Rainbow In A Mirror - Chatham & Wabash - Springfield, IL

Photo: Rainbow In A Mirror - Wabash & Chatham - Springfield, IL 09.06.06

Marie, at Disarranging Mine, posted a photo of the same rainbow on her blog.

This photo was snapped at the corner of Wabash, and Chatham, an intersection which was vistited by two F2 tornadoes back in March (2006).

The sky above was blue, and the sun directly in front of me. A bit of rainfall to the east provided just what was needed to produce this golden hour double rainbow.

I believe this rainbow is a sign which promises no more tornadoes for the rest of the year - at least at this intersection.

Rainbow Video - Skateland South (parking lot) - Springfield, Illinois

Discovery's Disturbing Series Comes - A Haunting

Discovery's A Haunting Series - Any Haunted Houses In Your Neighborhood?

Has anyone happened upon the Discovery channels A Haunting?

I've caught a few episodes. I'm not a big fan of ghost stories, but this series is disturbingly interesting.

It could just be the imaginations of families living in those homes, or it might be something a lot spookier.

The series itself is spooky even you don't believe in such phenomena.

High Tech Toys To Install In A Haunted Home

• Remote Controlled Digital Video Cameras
• Motion Detectors
• Infrared Cameras
• Trip Wires Attached To Alarms
• Electro Magnetic Field Detectors
• A Whole Slew Of Other Sensors
• Broadband Internet Connection
• Wireless Network
  

All sensors, microphones, and cameras, would be connected to a broadband connection, and would upload data to a website!

A "Spot The Ghost" online contest would challenge web visitors to keep an eye on things.

There are millions of people that would love to prove the existence of the paranormal. Most of these families seem isolated, and struggle to handle the haunting themselves - but this is no longer necessary in the age of the Intranet. Boo!

On the other hand the very technology which might shed some light on what ghost are is being used for money making purposes.

Check this spirit orbs video out (not from A Haunting):



What is a lady with a weight problem, a laser pointer, and a video camera set to monochrome capture mode?
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Quantum Entanglement Stressing You Out?

Perceptions of "Connectedness" Have You Confused?

Let Rocky, and Bullwinkle take you down the rabbit hole - again? And into the world of quantum entanglement.




Rocky: Can more than one entanglement state occur simultaneously bridging for example two "source" spinors with a "target" spinor?

Bullwinkle: First it's important not to get trapped in the linear causality mode of perception when it comes to entanglement. Quantum Entanglement acts to create a temporal singularity between quanta, and as such the term "source", and "target" are not only misnomers, but create a fundamental obstacle to answering the question.

There are no sources, and targets when it comes to entangled quanta. All quanta is essentially entangled, and yet not entangled.

Rocky: Without sources and targets, cause, and effect become impossible to work out doesn't it? We see linear causality at work at the Classical scale don't we? So at what point does linear causality take over, and quantum entanglement end?



Bullwinkle: Linear causality is in fact bound to perception. Play the movie in reverse, and we see the very same event only from a different point of view. Percieved temporal sequence does not dictate that the time line is ordered in one way, or another.

Rocky: How can entanglement exist, and not exist simultaneously? How can there be a singularity, and yet locality?

Bullwinkle: No events occur simultaneously.

Rocky: How can everything be entangled, and yet not?

Bullwinkle: Singularity implies entanglement, all at once, and everywhere. We're talking all time, and all space. Can we imagine such a time, and place?

Rocky: No, it sounds impossible.

Bullwinkle: What about the Universe before the Big Bang?

Rocky: So the Universe has operated at that state in the past?

Bullwinkle: Not a perfect singular state, or else that state would still exist.

Rocky: What does the Big Bang, and the primordial Universe have to do with quantum entanglement?

Bullwinkle: At what point did entanglement begin?

Rocky: Shortly after the Big Bang?

Bullwinkle: What about before?



Rocky: Before the Big Bang?

Bullwinkle: If the "Pre" Big Bang Universe had been a perfect singularity, then the Universe as we know it would have never come into existence. It would have remained a perfect singularity with no pertubations. More than one energy state must have existed prior to the Big Bang, and those energy states would have been connected via entanglement.

Rocky: Are we talking "Multiverse"?

Bullwinkle: It's Possibly the best explanation.

Rocky: A Universe outside this one, or before it?

Bullwinkle: Both, or either, and perhaps even a Universe after it as well.



Rocky: If the Universe was entangled to another Universe before the Big Bang, is the Universe still entangled with this other Universe now?

Bullwinkle: One Multiverse Theory views the Multiverse as a cloud of uncollapsed probabilities, and views each possible Universe as a subset of the range of probabilities. In this type of Multiverse in which all possible Universes exist, and yet do not exist, quantum entanglement not only connects quanta within a Universe, but also all possible Universes.

There's More - But Later

Use of Rocky, and Bullwinkle Images without permission.

Cigar Shaped Craft Hovers Over Springfield, Illinois!

Photo: Cigar Shaped Craft Glides Over Springfield, Illinois 08.30.2006!

I have several more incredible images, and even video of this cigar shaped craft hovering, and gliding over Springfield, Illinois this Wednesday evening!

I followed it in my car (don't worry folks, I kept my distance), and captured the image above from the corner of Macarthur, and Ash!

Altering A Hurricane's Path 101

GOES Image: Hurricane Katrina and Jet Stream 29.08.2006

Can Humans Alter A Hurricane's Path?

While stopping a hurricane may not be possible, changing its path may be possible.

The paths of hurricanes which spin through the Gulf of Mexico towards the gulf states are greatly effected by North America's continental weather fronts.

Would it be worth the effort to deploy an already existing covert weather modification progam in the hope of even slightly modifying the path of a hurricane away from a major city?


GOES IMAGE: Hurricane Rita (IR) and Jet Stream 24.09.2005

• Hurricane Path Modification Toolkit
• Particle Beam Generator Equipped Stealth UPVs
• A Week's Advanced Notice Of Tropical Storm Path
• Contrail Generating Aviation Fuel
• Carbon Dust Equipped UPVs

• Hurricane Path Modification Chronology
• Along the west coast of the US create thousands of contrails
• As Contrails cross the continent they grow into regional overcast
• Carbon Dust Equipped UPVs deploy into overcast and seed clouds.
• Clouds build into a large series of thunderstorm fronts.
• Particle Beam Equipped UPVs modify electrical properties of storm.
• Ionosphere is lifted, and shaped over modified weather front.
• Jet Stream follows modified (lifted) Ionosphere pattern.
• Front is guided, and timed to alter atmospheric gradients.
• Regional pressure gradients modify path of hurricane.

