Blog

Mystery buyer snaps up dusty California ghost town for $22.5million complete with abandoned bowling alley and café which housed prisoners until a deadly riot broke out during the 2003 World Series

A ghost town in California‘s desert has been purchased by a mysterious buyer for a cool $22.5million.

Eagle Mountain, a once-thriving community that sits on the border of California’s Joshua Tree National Park, was recently purchased by a company named Ecology Mountain Holdings.

Not much public information is out there about the company, aside from its Cerritos, California, business address.

According to SFGATE, the company is associated with Ecology Transportation Services, a company known for its red big rigs – the front part of a tractor-trailer.

The town was purchased from a company in Ontario, California, called Eagle Mountain Acquisition LLC, which was apparently the last of various Kaiser subsidiaries to own the town in the last 40 years.

Eagle Mountain was last a thriving company town in 1983, when the bulk of the area’s population worked for the Kaiser Steel mine.

The once-prosperous town was a bustling community with homes, businesses and a high school.

The decline of Eagle Mountain began in the 1970s with staffing cuts at Kaiser that eventually led to its closure four-decades ago.

Following the mine’s decline, Eagle Mountain became home to a doomed low-security prison called the Eagle Mountain Community Correctional Facility, which opened in 1988.

The town’s former bowling alley, café and other buildings housed 438 inmates who were serving time for parole violations and other nonviolent offenses.

The private prison promoted career development for inmates and reducing recidivism rates. In 1992, the Press-Enterprise wrote of the prison that it brought ‘a ghost town back to life.’

In October 2003, a riot occurred while inmates watched the World Series in the prison’s recreation room. Two inmates died and eight were later charged with murder.

Keep reading

New Democrat Bill Calls For A Federal Agency To Create “Behavioral Codes,” Introduce “Disinformation Experts”

On May 18, two US senators introduced the Digital Platform Commission Act of 2023, a bill that seeks to give powers to a new federal agency that will set up a council to regulate AI, in the context of social platforms.

More precisely, the new body – the Federal Digital Platform Commission – would “rule” on what’s termed as enforceable “behavioral codes,” and among those staffing it will be “disinformation experts.”

The move by the two Democratic senators – Michael Bennet and Peter Welch – seems to have come in concert with congressional testimony delivered by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, since the bill was presented shortly afterwards, and backs Altman’s idea to form a new federal agency of the kind.

Altman had more thoughts on how all this should work – the new agency, according to him, might be given the power to restrict AI development via licenses or credentialing.

The speed with which the two senators picked up on this to announce their bill may owe to the fact Bennet “only” had to go back and update one he already introduced in 2022. This time around, the proposed legislation has been changed in a number of ways, most notably by redefining what a digital platform is.

The bill wants this definition to also cover those companies that provide content “primarily” generated by algorithmic processes. This is done by proposing that the future Commission be given the authority over how personal information is used in decision-making or content generation, which is thought to specifically refer to tech like ChatGPT.

Keep reading

Tohono O’odham man shot and killed by border patrol

A well respected member of the Tohono O’odham community has been gunned down by Border Patrol agents.

The man’s family is outraged and wants answers.

According to Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station were involved in a shooting that resulted in the death of a man.

A family member says the man was respected and loved.

One family who asked not to be identified, fought back tears as she told News 4 Tucson,

“I keep hearing the gunshots and I can’t get over it…Its very sad just to know who they were shooting at you know.”

She told News 4 Tucson she wanted people to know what happened to their loved one, Raymond Mattia.

According to another family member who also asked not to be identified, Mattia was shot and killed by Border patrol agents Thursday night. She said Mattia had called Border Patrol.

“He called to request for assistance because there were multiple illegal immigrants who had trespassed into his yard and he wanted assistance getting them out of his property.”

Keep reading

Bill Gates ‘Blackmailed’ By Jeffrey Epstein Over Affair With Russian Bridge Player

Remember when Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he ‘only had dinner’ with Jeffrey Epstein?

