Bizarre: Cross a mere reflection? Or cause for genuflection?

Bizarre: Cross a mere reflection? Or cause for genuflection?: "Mere reflection? Or cause for genuflection?

By Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer
Published Friday, March 14, 2008 4:04 PM

APOLLO BEACH — The questions start shortly after sunrise, when the sun's rays strike a concrete dome at the Tampa Electric Co. plant.

Is it a cross? A star? A man wearing a robe?

Why does it seem to follow passers-by, as if watching them?

These and other questions have percolated in the minds of those who have experienced the TECO Sun Cross.

Fred Jacobsen, the chief archivist and videographer of the phenomenon, says the light in the morning might look like "a robed figure standing with outstretched arms."

The power company isn't conceding anything occult or spiritual in the concrete dome it completed at the southeast Hillsborough County plant in fall 2007. It's used as a place to remove ammonia from the ash of incinerated coal.

It's tempting to reduce all of the buzz about the cross to Jacobsen, 60, who moved to Apollo Beach four years ago from California. It was Jacobsen, after all, who coined the term "TECO Sun Cross" and posted a video of the dome from various angles on YouTube, with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah playing in the background. Jacobsen made a second video when he discovered a more full-bodied cross in the morning, one that includes the base.

And it's Jacobsen supplying four out of 10 comments on YouTube, countering skeptics with all of the things the star-shaped blob might represent.

But nearly 9,000 hits on his first video suggest Jacobsen is not alone.

As he thought about it and did more Internet searches, the possibilities exploded. Four directions. Four seasons. Four sacred obligations of the Zia Indians, whose four-pointed cross adorns the flag of New Mexico.

The Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms associates the four-pointed star with "a serious and solemn warning," the Babylonian sun god Shamash and the official emblem of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Jacobsen even found a link to his Norwegian heritage in the Grand Cross of St. Olaf, a steely, four-pointed medallion bestowed on knights.

"All of these things are bound together within the circle of life," he tells YouTube visitors.

Those who want to see the star, or the cross, should remember that power plants are considered critical to national security. Guards wear flak jackets and carry assault rifles "should there be an incident," TECO spokesman Rick Morera said.

A word to the wise: These guards employ a liberal definition of the word "incident." Stopping your car might qualify as one.

"They'll swarm all over you if you stop," Jacobsen said.

Comments about the light formation from YouTube visitors range from surly to accepting.

"Ask yourself if it is true or not, and [if] Jesus does show Himself, will you believe?" a visitor called desirprovocateur wrote. "Or still be skeptical as you are now?"

None of several tourists strolling recently along the elevated walkways at TECO's Manatee Viewing Center next to the plant had heard of the Sun Cross. A few joked about other religious sightings, such as the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich, but none wanted to be quoted.

But Elizabeth Bird, who chairs the anthropology department at the University of South Florida, said it's not unusual for religious adherents — especially Christians — to find symbols in unlikely places.

"Incongruity makes them more powerful," Bird said, "It's like this god is drawing special attention to himself by saying, 'Look, I am here, even in a power plant or a bank or wherever."

But what makes sunlight bounce off the dome that way?

USF physics professor Randy Criss called the phenomenon most likely "a standard property of reflections."

The same formulas that have been around for 300 years should be enough to explain the TECO Sun Cross, Criss said.

"I don't see anything terribly miraculous in there," he said.

Jacobsen says he's not trying to spread religion.

"Some people say, 'That's not Jesus,' " Jacobsen said. "I say, 'I never said it was.'

"But it is there."

Andrew Meacham can be reached at ameacham@sptimes.com or (813) 661-2431.

Finding the Sun Cross

To see the TECO Sun Cross, take Big Bend Road west from U.S. 41 in Apollo Beach and start looking to the right. If the sun is out, the cross will be, too.

[Last modified Monday, March 17, 2008 10:29 AM]

Watch "Brian Springer - Spin"

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Brian Springer - Spin

57 min 26 sec - Apr 9, 2006
Average rating:   (689 ratings)
Description: Using the 1992 presidential election as his springboard, documentary filmmaker Brian Springer captures the behind-the-scenes maneuverings of politicians and newscasters in the early 1990s. Pat Robertson banters about "homos," Al Gore learns how to avoid abortion questions, George Bush talks to Larry King about halcyon -- all presuming they're off camera. Composed of 100% unauthorized satellite footage, Spin is a surreal expose of media-constructed reality.