A Little Dust With That Wine?

Photo: Springfield, Illinois Municipal Garage Resurfacing - Noisy & Dusty Operation

It sounds like a jet aircraft at takeoff, and has the rumble of a freight train. It leaves a fine coating of cement dust on your lips from a block away. It has been in non-stop operation for several days, and right in the heart of downtown Springfield, Illinois' Hotel, and Convention district.

What is it?

Two bobcat type vehicles equipped with spinning rotor brushes. The brushes not only cause a tremendous amount of noise, but they are also stirring up huge plumes of cement dust.

While all the noise created by this resurfacing project may cause some irritation with those visitors to the nearby Ramada who paid extra just to stay at such a fine accommodation the dust has to be causing problems for Ramada's housekeeping staff.

At the corner of Washington, and Seventh Street I noticed the taste of cement on my lips. A fine film of cement dust filled the air. I couldn't see it, but I could taste it.


Photo: High Contrast B&W Shows Looming Dust Trail Created By Resurfacing Project

Why are no dust abatement procedures being employed? Spraying dust plumes with water is the standard practice used to eliminate this problem. Do the contractors really believe that no one will notice?

There are two large hotels, and a large office building which overlook the garage, which makes it rather unlikely that people won't notice.

Note: Breathing cement dust is considered hazardous to the health - especially for people who have respiratory problems.

Also: What precautions are being taken by the workers in those bobcats?

Good Bye Major Byrd Hi-Rise

Photo: Major Byrd Hi-Rise Demoltion - Springfield, Illinois


Photo: Springfield, Illinois Major Byrd Hi-Rise Demolition


Photo: Demolition Of Major Byrd Hi-Rise - Springfield, IL 08.23.06

I'll continue to post some additional photographs of the ongoing demolition of the Major Byrd Hi-Rise. It should be completely demolished within two weeks - according to a crewman.

Springfield Cop Allowed Mugger To Keep Victim's Property

Photo: Security Guard At Walgreen's On Sangamon - Final Day 2006 Illinois State Fair

In my prior two post I recount several eye witness accounts of how a Springfield teen was mugged outside Walgreen's Drugstore directly across the street from the Illinois State Fair last Friday evening.

Friends of the victim tell of how a Springfield (Illinois) Police Officer watched the assault, and robbery, and yet failed to offer assistance to the victim either during the assault, or after.

Another witness tells of how she tried to recover the victim's stolen cellphone. Her plea fell on deaf ears.

The following is a paraphrasing of a conversation which took place yesterday afternoon. I have named this witness "Girl Two" so as to distinguish her from "Girl One" which I quoted in the post just prior to this entry.

JP: You were in the Walgreen's parking lot that night?

Girl Two: Yes.

JP: Did anyone ask the police officer there for help?

Girl Two: Right after **** was mugged I tried to find his cellphone by calling it.

JP: That's a great idea, so what happened?

Girl Two: Well every time I'd call ****'s number a phone would ring.

JP: You could tell who had the stolen phone?

Girl Two: Yes, it was one of the boys who beat **** up.

JP: What did the boy do?

Girl Two: He kept taking the phone out of his pocket, and hanging it up. Finally after the fourth time he turned the phone off.

JP: So you felt that you had a good idea which kid had ****'s cellphone?

Girl Two: Yes.

JP: So what did you do next, did you confront the kid?

Girl Two: I went up to the cop that was there, and I told him what I did.

JP: You told him you'd been calling the phone?

Girl Two: Yes.

JP: He must have been pleased!

Girl Two: No, he told me to leave.

JP: Didn't he go, and talk to the boy?

Girl Two: No.

JP: That's simply incredible.

Girl Two: Cops suck!

JP: I can see why you believe that.


Implications Of The Police Officer's Failure To Protect & Serve

This police officer needs to be identified, and reported. This one bad cop has destroyed the image of the Springfield Police Force in the eyes of several local teens.

Several of the witnesses, and the victim himself attends a fundamentalist Christian high school here in Springfield. I'm not saying these kids are angels, but they were raised to believe that "good" exist, and that "evil" exist. They were raised to believe in "Right versus Wrong" - heck that there is a "right", and that there is a "wrong".

Tens of millions of kids today have never heard their parents profess a belief in anything. These parents essentially "sick" their children upon the world, but these kids, who were victimized that night, were not raised like that. They have parents who cared enough about them to sacrifice, and send them to schools where they received a faith based - a morality based education. They were dragged to church every Sunday - come rain, or come shine in the hope that it would make a difference.

These kids have been taught that there is a consequence for stealing. That "Thall Shall not Steal" was a command from God. TThese kids were raised to be respectful of the police as they are guardians of society, and enforce laws which were based upon the Bible.

The lesson which these kids learned last Friday night will not be one they'll likely forget. Thanks to the cowardice of a local police officer several local teens will most likely never trust the police ever again. A lesson many of us learned long ago - and sadly it appears one that each generation learns anew.

City Cop Ignored Teen's Mugging Outside Fairgrounds

Image: SPD's Moto "Professional service is our personal commitment"

State Fair Mugging Part II

In my last post I stated that a lack of police presence allowed an unsafe environment to exist in the Walgreen's parking lot just across the street from the Illinois State Fairgrounds Friday night.

I believed at the time that a thunderstorm had flushed all the police off the streets, and into their squad cars, or perhaps even home - leaving fairgoers, and nearby businesses vulnerable to attack from a gang of juveniles hanging out at the Fairground's busiest intersection.

But I was wrong!


A Shocking Accusation!

Several witnesses have now indicated that the robbery, which I reported in my prior post, took place in close proximity to a police officer. These witnesses have stated that not only did the police officer witness the assault, but also that he failed to assist the victim in any way!

The following is a paraphrasing of a conversation which took place tonight (August 19th, 2006) as I drove my teenaged daughter, and her friend (who witnessed the attack), home from the Mall.

JP: Were there really twenty guys in that parking lot?

Girl One: Yes.