Turns out (ok, we’ve known for a while) that’s a total lie – as the two also had a Russian bridge player in common, Mila Antonova.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gates met Antonova in 2010 at a bridge competition, leading to an affair. Three years later, after Gates associate Boris Nikolic referred her to Jeffrey Epstein to help raise $500K for an online bridge business which failed to pan out, Epstein paid for her to attend coding classes.

In 2014, Antonova “stayed briefly at an apartment in New York City provided by Epstein” but claims not to have met with the guy who paid for her education.

Then in 2017, the pedophile financier allegedly blackmailed Gates over the affair – demanding in an email that the Microsoft co-founder to reimburse him for Antonova’s education. Given the de minimis amount involved for both men, Gates interpreted this 2017 email as threat to expose his 2010 affair.

So, poor boner-killer Bill was actually an Epstein victim all along, you see, and everyone interviewed for the report says they knew nothing about Epstein’s pedophile sex-trafficking operation and was ‘disgusted with what he did,’ etc.

Keep reading

Where The Most Death Penalties Are Carried Out

At least 883 people are known to have been put to death last year, according to Amnesty International’s annual review of the death penalty. However, as Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, the true number is likely far higher, as several countries do not publish accurate figures – including North Korea, Vietnam and Belarus.

In China, where numbers remain a state secret, thousands of people are believed to be executed and sentenced to death each year.

As Statista’s chart shows, Iran comes second only after China with at least 576 people known to have been executed in 2022, up 55 percent from the year.

The crimes behind these executions are mostly related to drugs and murder, while 18 were for moharebeh (enmity against God), which can be connected to the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini.

Amnesty International notes that Saudi Arabia also saw a significant increase in death sentences since 2020, rising from 27 to a record high of 196 deaths, 83 of whom were executed for terrorism-related crimes. In total, 55 countries still have the death penalty, 20 of which recorded executions in 2022.

In the U.S., 18 executions were recorded in 2022 across six jurisdictions. These were Alabama (2), Arizona (3), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), Oklahoma (5), and Texas (5). Meanwhile, there were 21 new death sentences recorded across 12 states. These included: Alabama (3), Arizona (1), California (2), Florida (5), Georgia (1), Louisiana (1), Mississippi (1), Missouri (1), North Carolina (2), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (1) and Texas (2).

Keep reading

Covid conspiracy doctor claimed he was ‘poisoned after interview’ just days before death

A notorious conspiracy theorist doctor, known for his wild takes on the Coronavirus pandemic, claimed he had been poisoned just a few days before he died.

Dr Rashid Buttar, who was part of the group nicknamed the “Disinformation dozen”, died suddenly yesterday (Saturday, May 20) at the age of 57.

He was known for being a huge anti-vaxxer and became a cult figure during the pandemic.

He went on record to claim that the Covid pandemic was made “planned” and “politically motivated”.

The British-born doctor, who spent most of his adult life in the United States, also claimed that “everyone who has had the vaccine would be dead by 2025.”

His theories and misinformation were so well-known that the Centre for Countering Digital Hate named him one of the top 12 people responsible for producing around 65% of all anti-vaccine content between 2020 and 2023.

However, he has now died just days after claiming he had been given a “poison” containing “200 times of what was in the vaccine.”

His cause of death has not been made public, nor has the reason he recently spent time in intensive care.

However, speaking to Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson earlier this month, a very skinny-looking Dr Buttar said: “I went through a very difficult personal health challenge a few months ago.

Keep reading

NEW RESEARCH REVEALS LSD’S MIND-ALTERING POWER TO ENHANCE LEARNING AND EXPLORATORY THINKING

Researchers report they have uncovered remarkable new effects of the potent psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on human cognition, according to findings detailed in a new study. 

Published in Psychological Medicine, the study sheds light on LSD’s ability to accelerate learning when coupled with feedback and promote exploratory behavior. 

Researchers say the findings may hold the key to unraveling the enigmatic cognitive mechanisms that underlie the potential therapeutic benefits of LSD. 

Many recent studies have shown LSD-assisted psychotherapy to offer promising results in treating mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Though LSD remains illegal in many countries when administered in a controlled setting under the guidance of a trained therapist, the psychedelic drug has shown the potential to enhance individuals’ capacity to explore and process challenging emotions and experiences. Studies have found that this process can often lead to profound insights and lasting breakthroughs in therapy.