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The REAL Reason Bush and Cheney Will Not Be Impeached : Indybay

The REAL Reason Bush and Cheney Will Not Be Impeached : Indybay: "The REAL Reason Bush and Cheney Will Not Be Impeached
by Dr. Peter Stern ( pstern [at] austin.rr.com )
Thursday Jan 3rd, 2008 6:06 PM

Okay, folks, you can stop scratching your heads and wringing your hands in bewilderment. Here's the REAL reason there will be no impeachment proceedings against any of the administration:


Apparently, it's more than the GOP who do not what their administration impeached. It's also the liberal 'commie-pinkos' who do not want to pursue impeachment. Those such as: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and others.

So, why isn't our government pursuing the impeachment process?

Okay, enough of the ongoing dismay and consternation by most of the American people. Exactly why isn't there more of a 'push' for action against the current administration?

I have been considering many logical reasons, but I continue to come back to the most reality-based issue.

The reason most of our Congress does NOT want to pursue any action against the president and administration is because it would create a deadly political and economic tsunami that would encircle many more individuals and organizations than merely Bush and Cheney.

"Fingering" the administration would also mean the public identification, humiliation and legal actions against many wealthy individuals, corporations and even governments throughout the world.

Look, let's face it. Our elected officials are NOT going to do anything that will impede the ongoing wealthy campaign contributions and perks they receive and going after Bush and his administration most assuredly would open more "war wounds" that are NOT in the best interests of our legislators.

Wealthy big business now manages and operates this nation.

Fluoride Accumulates in Pineal Gland - Health Supreme

Fluoride Accumulates in Pineal Gland - Health Supreme: "Fluoride Accumulates in Pineal Gland
Categories
Health

Fluoride, added to the water supply of many cities and counties and sold by WalMart in its nursery water, has a tendency to accumulate not only in developing teeth causing discoloration, and in bones making them brittle. The mineral is associated with cancer and it also accumulates in the pineal gland, an important hormone control center, where it wreaks considerable havoc. Paul Connett of Fluoride Action Network comments on Jennifer Luke's research which was part of her PhD thesis and had just been published in Caries Research under the title: Fluoride Deposition in the Aged Human Pineal Gland.

Fluoride is a poison, yet we add it to our water and toothpaste and even call it a supplement, although it has no nutritional value. Its medicinal value - the prevention of tooth decay - is the official explanation for adding the toxic mineral to the water supply. But that value is far outweighed by its toxic side effects - amply documented by Paul Connett in his Statement of Concern.

Recent European Union legislation on food supplements lists fluoride as an essential element to offer for supplementation. This is somewhat ironic when contrasted with the European legislators' feigned concern over the putative toxicity of vitamins and their efforts to limit dosages of these vital nutrients in order to "protect public health".

We also use fluoride in many household items, such as non-stick frying pans, high-tech water repellent fabrics and others. Recently, at least some timid attempts to start assessing the disease burden caused by fluoride are under way. The Journal of Water Health carries an article on this research. Meanwhile in the US, the FDA has decided that fluoride should be allowed in bottled water, perhaps in deference to WalMart's offerings.

The use of fluoride for "health" reasons is one of the great insanities of our times. Could it be just by chance that the Germans and Russians both used fluoride to make prisoners stupid and docile or that the US government faced legal action over the toxic effects in the environment of this nuclear waste by-product?

Perhaps the push for 'enriching' our water and our foods with fluoride has some ulterior motive that has little to do with health. Be that as it may, the campaign for fluoridation is stil in full swing and health authorities are pushing the poison as if their monthly paychecks depended on it.

Jennifer Luke's PhD thesis on fluoride and its accumulation in the pineal gland - Paul Connett says that research might just be the scientific straw that breaks the camel's back

Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis - Neurosurgeon's Warning - Health Supreme

Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis - Neurosurgeon's Warning - Health Supreme: "Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis - Neurosurgeon's Warning
Categories
Health

Aspartame is a low calorie sweetener. Called a potent neurotoxin by several researchers, it is being sold as a sugar substitute for those on low calorie diets and for diabetics. If you like Coke or Pepsi 'light', you certainly are at risk, but both industry and health officials deny that there is any truth to this story. Manufacturers have recently been sued in California.

Trade names for Aspartame are NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Canderel, Benevia, Misura, but in Europe we often cannot recognize that Aspartame is part of what we're about to swallow unless we know that it also hides behind the seemingly innocuous 'E 951' label. We might also watch out for warnings on food and drink labels that say: 'contains a source of phenylalanine' or 'phenylchetonurics should not consume this product'.

