walking stick in public save for his bulky love life.

Skinny and fragile-looking, his heart though is like a rose which attracts butterflies. Despite his built, he’s a showbiz attraction which irresistibly captures women’s fantasies.

In reel life, too, Palito was portrayed as emaciated lover boy in such wacky spoof fares as “Ram-buto,” a hilarious version of Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo,” “James Bone,” a funny bone of a James Bond parody, “Enterpool: Senior Cirizen in Action,” and many more.

Palito started his acting career in the 60s. One of his early movies was “Pitong Zapata” in 1965.

In the beginning, he was cast in straight action films. But because of his thinness, he was groomed as a comedian.

His corpse-like mien and zombie look, more often than not, landed him in comedy horror character. -Boy Villasanta, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Family of ailing Palito appeals for financial aid
ABS-CBN

Family of ailing Palito appeals for financial aid

MANILA, Philippines - Seasoned comedian Palito, or Reynaldo Hipolito in real life, was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday after complaining of severe stomach pain.

According to Palito’s son, Jhune, when his father arrived at their home he was already in pain, prompting the family to bring him to Imus Family Hospital.

"Galing siya sa casino kasi doon siya nagta-trabaho. May combo doon, doon siya tumutugtog. Pagdating sa bahay halos hindi na makalakad at nanghihina na... kaya dinala na namin siya sa ospital," Jhune told “SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon.”

Palito’s family said the comedian still needs to undergo a CT scan.

Jhune sought the help of his father's celebrity friends, saying the family is in dire need of assistance to finance Palito’s hospitalization.

"Kinapos na kami sa pambibili ng mga gamot. Ang pino-problema na namin ay ‘yong bill sa hospital para malipat siya sa PGH (Philippine General Hospital) para ma-CT scan,” he said.

“Napa-ultrasound siya. Mayroong nakita na kakaiba sa atay niya. Hindi pa masyadong sigurado. kailangang ma-CT scan para makita ang the rest. Wala kaming ganoong [pera] para mailabas siya. Kagabi nga muntik na siyang bumigay. No choice kami. Nag-iyakan na lang kami kasi wala namang ibang tutulong sa amin kung hindi ang Kapisanan ng mga Artista," Jhune added.

Palito, 76, is best known for his comedy films "Ram-Buto" and "Jones Bone," which were spoof of hit Hollywood films "Rambo" and "James Bond." He was also part of hit sitcom "Home A-Long Da Riles," with Comedy King Dolphy.

"Sa lahat ng mga naging kasama ng aking ama, sana matulungan ninyo po kami. Salamat po," Jhune said.

You may eat your words
By Cito Beltran
CTALK | The Philippine Star

Whenever my wife Karen senses that I’m about to go ballistic or lose my temper, she often reminds me to try not to let things go out of control, “because you know that you will only end up saying sorry later”.

The thought of having to say sorry for something I could avoid is enough deterrent to watch my language and rein in my frustration. Unfortunately, many of those behind the candidates in the Presidential elections don’t have someone who reminds them that they may eventually have to eat their own words.

In terms of our current political situation, it may be well worth for so called key opinion leaders and politicians to pull the brakes on the dirty word war and dirty tricks that have gotten out of hand in the current campaign.

I for one know that the dirty war started by the Liberals and responded to mistakenly by the Nacionalistas has gotten out of hand because just yesterday morning I was already considering dumping both parties publicly and endorsing Gibo or even Gloria Macapagal Arroyo if she were running again. That’s how bad it is!

In fact a scan of radio talk shows revealed that quite a number of hosts as well as listeners were disappointed and displeased with the way the campaign has deteriorated to false accusations and character assassination. The low point came with the false reports that Gibo was going to call a press conference to throw in the towel.

Even a political analyst being interviewed on radio made the case against both parties when the expert said that the reason the Liberals and the Nacionalistas have been dumping on Gloria Arroyo is because both parties only have outlines but no real platform for governance!

The irony in all this is that the Philippines is such a tiny nation, with such a small circle of players who will all live long enough to: regret their harsh words and uncivilized conduct, suffer the consequences of their actions, be embarrassed when one day they have to embrace their worst enemies because they have found someone they hate in common, or grow old enough to admit the stupidity of it all.

Look around you, even within the Liberals, the Nacionalistas and the media. Former friends are now enemies. Former enemies are now allies. Marcos hunters are now the latest Marcos circle of friends. Anti-government activists are now government spokespersons.

Remember the lines: In politics there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, just politics.

The question is why do we “Filipinos” get personal and destructive when it comes to politics? Where other nations talk about the positive and the ideal about their party and their candidates, we in the Philippines dishonor dead fathers, mothers and brothers.