JP: Why were there so many kids in that parking lot?

Girl One: I don't know why they were there.

JP: You just got out of the Fair?

Girl One: We were waiting for our ride home.

JP: Did they just get out of the Fair too?

Girl One: I don't know why they were there.

JP: How did the actual attack start?

Girl One: They surrounded ****, started punching him, and stole his phone.

JP: Were there any words exchanged?

Girl One: They called him "Bitch".

JP's Daughter: Didn't I tell you dad?

JP: Tell me what?

JP's Daughter: I told you they probably called him a bitch!

JP: When did this gang take off?

Girl One: They took his phone.

JP: Did they take off when the cops arrived?

Girl One: There was a cop there.

JP: I mean't when did they take off, not what they took off of ****?

Girl One: A cop was there.

JP: Are you serious, a cop was there while this was happening?

Girl One: Yes, right there in the parking lot.

JP: Do you think that the cop saw what was going on?

Girl One: Everyone could see what was happening - he was right there.

JP: Are you saying the cop just stood there, and watched?

Girl One: He screamed really loud, but that's all.

JP: Was he screaming for people to stop beating **** up?

Girl One: Just for everyone to leave the parking lot.

JP: That's all he did - scream?

Girl One: He was just screaming really crazy loud.

JP: Did people leave?

Girl One: Yes.

JP: How does **** look, does he look beaten up?

Girl One : No, but he says his jaw, and back hurt him.

JP: And they got his cellphone?

Girl One: Yes.

JP: And the cop didn't do anything?

Girl One: The cops in Springfield suck.

JP's Daughter: He was probably just protecting Walgreen's donuts.

JP: Probably so.

Gang Assaults Teen Outside Illinois State Fair

Photo: Macarthur Blvd @ Night In Rainstorm - Springfield Illinois 08.18.06


Race Against Storm

Last night I found myself racing across town to pick up my teenaged daughter from the Illinois State Fair (2006). A thunderstorm was bulldozing across Sangamon County, and it looked as if Springfield, Illinois would be effected. I barely convinced my teenaged daughter that it was time to call it an evening, but she reluctantly agreed to let me pick her up in front of the Walgreen's Drugstore at the corner of 9th street, and Sangamon Avenue.

I hydroplaned over rain covered streets at speeds far higher than I dare admit. It was a race between me, and the storm. As I drove into the parking lot of the Walgreen's Drug Store located just across the street from the Fairgrounds the rain, and wind, began to intensify.

My daughter jumped into the car wet, but not soaked - I had beaten the storm!

Conversation

ME: Is it just you? What about your friends?

DAUGHTER: Oh, they're going to stay. You should have seen the look they gave me when I said I was going to go home because of the storm.

ME: Well that's not too smart with all this lightning in the sky.

DAUGHTER: They're dumb.

ME: Yes, they sure are, but I raised a smart kid.

My thoughts shifted to the road, the rain, and the large number of cars exiting The Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Gang Attacks Teen Outside Illinois State Fair

About the same time my daughter, and I arrived back home my daughter became quite upset. She was on her cell phone, and speaking to one of her friends that had decided to stay.

One of the three teenagers which my daughter had attended the Illinois State Fair with had just been attacked by a mob of nearly twenty black teen males!* The location of the attack was at the very spot which I had picked up my daughter only a half hour earlier!

The gang descended upon the victim repeatedly punching the boy. The attack continued for several minutes with several boys attacking at once. The victim was unable to defend himself. They took the victims cellphone.

Two of the victim's friends, a teenage girl, and her little brother, witnessed the assault. Although the Walgreen's Drugstore was still open for business the entrance was locked.


Most shocking allegation of all

This story is just getting started. Please read the next post which continues my blogging on this event! A rather disturbing allegation has been made by several witnesses about the way the assault was handled by police.


*NOTE: Identifying the race of a group of individuals isn't racist. It is providing important information about the event. Why is race important? When one individual is attacked by a large group of individuals of a different race it does raise the possibility of that attack being motivated by racial hatred.

Triggering Lightning Using Rockets & Copper Wire

Photo: Triggered Lightning*


Using Rockets To Trigger Lightning

The University of Florida conducts lightning research out of Camp Blanding by shooting small rockets into clouds which are just on the verge of lightning generation. The rockets carry a long copper guide wire which acts as a "leader". The leader triggers lightning (skyward), and return strokes (groundward).
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Photo: Vaporized Guide Wire*
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If only this unclassified triggered lightning research project could:

1. Seed clouds to increase their lightning generating capacity
2. Fly above clouds instead of waiting for a cloud to reach its ground based rockets.
3. Use radio waves, microwaves, laser beams, and particle beams to prepare clouds.
4. Trigger lightning bolts using lasers, or even high velocity jets of carbon filament.

One can only wonder what a well financed covert project could accomplish if given decades to develop technologies necessary to generate lightning strikes.

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Questions

1. Where would a covert program test this type of technology - field or lab?
2. Would testing take place in a clear blue sky, or during a thunderstorm?
3. Would conventional aircraft, or stealth aircraft be used?

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Image Source: http://skydiary.com/gallery/chase2002/chase2002g.html
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Now A Word About Triggered Lightning From SPIE

The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) has an interesting article on triggered lightning. Note that infrared, and ultraviolet laser beams can not be seen by the unaided eye. Only the resultant bolt of triggered lightning can be seen.


Image: Not a very good illustration*

SPIE Excerpt:

Therefore, researchers (mostly funded by electric companies) would like to devise a method to trigger lighting and guide the discharge to harmless spots. In the March 1999 issue of Journal of Optical Technology, researcher Jens Schwarz at the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque) explained the process: "The idea is that the laser light creates a conducting path between the cloud and the ground, triggering the lightning discharge."

Groups in Japan, Russia, and the U.S. are using different laser wavelengths and powers to create conductive paths between the ground and thunderclouds. Most of the work is still laboratory based, but one group in Japan reported successfully triggering two lightning strikes using their laser system.² Shigeaki Uchida and colleagues at Osaka University in Japan, appear to have initiated the lightning strikes during field experiments on the shore of the Sea of Japan.