In truth, no one should be consuming Aspartame and those responsible for putting it on the market - Donald Rumsfeld had a part in politically forcing its approval - should be held responsible for unleashing an agent of chemical warfare on an unsuspecting public.

Dr. Russell Blaylock, a recently retired neurosurgeon, has been warning for years and has even authored a book 'Excitotoxins:"

ARTICLES AND REVIEWS

ARTICLES AND REVIEWS: "An American of Middle Eastern descent described an experience he had a few weeks ago while covering a story on Islamic militancy training grounds based in Pakistani religious schools that are believed to groom young Muslim boys to be terrorists. This reporter asked one of the leaders questions about their hatred for the US. The response of the militant leader to the young American’s question was surprising to me. The answer was that during the Cold War, the US and Afghanistan were allies fighting a war against the Soviets. He explained that we had given the Afghans weapons and trained their men. We built roads and fed their people. We supported the Taliban and made them our friends. But then the Cold War ended and America deserted them. Because it was no longer in our interest to have them as our allies, we abandoned them and left them hungry, and hateful. We turned our friends into foes because we used them and discarded them like whores. Our national policy makers are responding to this current crisis by suggesting that we offer carrots again, promising economic aide, and giving assistance to the countries that we need to cooperate with us in this 'first war of the 21st century."

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Is Arsenic-Laced Chicken on Your Menu Tonight?

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to be aware that arsenic is highly poisonous to humans. So it seemed strange to learn that as of 2002, approximately 70% of the chicken we bought in this country was raised on feed treated with an arsenic-based additive called roxarsone. Back in the 1950s, when it was first used to kill parasites, promote growth and improve pigmentation in chicken, roxarsone was considered benign -- at least in its original organic form. The truth is, by any name or form, arsenic compounds are still worrisome -- even the organic forms are transformed, in soils or in the human body, to cancer-causing inorganic arsenic. Given the new science, no arsenic should be considered safe -- especially that given needlessly to chickens.

To learn more about the issues involved with arsenic in chicken, I spoke with David Wallinga, MD, MPA, Director of the Food and Health Program at the non-profit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He told me that in response to rising health concerns, major companies such as Tyson (the nation's largest poultry producer) have already or are now voluntarily phasing out use of roxarsone in feed. Unfortunately, Dr. Wallinga also told me this remains a case of "buyer beware." There is no law against using arsenic-based additives and no mechanism in place to detect their presence in the roast chicken you place on the family dinner table or the nuggets you grab for lunch at the local fast food restaurant. We talked more about the hazards of arsenic exposure, and how you can best safeguard yourself and your family.

TOXIC EXPOSURE = TOXIC CONSEQUENCES

It's time to leave the 1950s behind and apply 21st-century science to the issue of arsenic in the food we eat, says Dr. Wallinga. We now know that the so-called "harmless" original organic form of roxarsone is rapidly converted into inorganic arsenic by bacteria found in soils, in animals and humans, making it toxic. We also know that even low-level exposure to inorganic arsenic can result in partial paralysis and diabetes. Long-term exposure can cause bladder, lung, skin, kidney and colon cancer, as well as neurological, endocrine and immune system disturbances. Over time, many of these compounds can be lethal.

Arsenic compounds in chicken feed contribute to arsenic exposure in humans in three ways:

• Eating meat from chickens that have been fed arsenic-containing feed.

• Chicken excretions that contaminate land and groundwater.

• Chicken litter that is made into fertilizer for lawns and gardens.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

Growing awareness of the health risks associated with arsenic may eventually bring about stricter government regulation of arsenic-based additives in feed, and Dr. Wallinga believes that this is the best path to follow. He hopes the law will change, making it illegal to use arsenic-based additives in animal feed while putting in place a system to monitor and enforce this policy. He adds that arsenic-based additives are not only hazardous to your health, but also patently unnecessary. They have never been used in chicken feed in Europe, for example, and Europeans eat lots of chicken. So why take a chance with them in this country?

In the meantime, you can take charge on a personal level. Any certified organic chicken is by law arsenic-free. You can also check with the supplier of your favorite brand of chicken as to whether or not it uses roxarsone. As I mentioned earlier, a growing number of food producers are voluntarily refraining from its use, and even fast food giant McDonald's has gotten on board by requesting that its suppliers no longer use arsenic compounds -- although it is unclear how aggressively they follow up. Independent testing showed that there was still arsenic in McDonald's chicken in 2006, after the company announced its new policy, underlining the need for stricter government regulation and enforcement.

Source(s):

David Wallinga, MD, MPA, Director, Food and Health Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, Minnesota.