BellGab.com Archive

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Zodiac-340-cypher-cracked-by-code-expert-51-years-15794943.php

https://brobible.com/culture/article/nacho-vidal-toad-venom-arrest/

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32297/turkey-asks-america-to-send-patriot-missiles-to-its-border-as-its-troops-die-in-syria-airstrikes

BBC News - Jair Bolsonaro: 'Poop every other day' to protect the environment
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-49304358

BBC News - Missouri Walmart panic caused by armed man testing gun rights
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49303879


While this was incredibly stupid, how is it "terrorism?"  Assuming Missouri has open carry and he did not overtly threaten or point a gun at anyone, where is the criminal act?  YouTube is, or at least was, full of videos of idiots open carrying trying to provoke police.  Equally stupid, but again not against the law.

BBC News - Strait of Hormuz: US confirms drone shot down by Iran
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-48700965

A USN drone?  Could have been gathering target intel for a strike on Revolutionary Guard fast boat units involved in planting limpet mines on tankers.

As a minimum, cruise missile strike in the next few days?

BBC News - MH17: Four charged with shooting down plane over Ukraine
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48691488

If these guys had shot down an Israeli or Russian airliner, they'd be hunted down and killed.  What the Dutch are doing is mere theater, although a conviction, even in absentia, might give some degree of closure to the victims' loved ones

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/06/18/high-school-girl-who-lost-race-to-transgender-athletes-files-federal-complaint/

So if a 25 year old PhD age identifies as a 12 year old, should he/she be allowed to enter and win the National Spelling Bee?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/us/politics/trump-cyber-russia-grid.html?te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_20190616?campaign_id=9&instance_id=10250&segment_id=14345&user_id=350b77b300cb651a2e5a48d8ec57132f&regi_id=3561514520190616

Cyber warfare is poised to be the next WMD.  If you can take out an enemy's power grid with a computer on the other side of the world, the effects over time will be as devastating (at least in terms of human casualties) as NBC attacks.  The cost of establishing a cyber warfare capability for a smaller nation would be orders on magnitude cheaper than developing current WMDs.

Has anyone ever mentioned the possibility of creating a C2C/Noory board game? The easiest way to do it would be to base it on "Monopoly" like has been done multiple times with various themes.  Other option is to start with a clean slate and come up with a new game.  My first thought is two set of cards, similar to Monopoly's "Chance" and "Community Chest," but based on and labeled for specific "callers" and "guests."  (Ex--Bill from East Hartford forgets to mention he's an atheist, back three spaces.) I also like the idea of making the four player pieces based on frequent topics, maybe a flying saucer, Bigfoot, ghost, and TBD.

This is very doable.  Thoughts?

 [attachment=1,msg1284863] The last week or so I've been getting this alert when going to Bellgab.  Anyone seeing this?

Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria in response to rocket fire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44063022

If reports in the media are correct, this was a substantial series of attacks on Iranian military infrastructure in Syria. This could escalate quickly with potential big time consequences.

I think it's a safe bet we'll see a number of Art Bell biographies over the next few years.  Hopefully a few will be written by competent professionals, not just the woo woo hacks who have been the staple of C2C for so many years.  Someone like Kitty Kelley would certainly produce an interesting bio, or at least one that might finally explain some of the darker aspects of Bell's life.

Any recommendations on a free WiFi phone app for my tablet?  I'm looking for a backup number since cell coverage is very poor at my daughter's new, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere home. There are dozens of them at Play Store, but the handful I've downloaded (and quickly deleted) turn out to not be free as advertised.  Best so far looks to be one called "TextNow".   Suggestions?

I'd be tempted to go hear this loon speak, it's free and only a twenty minute drive.  The bad news is the event is being held at a fundamentalist church that will surely expect attendees to sign in and gives address, phone number, email, etc.  I could always go and sign in as Clem Fandango.

Hawaii sends out missile alert by mistake - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42677604

I think.

Anyone else watching this series?  After History's embarrassing Earhart program and disappointing DB Cooper series, I was a little skeptical but so far so good.  The series follows a couple of former law enforcement types as they retrace  the killer's history while at the same time a group of codebreakers work with a "super computer" to break the bizarre coded messages Zodiac included in his taunting letters to police and the media.  The codebreakers seem to be making progress, but the two investigators' efforts have led mostly to dead ends. 

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20171121-why-russia-is-sending-robotic-submarines-to-the-arctic

I happened across a podcast out of the UK called "Urban Fantasist" a few nights ago, it appears to be a hodgepodge of ghost stories, urban legends, superstitions etc.  One segment dealt with superstitions and old wives' tales and their  possible origins.  I thought it might be interesting to discuss such things, especially those you grew up with that might not be all that "break a mirror, seven years bad luck" common.  I'll start with a few:

1)  From the show I mentioned, they said sailors were superstitious about having bananas aboard their ships.  Must be a bummer to work on a banana boat. *Day-O*

2) Years ago I worked with an elderly black gentleman (from North Carolina) who told me when he was a youngster, it was a common belief that if you stubbed your toe, your would have trouble with "white folks".  When I asked if, from his experience, this was true, he said he tried to stay away from whites as much as he could in those days.

3)  When I was growing up, my parents and grandparents always told us eating fish and drinking milk together would poison us.  This belief is still apparently widespread in various parts of Appalachia and the Southern states.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/31/561139808/after-navy-rescue-of-sailors-adrift-at-sea-the-story-gets-stranger

Since they survived their ordeal, they are not eligible for a Darwin Award.  That fact notwithstanding, these women are morons.

Man held after shooting incident in New York - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41825577

More to come

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170809-the-accidental-invention-of-the-illuminati-conspiracy

Well written article with interesting historical content.  Doubt it will be embraced by some here, but still a good read.

I know there is a good bit of NFL discussion here, but is there enough interest to warrant a Bellgab college football thread?  Might even be fun to run a pick'em pool similar to what Eddie and Mud King do for the pros.  Having had some small experience in wagering on college football, I'd be willing to pick out a number of games per week, say twelve, with Vegas spreads for 'gabbers to pick against.  Any interest?

Bell convinced me to buy my Witness back in the early 2000s.   After many years of faithful service, it has finally given up the ghost.  At the time, there really wasn't a device on the market that offered the featured of the Witness, but how about now?  Anyone aware of a comparable product available,  preferably at a better price than the $150 Witness?

Curious if any of you watched this two hour investigative program last night, and if so, what were your thoughts?

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06/18/us-led-coalition-shoots-down-pro-assad-fighter-jets-after-attack-on-partner-forces.html

https://youtu.be/JHGgv6p7uVI

I'm offended.

http://ijr.com/2016/11/742222-the-us-military-just-sent-a-strong-message-to-any-other-terrorist-who-dares-to-target-a-recruiter/

Not a perfect answer, but at least commanders have the option of allowing concealed carry on DoD installations.  Unclear from reading the article if the directive applies only to active duty members, or if civilians with CCW permits are covered as well.  For three years I sat next to a support contractor who was a former SEAL.  I'd have felt more comfortable with him carrying a gun on base than any 19 year old sky cop fresh out of tech school.

Wreck of German U-boat found off coast of Stranraer - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-37691283