Who Was John Titor

John Titor is the name used on several bulletin boards during 2000 and 2001 by a poster claiming to be a time traveler from the year 2036. In these posts he made numerous predictions (a number of them vague, some quite specific) about events in the near future, starting with events in 2004. He described a drastically changed future in which the United States had broken into five smaller regions, the environment and infrastructure had been devastated by a nuclear attack, and most other world powers had been destroyed.

To date, the story has been retold on numerous web sites, in a book, and in a play. He has also been discussed occasionally on the radio show Coast to Coast AM. In this respect, the Titor story may be unique in terms of broad appeal from an originally limited medium, an Internet discussion board.

A Look At Wall Street’s Shadow Market

On Friday Congress finally passed – and President Bush signed into law – a financial rescue package in which the taxpayers will buy up Wall Street’s bad investments.

The numbers are staggering, but they don’t begin to explain the greed and incompetence that created this mess.

It began with a terrible bet that was magnified by reckless borrowing, complex securities, and a vast, unregulated shadow market worth nearly $60 trillion that hid the risks until it was too late to do anything about them.

And as correspondent Steve Kroft reports, it’s far from being over.

Army Combat Unit To Be Deployed Within US

The United States military’s Northern Command, formed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, is dedicating a combat infantry team to deal with catastrophes in the U.S., including terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry, which was first into Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003, started its controversial assignment Wednesday.

The First Raiders will spend 2009 as the first active-duty military unit attached to the U.S. Northern Command since it was created. They will be based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, and focus primarily on logistics and support for local police and rescue personnel, the Army says.

European Unity Collapsing Due To Economic Issues

Germany shattered any semblance of European unity on the global credit crisis last night by announcing that it was ready to guarantee €568 billion of personal savings in domestic accounts.

The move – which came as Berlin announced a new rescue package for an ailing mortgage bank – is sure to anger France, which, holding the European Union presidency, tried to create the illusion of a common front at a weekend summit in Paris. Instead, the message coming loud and clear from Berlin is that it is every man for himself. Or as President Nicolas Sarkozy would prefer not to say:sauve qui peut.

The Corporate Takeover of Canada

Stephen Harper recently announced that if re-elected he will begin further removing barriers to foreign investment in the airline and uranium sectors. His plan is based on proposals set forth by the Competition Review Panel. Harper stayed clear of other more controversial recommendations from the panel, such as allowing bank mergers and opening up Canada’s telecommunications to further foreign investment. You can bet that if the Conservatives are able to secure a majority government, more of these recommendations will be implemented. The corporate agenda is further shaping public policy. Big business is a driving force behind the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), and deeper integration into a North American Union. Trade agreements, such as NAFTA, ultimately benefit multinational corporations at the expense of workers and the environment.

Foreclosures And The Right To Vote

The foreclosure crisis could do considerable damage to the nation’s voting system. More than a million people have lost their homes in the past two years. And because voter registration is based on people’s residences, they could face politically motivated challenges at the polls.

The problem may be especially acute in the presidential battleground states. In Ohio, more than 5 percent of home mortgages are seriously delinquent or in the foreclosure process, and there were more than 67,000 foreclosure actions in the first half of 2008. Michigan and Florida have also been hard hit.

US Threatens To Steal Iraq Oil Money

Washington has threatened to seize Iraqi assets and oil money if Baghdad rejects a controversial US-proposed security pact, Iraq says.

Upon arrival in Iraq from Washington, President Jalal Talabani told reporters that he is concerned over Washington threats.

“Washington threatened to use any means to seize Iraqi assets if we do not support the security pact,” Marsadiraq quoted Talabani as saying.

FEMA: The Secret Government

 

FEMA

Some people have referred to it as the “secret government” of the United States. It is not an elected body, it does not involve itself in public disclosures, and it even has a quasi-secret budget in the billions of dollars. This government organization has more power than the President of the United States or the Congress, it has the power to suspend laws, move entire populations, arrest and detain citizens without a warrant and hold them without trial, it can seize property, food supplies, transportation systems, and can suspend the Constitution.

Earliest Reference Describes Jesus As “Magician”

Jesus

A team of scientists led by renowned French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio recently announced that they have found a bowl, dating to between the late 2nd century B.C. and the early 1st century A.D., that is engraved with what they believe could be the world’s first known reference to Jesus Christ.

If the word “Christ” refers to the Biblical Jesus Christ, as is speculated, then the discovery may provide evidence that Christianity and paganism at times intertwined in the ancient world.

China Filtering And Blocking Skype Messages

A Canadian researcher has discovered that a Chinese version of eBay’s Skype communications software snoops on text chats that contain certain keywords, including “democracy.”

 

The revelation is not only of interest to rights groups that monitor Internet censorship. The discovery also likely intrigues law enforcement and intelligence agencies in other countries, because they have been bothered by the growing use of Skype, which claims 338 million users across the world.