During thunderstorms, a large electrical field between the ground and clouds develops. High conducting points, such as the tops of towers built specifically to draw lightning, are usually surrounded by a corona discharge. When this discharge is quenched (such as when there is an abrupt change in the field under the clouds), an electrical leader starts from the top of the tower. If this occurs when the clouds are beginning to discharge, this leader initiates a lightning strike. By using laser beams to create plasma channels at the tops of the towers, Ushida's group has, to the best of their knowledge, reported the first laser-plasma-triggered lightning.

More

The group of researchers in New Mexico that Schwarz works with use 248-nm UV lasers, rather than the combination of IR and UV beams. This method is expected to have the benefit of allowing much lower powers to be used -- tenths of a joule rather than hundreds or thousands of joules per pulse. Even when using these low energies, the very short pulses (about 500 fs) cause very high peak powers; at the moment, peak powers of 20 GW are being used for lab tests.

In the atmosphere, the ionizing power is leveraged. Schwarz said, "The UV beam creates a path of electrons that can move in the ambient electric field (the one between cloud and ground) and multiply via avalanche ionization."

In addition to studying the properties of air under the influence of intense laser beams and plasmas, the New Mexico group is primarily focused on two main areas: improving the laser system (by increasing the reliability and power), and making a more portable system, which will be useful for field experiments.

My Take

The material above is conveying a story about non classified research, but one can only wonder about what must be happening in the world of black-ops.

What could a well financed covert operation develop if given decades to advance such technology? What would happen if such technology were placed on board stealth aircraft, or stealth UAVs, and then flown into inclement weather? Could weather be covertly modified? Could a laser triggered particle beam weapon be developed?

Remember this?

MOTIVE
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MEANS
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OPPORTUNITY
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Who, or what has the motive, the means, and the opportunity to develop technology capable of triggering lightning?

According to the article above electric companies do.

Would the U.S. Defense, and intelligence community possess the motive, means, and opportunity to covertly develop technology to trigger lightning?
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I posted the following material several months ago. This seems to suggest that a motive exist.
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Weather as a Force Multiplier:
Owning the Weather in 2025

A Research Paper
Presented To
Air Force 2025

by

Col Tamzy J. House
Lt Col James B. Near, Jr.
LTC William B. Sheilds (USA)
Maj Ronald J. Celentano
Maj David M Husband
Maj Ann E. Mercer
Maj James E. Pugh

August 1996

Some Excerpts:

Page 15: "If this UAV technology were combined with stealth and carbon dust technologies, the result could be a UAV aircraft invisible to radar while en route to the targeted area, which could spontaneously create carbon dust in any location".

Page 19: " One area of storm research that would significantly benefit military operations is lighning modification. Most research efforts that would significantly benefit military operations is in lightning modification. Most research efforts are being conducted to develop techniques to lessen the occurrence or hazards associated with lightning. This is important research for military operations and resource protection, but some offensive military benefit could be obtained by doing research on increasing the potential and intensity of lightning. Concepts to explore include increasing the basic efficiency of the thunderstorm, stimulating the triggering mechanism that initiates the bolt, and triggering lightning such as that which struck Apollo 12 in 1968. Possible mechanisms to investigate would be ways to modify the electropotential characteristics over certain targets to induce lightning strikes on the desired targets as the storm passes over their location".

Here's an Air Force PDF version of the document.
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*Image used above is not mine. It was used without permission from the SPIE website.
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We Can See Your Heart Beating

DARPA: RADAR Is Used To Create 3D "X-Ray" Maps Of Urban Area


Revealing State Secrets In A Secretless Society

In several of my previous post I've claimed that an extensive program of domestic surveillance predates 9-11 by several decades. I've claimed that the NSA, and CIA, has used the cover which thunderstorms provide to:

• Develop particle beam weapons (artificial lightning generators)
• Photograph urban areas using superbright strobes from low altitudes
• Develop SONAR systems using sonic booms (i.e., thunder)
• Develop EMP weapons
• Develop Anti Ballistic Missile High Energy Weapons
• Develop RADAR spoofing technology
  
• Develop Weather Modification Technology and Methods

In this post we'll exam how lightning is used to play cover for the testing, and development of unconventional forms of RADAR which are used to scan the interiors of buildings.

Lightning emits visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet light, radio waves, gamma particles, electro-magnetic pulses, and XRAYs. The ability to generate artificial lightning from within a thunderstorm would therefore allow for the creation of powerful burst of light (seen and not seen), radio waves, electromagnetic pulses, gamma particles, and XRAYs in close proximity to American cities for extended periods. Most importantly this could be done in a covert fashion.

Unpiloted Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with particle beam generators (artificial lightning) could be designed to generate short burst of XRAYs (or Microwaves, and other Radio Frequencies). Other UAVs could be equipped with XRAY (or RF) sensors. These UAVs could be used in tandem to scan building exteriors, and interiors.

Several UAVs working together during the course of a thunderstorm could be used to scan an entire city.

Digital Information Obtained would include:

• High resolution low-altitude strobe-enhanced images (visual range).
• High resolution infrared, and ultraviolet strobe-enhanced images.
• Thunder-SONARGrams of exteriors & interiors of buildings.
• Thunder-SONARGrams of underground structures, tunnels and mines.
• EM signatures of electrical, computing, and communication grids.
• RADAR, and Reflected Radio Frequency mapping data.

Such information would be fused into three dimensional high resolution maps.


The Role Of Lightning As Cover - Winning War In The 21st Century

Lightning is still considered by the official mainstream scientific community to be a profoundly mysterious process (this in the age of particle beam accelerators), and so a great variety of EM & RF frequencies could be covertly transmitted in burst simultaneously with lightning generation. Not only would the scientific community not be looking for such artificial transmissions during a thunderstorm, but due to the "profoundly mysterious nature of lightning" it would most likely be labeled as yet another mystery of lightning be studied one day in the future.

The general population would be completely oblivious that they were deliberately being treated to additional forms of radiation on a periodic basis.

It is the perception of lightning as an act of nature which allows it to be exploited in such an incredible number of ways over such a long period of time (decades). The thunderstorm is the greatest real time intelligence gathering, and weapons development platform in the history of humankind.


XRAY VISION - It's Not Just For Superman Anymore.

This post includes images obtained from DARPA. The images have been included to illustrate the type of research, and development which is being conducted in the area of urban surveillance (although particle beam generators are never mentioned). The goal of the research reviewed is the development of scanning technology which will enable a type of XRAY VISION based upon RADAR, and radio wave detection.