The Liberals and the Nacionalistas attack Gloria Macapagal Arroyo even if she’s not running for the Presidency. They talk about eradicating poverty when even God almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ directly said that we will always have poverty in the world.

Are the people in the Liberal and Nacionalista more powerful than God? Can they resurrect the poor when they can’t even resurrect Ferdinand Marcos so he can face his accusers and stand trial?

In other countries, the media as a watchdog and information source are usually the ones to bring out an exposé, or reveal certain wrongdoings of certain candidates. In general, the media and their practitioners do so in fulfillment of their professional task and not their individual political leanings.

Sadly in the Philippines, the primary source of false testimonies are the political parties, then one-man PR “firms”, and ultimately media practitioners who seem to forget that we are looked upon for information, balance and objectivity and not how we wear our political colors and also write or talk about them.

Forgive this affront but the fact is, many colleagues particularly the older and the more experienced, act as if it is their personal right to use air- time or column space to attack other candidates except their own. Why not focus on the good things about your candidate or what special things they have done so that somehow others may copy them or be inspired.

Why must we be so vicious, so vile and so full of contempt in our efforts to put down the other candidate? Does it take a pound of hatred for us to feel a measure of satisfaction that we have contributed immensely to the success of “our” candidate? Does the toxicity of our criticism and attack assure us a place of honor in the circle of our future “king”? Of course not!

How many of those rooting and tooting for a candidate have actually done something to improve the quality of life or make a difference in the life of one voter and their family? What real and substantial sacrifice or effort have you made without thought of payback or recognition simply because you want to embody what you believe in your candidate?

Perhaps we all need to set a standard or a rule just like what my wife reminds me of. Before we get carried away or go ballistic, let’s ask ourselves a few questions:

Is my conduct and my actions a reflection of passion or hatred?

Am I doing or saying something in pursuit of a positive aspiration, or sowing disrespect and false accusations? In the privacy of my inner self am I being truthful, or simply a liar finding vain satisfaction in sowing hurt and hatred? Am I merely repeating an unverified statement, made by a friend or a paid professional who makes a living promoting the interests of others?

Could I end up having to eat my words? Will I have the courage and character to really say “Sorry” ?

And if you want something better, read the Book of Philippians chapter 4 verses 8-9.

Sad Scene: Adrian Grenier Stops for Dog Killed in Hit-and-Run
Peoplepets.com

Flynet

While many others would've continued on their way, Entourage star Adrian Grenier did the right thing on Tuesday when he stopped to move a dead dog from the side of the road.

During a jog through L.A., the actor noticed a lifeless pup lying just off the running path. He reportedly checked its vital signs before calling the police to report the deceased creature — apparently the victim of a hit and run. He later took to Twitter to reflect on the day's events, writing, "A moment of silence for Juno, the little dog I found this morning who had been hit by a car. Count your blessings, every breath is precious!" We hope the pooch is waiting on the other side of the rainbow bridge, thankful for Grenier's kind actions.

Smiling dog becomes online sensation
At his first birthday party, pooch Riley grins happily over cake
TODAY

Just look at that mug! 'Smiley Riley,' a Bichon Frise-poodle mix, is clearly pleased about his birthday cake.
Maureen Ravelo / Rex USA

What do you do when your 1-year-old dog cracks an almost human-like smile at his first birthday party? Grab the camera — fast!

That's just what happened when Maureen Ravelo of San Jose, Calif., noticed her dog Riley grinning from ear to ear after he was presented with his first birthday cake in January. A month after the pampered pooch's birthday bash, Ravelo, a recent college-grad from UC-San Diego, posted the photo on Facebook to give her friends a good laugh.

"I thought it was the funniest picture I've ever seen," she tells PEOPLEPets.com.

That day, John Lipari, a friend of Ravelo's, saw the hilarious photo online during an evening class, posted it on Reddit.com, and catapulted Riley into overnight viral superstardom. Countless blogs and Web sites, including The Huffington Post, caught on to Riley's winning grin, branding the Bichon Frise-poodle mix as "The Birthday Dog," "Smiley Riley," and the "Stoner Dog." One Web site even Photoshopped the smiling puppy into the arms of President Obama.

All of this publicity has taken Ravelo by surprise. "I'm actually happy that a lot of people really enjoy Riley's picture because it was just a random picture that I posted," she tells PEOPLEPets.com. "I didn't think that it would get so huge!"

Maureen Ravelo's parents welcomed Riley at just 4 weeks old, and have treated the smiling star as one of the family ever since. When Maureen moved back home from college, she noticed the new family pet displaying his now famous human-like expressions.

"He smiles a lot, especially when you come home from work, he's really happy to see you," she says. "He can do different faces every single time. Whenever I try to pet him when he's asleep he gives me this look like, 'Leave me alone, I'm trying to sleep.' He's known for that. Part of him is pretty snobbish, but for the most part, he's just a pampered poodle with a playful attitude!"