Jonathan Kanen, the lead author of the study and a Gates Cambridge Scholar, postulates that the potential therapeutic effects of LSD may stem from the drug’s ability to foster new beneficial patterns of learning about the world by forming new mental associations. 

Keep reading

No jail time for axe-wielding black man who set Asian UC Berkeley students on fire with blowtorch

A California man found guilty of lighting UC Berkeley students on fire inside a boba tea shop in 2020 with a blowtorch has been released from custody and will avoid jail time, The Berkeley Scanner reports.

Brandon McGlone, 49, was referred to the Veterans Treatment Court and will be participating in a “diversion treatment” program as part of his plea deal, according to Alameda County Superior Court records.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who ran on “racial equity”, agreed to the plea deal after reaching an agreement with the public defender’s office, the outlet reports.

At a court hearing on April 28, Judge James Cramer said that all charges “will be dismissed” if McGlone succesfully completes the diversion program. According to The Berkeley Scanner, if McGlone does not complete the program he will be sent to prison for up to eight years.

“He must successfully engage in and complete whatever course of therapy is prescribed by the treatment team and abide by whatever conditions are set forth,” Judge Cramer said. “If he fails to do so, he could be terminated from the Veterans Treatment Court program and sentence will be imposed.”

On September 14, 2020, McGlone entered the Feng Cha Teahouse at 2528 Durant Ave and set two Asian men on fire after attempting to set fire to two others outside of the store, according to court documents.

Keep reading

He was an unwilling passenger in a high-speed chase. Police still seized his car.

Shortly after police used spike strips to end a high-speed chase on Interstate 90 last July, the owner of the car immediately began pleading his innocence to officers.

Dash camera and body camera video obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES shows Phouthong Thongvanh getting out of the passenger side with his hands up.

“I told him to stop! I was yelling at him, fighting with him in the car,” Thongvanh can be heard saying to a Worthington police officer in the body camera footage. 

While officers arrested the driver and another passenger, Thongvanh, 41, did not end up facing any criminal charges.

But police told him they were still taking his 2014 Nissan Altima.

“We’re seizing it now,” Officer Mark Riley can be heard saying in the body camera video. “It’s State of Minnesota’s.”

Thongvanh later said he did not immediately understand what police were telling him.

“I thought they were just taking it, like impounding it or something,” he said. “I didn’t think they were going to keep it.”

The Nobles County Attorney filed a civil action to permanently take Thongvanh’s car through the state’s controversial forfeiture process.

It’s an example of how police in Minnesota can still seize and keep the property of people even when they are not charged with a crime, despite recent reforms to help protect “innocent owners.”

Critics say it also reinforces concerns that the practice disproportionately impacts low-income communities and people of color, especially in Nobles County, which has been repeatedly accused of violating the civil rights of minorities.

“It’s those people who are hit the hardest when their car or a small amount of money is seized from them, and that can sometimes put their lives into a tailspin,” said Dan Alban, senior attorney with the nonprofit Institute for Justice.

Keep reading

Consumer Group Warns Smartphone Facial Recognition Apps Are Vulnerable to Spoofing

Smartphone face biometrics from many leading brands are vulnerable to spoof attacks with 2D photographs, according to a new report from UK-based consumer testing and review group Which?, according to Yahoo Finance UK.

The group says the vulnerability is “unacceptable,” and has “worrying implications” for user’s security.

On-device biometrics are used for device unlocking and local authentication, while KYC processes for customer onboarding and strong remote identity verification is typically carried out with server-side biometrics and other signals, with a layer of liveness or presentation attack detection.

The phones tested include Honor, Motorola, Nokia, Oppo, Samsung, Vivo and Xiaomi handsets. Apple’s 3D FaceID biometrics were not fooled by the photos. The devices tested range in price from £89.99 to nearly £1,000 (approximately US$112 to $1,244), but the majority of phones that failed the test are lower-cost or mid-range models.

Out of 48 new smartphone models tested, 60 percent were not vulnerable to spoofing with a photograph.

Keep reading