Every home is bombarded with radio waves from RADAR stations, radio stations, television transmitters, and cell phones (to name just a few). In the past these sources of radio waves were considered spurious, but with increased computational power put to the task of the retracing such "multipath" radiation sources "seeing through walls" is believed to be possible.

Please surf to the DARPA presentation (see link below), and read the associated research proposal. At no point is the ability to develop such a technology questioned - it is considered just a matter of effort (no scientific reason why it won't be developed). Also, at no point are ethical concerns raised about what such technology in the wrong hands (or even in the right hands) will have for society.

Already rudimentary forms of XRAY VISION are being introduced for use in the military. This includes the RADAR FLASHLIGHT which was just introduced for use in Iraq. Soldiers place the flashlight near a wall while the device listens for breathing, and even heartbeats on the other side. No matter how quite a person remains that person can be detected even from behind concrete walls!

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DARPA: RADAR "Flashlight" Detects Heatbeats Up To Fifty Feet Behind Walls


NSA's MOM - The Mother of All Maps.

The ultimate goal, which I believe has already been attained is to develop technology which can scan the contents of most buildings - a type of XRAY Vision (similar to what one might see on an episode of StarTrek). The long term goal behind the deployment of such a surveillance system would be to gather data for the creation of a high resolution three dimensional digital map of the entire United States. The map would include interiors, as well as exteriors of buildins. Information would be obtained from a multitude of sources, and would need constant updating. The map would be available for counter terrorism units at Homeland Security, the FBI, and CIA. It would also be available for the U.S. military, and would be created by, and maintained by the NSA.

The full range, resolution, and scope of the map would be held as a closely guarded secret, and even those making use of it from within other agencies wouldn't have complete access.

The map would never be a "finished product", but would always be a work in progress. Most information on the map would be available elsewhere, but drawing all data points together would take incredible computational, and archival power (rivaling Google) which would demand a huge very well funded covert facility (most likely driven by CISCO). This all suggest NSA must be the keeper of the map.
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DARPA: Recently Deployed Hand Held RADAR Scope


Why Surveillance On This Level - The Atomic Bomb.

This national high resolution surveillance program would rescan as much of the United States as possible on a continual basis. A central goal would be to detect atomic weapons, but many other weapons, and adversaries would be targeted as well. Since high resolution images would be archived they could be used at a later date should they need to be retrieved (for example after a terrorist incident).

Imagine being able to peer into the home of a known terrorist months before the terrorist acted. What might one see? Huge archives of digital imagery probably exist. Some archives are probably held for years, others only months, or weeks.



DARPA: Vehicles With "XRay Vision" RADAR Scan Inside Urban Dwellings


The Implications For A Free Society - Less Privacy.

Certainly the implications are great for any free society when a branch of its government already exercises domestic spying on such a level.

To what extent the concept of personal privacy will be redefined in coming years is the question. While national security rest squarely on the ability to collect accurate, and timely information about those who threaten it, it is equally true that an all knowing government presents the greatest threat to a free society.

Certainly it can be argued that whether or not such a capability exist today, or a decade from now those methods, and technologies which are being developed for the war on terror will have a dramatic effect upon society. America has been a nation which fiercely defended its freedom, and privacy. It will be interesting to see how much privacy its citizens are willing to relinquish in the name of freedom.

Knowing that their government scans the interiors of their homes on a regular basis may not concern the average American, but it will certainly concern those worried about the incredible growth of the powers of the state versus that of the citizenry.


"The price of freedom is vigilance, but freedom from vigilance is priceless."
- JeromeProphet-

LINKS:
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DARPA Link

XRay Vision.


About the images: I modified the first two DARPA images by enhancing color and contrast. Surf to the sites listed to find source of images.

Ban Carry On Luggage!

Forgotten KISS Foils Mass Murder Over Atlantic

If the terror cells involved in the recently revealed plot to bring down ten airliners flying from Britain to the U.S. had only kept it simple, and stupid (KISS) they most likely would have succeeded. A smaller cell with fewer outside connections choosing to bring down fewer aircraft might still succeed - and soon!


Greed & Corruption An Obstacle To The Solution

Why do airline companies still allow onboard luggage? They do so because they want to keep passengers happy. Congress, and the Executive Branch are so utterly corrupt that even after 9-11 they yielded to the airline industry lobby, and have never passed a long overdue ban on carry on luggage.


Solution Expensive But Effective

Installing laptops, and cell phones on the back of every airline seat will allow passengers to surf the Internet, watch movies, listen to music, make phone calls, send and fetch email, play video games, use chat services, shop online, and even work while inflight. Airlines have an opportunity to keep passengers more connected, better informed, and better entertained, while simultaneously keeping passengers safer than ever before.

If carry on luggage is banned the airline companies would be expected to provide:

• Food, and beverages.
• Diapers, baby food, and baby formula.
• Common over the counter remedies.
• A bombproof stow for medicines brought onboard.
• Other items which passengers may need.

Airports would be expected to replace lost luggage, and contents (within reason) on the spot. There is a trade off of convenience, and cheaper airline tickets in the bid to gain greater security, but it is a trade most would agree to make.

In the long run banning carry on luggage will better secure the industry from devastating terrorist incidents which have rocked the industry in the past. If terrorist had been able to blow up ten aircraft, and thousands of lives had been lost in the process the cost to the airline industry would have been enormous. There is little doubt that industry executives would have rushed to Congress, and the White House in an attempt to "save the industry" by securing federal handouts in the billions of dollars. This simply can not be the way society deals with terrorism. Taxpayers must pry their corrupt representatives fingers out of lobbyist pockets long enough to pass legislation which will force the airlines to increase security at airports, and in the skies. Banning carry on luggage is a necessary first step.

Am I the only one to wonder how it is possible that five years after 9-11 that we have to worry about terrorist blowing up aircraft with sports drinks?

Is anyone else as disgusted with this as much as I am?

The Roman Catholic Sin of Contraception?

I had an opportunity to visit Blessed Sacrament Church recently, and picked up a church bulletin - the kind they give out on Sundays.

I'd read about the increasing numbers of baby boomers "returning to the church", but not exactly on the church's terms. Baby boomers while returning to church service are far less likely to agree with those in charge than in the past. Yet the desire to reconnect is real, and so the rise in attendance.