Although she admits that witnessing Riley's looks of happiness and annoyance can be "really, really creepy," they serve as proof that Riley is more than just a pet. "Every single time I see that picture online, and the more I look at it, the more I'm convinced that it actually isn't a dog," she says. "A lot of people have said things like, 'I'm convinced that it's a little boy in a dog suit.' "

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Some 'tourists' choose city landmarks for suicide
BY Jordan Lite
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The Empire State Building and George Washington Bridge are among the sites often chosen by out-of-towners who commit suicide here.

More than one in 10 people who kill themselves in Manhattan are "suicide tourists" - out-of-towners who choose New York City landmarks to take their lives.

Their deaths cluster around some of the most famous, scenic spots in the city: the Empire State Building, Times Square and the George Washington Bridge, a new study shows.

"I don't think any of us were aware or even conscious of thinking of suicide among tourists, that people would travel to a city specifically for that," said study author David Vlahov of the New York Academy of Medicine.

The findings, to be presented Monday at the American Public Health Association meeting in Washington, are based on a review of the 7,634 suicides recorded between 1990 and 2004 by the city medical examiner.

Of the 407 suicides among nonresidents, 274 occurred in Manhattan. More than half of those were long falls from bridges and high-rise commercial buildings, including hotels.

"Research has shown that jumping from a height is more common in New York than in the rest of the United States," the report said.

While most suicides occur at home through drugs, hanging or guns, the study says some people seek out historic locations to die, such as the Golden Gate Bridge in California and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

"These places become suicide landmarks," said Richard Seiden, who has studied suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge. "They develop a reputation and snowballing of their own."

Taking one's life in a known location, he said, "guarantees you a notoriety you may not have had otherwise."

Some 80% of the suicide tourists were men. Among New York City residents, 70% of the suicides were men. The tourists tended to be young (between 15 and 34), white or Asian.

Alan Ross, executive director of the suicide prevention hotline Samaritans of New York, doubted people are traveling here expressly to die.

"The keys to suicide prevention are tied to resources, support and coping mechanisms. Being away from home makes that less accessible," Ross said.

"It certainly behooves major tourist areas to make sure that support services are available at their moment of crisis."

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Man who leaped to death from Empire State Building ID'd as Yale University student Cameron Dabaghi
BY Matthew Lysiak In New Haven, Conn., Rocco Parascandola and Katie Nelson
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Cameron Dabaghi, a Yale student, jumped to his death from the Empire State Building.

Costanza for News
The scene on 34th Street in Manhattan after Dabaghi leaped from the 86th floor Observation Deck of the Empire State Building.

The Yale college student who plunged off the Empire State Building planned the desperate act in advance, cop sources said.

The NYPD and Yale University identified Cameron Dabaghi, a 21-year-old junior from Austin, Texas, as the man who jumped to his death Tuesday night from the Empire State Building's 86th floor observation deck.

Dabaghi left a suicide note in his dorm room in New Haven, Conn., a police source said Wednesday.

He apologized for turning to suicide and wrote he planned to jump from either the George Washington Bridge or the Empire State.

There were seven people on the landmark building's observation deck when Dabaghi climbed the safety barrier, police said. One person tried to talk to him down but Dabaghi would not listen, cops said.

"We are all deeply distressed by this news," wrote Yale College Dean Mary Miller in a e-mail to students Wednesday morning.

Dabaghi was an East Asian studies major and due to graduate the prestigious Ivy League School in 2011.

He has a younger sister, Andrene Dabaghi, who is also a sophomore at Yale.

His parents are enroute to Connecticut from Texas, friends said.

It's still unclear how Dabaghi got past the 10-foot-high spiked fence ringing the Empire State Building's observation deck.

But police and witnesses said he disappeared below the outermost ledge around 6:15 p.m. and crashed down onto W. 34th St.

"He came down in front of the Bank of America. Boom! It was an explosion," said Luis Mosquea, 28, who was manning the front entrance of a women's boutique on W. 34th St., across from where the man landed.

"His body was shattered and his sneakers were scattered on the sidewalk," said Mosquea, recalling in horror how stunned pedestrians scampered in every direction to flee the nightmarish sight.

"One guy ran over and covered the body with an umbrella," he said. "It's crazy."

Building management refused to comment about the death or security precautions at the 102-story tower, which charges sightseers up to $20 a pop for regular tickets or $45 for express passes to get to observation deck.

At least 34 people have jumped to their deaths from the Empire State Building since it opened in 1931.

The most recent was Moshe Kanovsky, 31, of Brooklyn, who leaped out of a 69th-floor window in April 2007.