Would I ever go back?

I began skimming through the bulletin when I discovered a two page article on the evils of contraception.

No folks we're not discussing abortion, but contraception (i.e., the big bad birth control pill). Seems that the birth control pill is responsible for: Divorce, Child Abuse, Marital Infidelity, Sex Addiction, the dehumanization of women, Genocide, and exploitation of the developing nations at the hands of the U.N.

Not only that but the birth control pill has led to men not seeing their wives as sacred creators of life - just sex devices. The birth control pill has led to the destruction of the connection between women, and their true spirituality.

As I read this anti-contraception propaganda I recalled how I always felt whenever I would watch snippets of news on Pope John Paul II when he would visit some poor nation. He'd always include in his pontifications to the masses that birth control was sinful. I always felt it was insane that anyone would encourage starvation, and poverty by preaching to poor people about the evils of birth control.

After reading that utter nonsense about the evils of the birth control pill I'm more convinced than ever that I made the right decision years ago to stop attending Mass.

Yes, being raised Catholic makes it almost impossible for me not to feel guilt in saying anything critical of the church, but the fact is the Catholic Church needs to reform.

I know that studies show that the vast majority of Catholics in the U.S. don't agree with Rome's stance on birth control, but it is really sad to see all the resources being wasted by the church in its attempt to convince people that using the birth control pill is sinful.

My BSS Roll Call

Dave, of The11thhour posted his BSS Role Call inspired by a Blessed Sacrament School related post by thirtywhat - so being a big copy cat I'm doing likewise:

• Mrs. Heckler (K)
• Sister Marie (1)
• Extremely nice woman (not a nun) (2)
• Sister Francetta (3)
• Mrs. Lockmiller (4)
• Mrs. Thread (5)
• Mrs Curtin (6)
• Mrs. Larson (7)
• Mr. Shriner (8)

Note: 7th, and 8th may be in reverse order - spent a great deal of time in each class during those two years. Dave, any ideas?

Dairy Queen on Macarthur Destroyed

On the way home last Friday evening I noticed that the Dairy Queen on South Macarthur Blvd has been destroyed. Its remains still lay scattered about within the confines of some do not cross tape as of Monday evening.

I took some photographs, which I may post soon. Not much to look at really. I very much wanted that little business to return. I guess it's just another part of Springfield, Illinois history now.

Who mourns for the DQ?

I do!

That's who!

David's Mother

I spoke with Dave of the11thhour tonight. His mother passed this morning after a long struggle with cancer. Two years ago she came very close to dying, but rebounded. She spent the last two years living life to the fullest by celebrating her faith, enjoying time with her family and friends, travelling, teaching, and helping others. Essentially she lived life the way we all know that we should - treating it as a sacred gift. That was perhaps her most consistent lesson.

This morning when I read Dave's blog post relating the news of his mother's departure I felt very sad. I was at work, and I had to deal with clients all day, and could not mourn for this woman who had played the role of second mother to me. I found it difficult to concentrate. Finally, on the way home from work the sadness found release - but not total.

My mother passed away two years ago, and the sadness that met that occassion revisited me - mixing with the pain I was feeling about David's mother leaving us.

When I finally came home I spoke with my spouse, and drank two beers. I made a choice that I would not drink any more than two, as I did not want to drown out my grief with alcohol.

The sense of depression was much allievated after talking with Dave. In fact that conversation is the reason I can go to sleep tonight - without drinking the remaining beers in the fridge.

I hate death, sickness, and suffering. I can imagine people like Hitler, or Osama Bin Laden deserve to meet up with illness, and death, but I just don't feel that it's fair that good people should have to be taken from us.

Human beings probably don't deserve immortality, but I believe for most people living to fifty years of age, or even a hundred and twenty years just isn't enough. There's so much to learn, so much to grow, so much to experience that there's no way to take it all in during the short lifespan we human beings allowed.

What do we do knowing there's so little time? Do we ignore death for as long as possible, or do we embrace it, and accept the lesson it teaches us? Do we waste the time we have, or use it as fully as possible?

Dave's mother lived a good life, and played the teaching role many times over many decades to many people. In the end, in those last years, in those last days, even in those last moments, she taught her family and friends the importance of living each moment to the fullest.

I'll always remember her, and always have a place for her in my heart.

Au Revior

Transdimensional Ego Archive

Transdimensional Ego Archive

The ultimate question in determining the likelihood of transdimensional access to the human ego is whether technology has, or could ever be developed which would enable the detection, recording, and interpretation of brainwaves though the employment of nanoscale cybernetic brain implants, use of tachyonics, or through a possible combination of each.
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Springfield Illinois Hot As Hell

Some would say the comparison shouldn't stop there.

Last Day of July 2006

While I hate the electric bill, and don't really like walking around in the heat now-a-days there's something about a stretch of hot summer days which so overwhelmingly reminds me of my childhood that I must admit it - I like it.

As a child I remember those hot summer days when the road asphalt would bubble, and stick to my heels. Playing without shoes was o.k., but mom would get mad when I'd come in with the bottoms of my feet covered in road tar.

I recall Mr. Softy - the icecream man ringing his bell. Boy I'd run back to my mother, and beg for some change!

I remember when after hours of playing in the hot sun I'd race to my pals to the nearest water spigget. We'd all race as fast as we could to see who could get to the water faucet first. If you didn't get there first you'd have to wait, and wait, and wait for your turn. If you won the race you'd slurp down that water, and relish the fact that you were making your friends suffer.

Boy that water tasted better than anything else in the world as you'd gulp it down! Each gulp was more like breathing the water rather than drinking it. You'd drink so fast that you'd almost forget to catch your breath.

Your brain would be bursting from the heat, yet simultaneously send you into an altered state of pure juvenile pleasure over simple H2O. Ah the simple things are the best. The cold water tasted so good it really did.

Eventually, and it was probably only seconds, it just felt much longer, your buddies would pull you off of the water to get their chance.

Don't drink too much of that now! It will make you sick!
Make sure to turn the tap off when you're finished!
Would come the call.

Moms stayed home back then - well not always, but more often than now.
Always there to offer some motherly advice, or to offer a fresh made white bread sandwich.

Then there was airconditioning!
Out playing all day in the heat of summer, and you'd run inside to get something.
Oh my what an experience. From hot to cold in a second flat.
This was especially intense if you were swimming, and came inside the ice cold house.
Shivvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr!

And summer nights when the AC would be blasting, and the fans would be chilling.
Somehow those times seem more real to me.

The heat.
The cold.
The blaring sun.

Did I mention sun burns.
Yes, sunburns before anyone thought of cancer.

Summers then lasted for a million years.
Those are the days we all remember.

A Word from Big Oil - It's All In the Graph

Graph: Paleoclimatologist Michael Mann's "Hockey Stick" graph

The Oil, Coal, Auto, and Nuclear Industry lobby appears to control the House Sub Committee on Energy and Commerce. Joe Barton R-TX is the committee chairman, and if you visit the committee website you'll find all the anti-global warming propaganda you'd ever need to convince yourself that Global Warming is just the result of one giant misunderstanding.

The following article taken right off our tax dollar financed website is a reprint of an editorial published in The Wall Street Journal. The editorial was based on "studies" conducted by "independent statisticians", and submitted to the Sub Committee last week.

No attempt is made, by the editor, to refute the validity of the data used by paleoclimatologist Michael Mann. The world is getting warmer, and the evidence collected by scientist world wide is beyond the ability of a cadre of "independent statisticians", and congressmen to make go away. Instead the "independent statisticians" are used to refute a graph produced by Michael Mann!

Even more amazing is how these "independent statisticians" were employed to analyze the entire worldwide community of climatologist - using a statistical model! Through a statistical model they conclude that climatologist are politically committed to the idea of global warming, and that they won't expose errors they discover a peer has made if it refutes the global warming myth.

Amazing, I guess the Big Oil, and Big Coal were right all along!

Single handedly these "independent statisticians" manage to cast doubt upon the entire world community of climate scientist!

Conservative Reality teaches us that liberal scientist are to blame, and Global Warming is just a figment of well - those darned climatologist's imaginations!

The Wall Street Journal editorial:
Hockey Stick Hokum

July 14, 2006; Page A12

It is routine these days to read in newspapers or hear -- almost anywhere the subject of climate change comes up -- that the 1990s were the "warmest decade in a millennium" and that 1998 was the warmest year in the last 1,000.

This assertion has become so accepted that it is often recited without qualification, and even without giving a source for the "fact." But a report soon to be released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee by three independent statisticians underlines yet again just how shaky this "consensus" view is, and how recent its vintage.

The claim originates from a 1999 paper by paleoclimatologist Michael Mann. Prior to Mr. Mann's work, the accepted view, as embodied in the U.N.'s 1990 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was that the world had undergone a warming period in the Middle Ages, followed by a mid-millennium cold spell and a subsequent warming period -- the current one. That consensus, as shown in the first of the two IPCC-provided graphs nearby, held that the Medieval warm period was considerably warmer than the present day. Mr. Mann's 1999 paper eliminated the Medieval warm period from the history books, with the result being the bottom graph you see here. It's a man-made global-warming evangelist's dream, with a nice, steady temperature oscillation that persists for centuries followed by a dramatic climb over the past century. In 2001, the IPCC replaced the first graph with the second in its third report on climate change, and since then it has cropped up all over the place. Al Gore uses it in his movie.

The trouble is that there's no reason to believe that Mr. Mann, or his "hockey stick" graph of global temperature changes, is right. Questions were raised about Mr. Mann's paper almost as soon as it was published. In 2003, two Canadians, Ross McKitrick and Steven McIntyre, published an article in a peer-reviewed journal showing that Mr. Mann's methodology could produce hockey sticks from even random, trendless data.

The report commissioned by the House Energy Committee, due to be released today, backs up and reinforces that conclusion. The three researchers -- Edward J. Wegman of George Mason University, David W. Scott of Rice University and Yasmin H. Said of Johns Hopkins University -- are not climatologists; they're statisticians. Their task was to look at Mr. Mann's methods from a statistical perspective and assess their validity. Their conclusion is that Mr. Mann's papers are plagued by basic statistical errors that call his conclusions into doubt. Further, Professor Wegman's report upholds the finding of Messrs. McIntyre and McKitrick that Mr. Mann's methodology is biased toward producing "hockey stick" shaped graphs.

Mr. Wegman and his co-authors are careful to point out that doubts about temperatures in the early part of the millennium do not call into question more-recent temperature increases. But as you can see looking at these two charts, it's all about context. In the first, the present falls easily within a range of natural historical variation. The bottom chart looks alarming and discontinuous with the past, which is why global-warming alarmists have adopted it so eagerly.

In addition to debunking the hockey stick, Mr. Wegman goes a step further in his report, attempting to answer why Mr. Mann's mistakes were not exposed by his fellow climatologists. Instead, it fell to two outsiders, Messrs. McIntyre and McKitrick, to uncover the errors.

Mr. Wegman brings to bear a technique called social-network analysis to examine the community of climate researchers. His conclusion is that the coterie of most frequently published climatologists is so insular and close-knit that no effective independent review of the work of Mr. Mann is likely. "As analyzed in our social network," Mr. Wegman writes, "there is a tightly knit group of individuals who passionately believe in their thesis." He continues: "However, our perception is that this group has a self-reinforcing feedback mechanism and, moreover, the work has been sufficiently politicized that they can hardly reassess their public positions without losing credibility."

In other words, climate research often more closely resembles a mutual-admiration society than a competitive and open-minded search for scientific knowledge. And Mr. Wegman's social-network graphs suggest that Mr. Mann himself -- and his hockey stick -- is at the center of that network.

Mr. Wegman's report was initially requested by the House Energy Committee because some lawmakers were concerned that major decisions about our economy could be made on the basis of the dubious research embodied in the hockey stick. Some of the more partisan scientists and journalists howled that this was an attempt at intimidation. But as Mr. Wegman's paper shows, Congress was right to worry; his conclusions make "consensus" look more like group-think. And the dismissive reaction of the climate-research establishment to the McIntyre-McKitrick critique of the hockey stick confirms that impression.

For an NPR audio report on the hearing click here.

Adding Pam Furr Link To Blogroll

Tolerance of Diversity and Inclusion

I've added a link to Pam Furr's Blog on my blogroll. I have noticed over the last few days of checking that she's adding content.

Pam mentioned this blog Monday Morning on her radio talkshow. While we will never agree on everything that fact does not reduce my respect for her as a person.

Constructive Engagement

I've said it before, and I'll say it again I listen to Pam Furr's show every work day morning for at least part of her broadcast. I've tried turning the dial away from her show only to find myself falling asleep at the wheel. I guess you could say I'm a fan.

I'll continue to call em as I see em. From the President to Pam Furr this blog won't hold any punches. In the meantime I invite my readers to surf over to Pam Furr's blog for some interesting reading.

Note: If you're reading this Mr. Leach it is time to start posting to your long neglected blog again!

Pride in the Service of the Fatherland?

Photo: Warsaw Ghetto Child

NAZI Germany was not a nation to love either then or now. There is no justification for what Germany did to the people of the world.

NAZI Germany no longer exist for a very good reason - like a mad dog it had to be destroyed. No one should feel pride for having served that nation.

A Quick Read On Stem Cells

Image: One Week Old Embyro With Stem Cells

I'm using without permission some copyrighted material from the University of Wisconsin. It is for scientific purposes only, and would be allowable for reposting under copyright freeuse rules.

Embryonic Stem Cell Fact Sheet

November 5, 1998

by Terry Devitt

What are embryonic stem cells?
All embryonic stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are unlike any specific adult cell. However, they have the ability to form any adult cell. Because undifferentiated embryonic stem cells can proliferate indefinitely in culture, they could potentially provide an unlimited source of specific, clinically important adult cells such as bone, muscle, liver or blood cells.

Where do embryonic stem cells come from?
Human embryonic stem cells are derived from in vitro fertilized embryos less than a week old. These embryos were produced for clinical purposes, but were no longer wanted for implantation by the couples who donated them. They were donated specially for this project with the informed consent of donors. In virtually every in vitro fertilization clinic in the world, surplus embryos are discarded if they are not donated to help other infertile couples or for research. The research protocols were reviewed and approved by a UW-Madison Institutional Review Board, a panel of scientists and medical ethicists who oversee such work.

Why are they important?
Embryonic stem cells are of great interest to medicine and science because of their ability to develop into virtually any other cell made by the human body. In theory, if stem cells can be grown and their development directed in culture, it would be possible to grow cells of medical importance such as bone marrow, neural tissue or muscle.

What, precisely, has the UW team accomplished?
Scientists have been attempting to isolate and culture human embryonic stem cells for more than a decade. Using 14 blastocysts obtained from donated, surplus embryos produced by in vitro fertilization, the Wisconsin group established five independent cell lines. The cell lines, derived from preimplantation stage embryos, were capable of prolonged, undifferentiated proliferation in culture and yet maintained the ability to develop into a variety of specific cell types, including neural, gut, muscle, bone and cartilage cells.

How might they be used to treat disease?
The ability to grow human tissue of all kinds opens the door to treating a range of cell-based diseases and to growing medically important tissues that can be used for transplantation purposes. For example, diseases like juvenile onset diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease occur because of defects in one of just a few cells types. Replacing faulty cells with healthy ones offers hope of lifelong treatment. Similarly, failing hearts and other organs, in theory, could be shored up by injecting healthy cells to replace damaged or diseased cells.

Are there other potential uses for these cells?
The first potential applications of human embryonic stem cell technology may be in the area of drug discovery. The ability to grow pure populations of specific cell types offers a proving ground for chemical compounds that may have medical importance. Treating specific cell types with chemicals and measuring their response offers a short-cut to sort out chemicals that can be used to treat the diseases that involve those specific cell types. Ramped up stem cell technology would permit the rapid screening of hundreds of thousands of chemicals that must now be tested through much more time-consuming processes.

What can these cells tell us about development?
The earliest stages of human development have been difficult or impossible to study. Human embryonic stem cells will offer insights into developmental events that cannot be studied directly in humans in utero or fully understood through the use of animal models. Understanding the events that occur at the first stages of development has potential clinical significance for preventing or treating birth defects, infertility and pregnancy loss. A thorough knowledge of normal development could ultimately allow the prevention or treatment of abnormal human development. For instance, screening drugs by testing them on cultured human embryonic stem cells could help reduce the risk of drug-related birth defects.

If a cluster of these cells was transferred to a woman, could a pregnancy result?
No. These cells are not the equivalent of an intact embryo. If a cluster of these cells was transferred to a uterus, they would fail to implant, and would fail to develop into a fetus.

Is stem cell research the same as cloning?
No. Stem cell research aims to develop new life-saving treatments, and cannot be used to develop a human being. Embryonic stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early-stage embryo cannot give rise to a placenta, so a human being could not develop, even if the stem cells were implanted into a woman's uterus.

Why not derive stem cells from adults?
There are several approaches now in human clinical trials that utilize mature stem cells (such as blood-forming cells, neuron-forming cells and cartilage-forming cells). However, because adult cells are already specialized, their potential to regenerate damaged tissue is very limited: skin cells will only become skin and cartilage cells will only become cartilage. Adults do not have stem cells in many vital organs, so when those tissues are damaged, scar tissue develops. Only embryonic stem cells, which have the capacity to become any kind of human tissue, have the potential to repair vital organs.

Studies of adult stem cells are important and will provide valuable insights into the use of stem cell in transplantation procedures. However, only through exploration of all types of stem cell research will scientists find the most efficient and effective ways to treat diseases.

What are the benefits of studying stem cells?
Pluripotent stem cells represent hope for millions of Americans. They have the potential to treat or cure a myriad of diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, spinal cord injuries and burns.

This extraordinary research is still in its infancy and practical application will only be possible with additional study. Scientists need to understand what leads cells to specialization in order to direct cells to become particular types of tissue. For example, islet cells control insulin production in the pancreas, which is disrupted in people with diabetes. If an individual with diabetes is to be cured, the stem cells used for treatment must develop into new insulin-producing islet cells, not heart tissue or other cells. Research is required to determine how to control the differentiation of stem cells so they will be therapeutically effective. Research is also necessary to study the potential of immune rejection of the Cells, and how to overcome that problem.

© 2005 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Image Credit: Microscopic 20x view of a colony of undifferentiated human embryonic stems cells. Photo used with permission, courtesy of University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.