Remembering: Chernobyl

April 26, 1986, an explosion rocks the Soviet nuclear plant at Pripyat, Ukraine, known as Chernobyl.

Scientists at the plant attempt an experiment, for which none of them are trained, and a near worst case scenario results.

Thirty-two are killed, and thousands are poisoned by the radiation that the explosion spreads. Millions of acres of forest and farmland are poisoned as well.

At first the USSR tried hiding the explosion, but Swedish scientists publicly announced their readings of the radiation cloud.

The plant wouldn't be fully shutdown until 2000.

TSA Screeners Caught Taking Bribes

Seven people, including two currently employed by the Transportation Security Administration, have been charged with narcotics conspiracy.

Three of them were drug runners, who successfully bribed TSA agents to look the other way when they came through with their drugs.

The other four are current and former TSA screeners, who took the bribes. They could face life in prison for their crimes.

Bribes were in amounts of up to $2,400. All five of the incidents took place at Los Angeles International Airport. As much as twenty kilos of cocaine was smuggled through at one time.

One of the couriers mistakenly went to the wrong check point, was caught, and then informed on his co-conspirators. After which the DEA used their own agents to bribe the TSA agents, and then arrested them.

Limbless Man to Swim The World

Philippe Croizon, the first quadruple amputee to swim the English Channel has announced his next goal.

He and friend, Arnaud Chassery, will spend this summer swimming between the continents, and therefore around the world.

Croizon swims with the aid of prosthetic devices, specially designed for swimming.

"We are going to symbolically link the five continents, two little people like us, two little men, we're going to be able to build a bridge between the continents. That means that we're going to bring them together. Which means no one is very far from each other. So even if we have different political opinions, or skin colors, or even with our disabilities, we all live on the same planet. And that's the clear message we want to send."

They will connect most of the continents (except Antarctica and South America) by swimming across straits that separate them. The first target will be between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, there by connecting Asia and Australia. Later, they will cross the Red Sea, Asia to Africa; the Strait of Gibraltar, Africa to Europe; and the Bering Strait, Asia to America.

The swimming routes cover over fifty-three miles, and will take them about forty-five hours total swimming time to complete.

Explosion Kills 70 in Hama, Syria

A large explosion, on Thursday morning, took out an entire building in Hama, Syria, killing as many as seventy people. Rescuers continue to dig through the rubble in search of survivors and the dead.

Opposition groups claim that security forces either shelled or launched a rocket at the site. Whereas, the government claims that the explosion was by an accident amongst anti government bomb makers.

International human rights groups are unsure what actually occurred, and asked the UN observers to investigate. No word yet from them.

It is actually quite possible that, that government forces did shell the building, causing a bomb being made by anti government forces to detonate. Whatever the truth, we may never know. Either way it continues to show how little peace there actually is in the country.

Wednesday, brought reports of as many as twenty-five being killed around the country. That total includes civilians, opposition fighters, government troops, security forces, and a member of the Red Crescent.

France has suggested to the UN that the time is past for observers, and that international troops are necessary to enforce peace.

Burger King Promises 100% Cage Free Eggs and Pork

On Wednesday, Burger King announced that by 2017, it will get its egg and pork supplies, from 100% cage free animals.

So far only 9% of the company's supplies are cage free. It is unclear how the company expects to accomplish the remaining 91% in under 5 years.

Burger King is the world's second biggest fast food chain, and it's big promise will force other companies to make similar jumps.

Both McDonald's and Wendy's had already announced that they would work to the same goal, but neither of them set a time table.

Companies such as Wal-Mart and Costco, have already moved their private label eggs to 100% cage free. Hellmann's, Sonic, Subway, Ruby Tuesday, Kraft Food and ConAgra Foods have all pledged to work towards it as well.

Studies have shown that it costs one cent more an egg, for cage free eggs. A study has not yet been completed to find the difference in cage free pork.

Greece Cutting Pensions of 200,000 Dead and Liars

Greece has announced that it is halting benefits to over 200,000 people.

Investigations showed that benefits were continuing to go out to families of people who were dead, and others who had falsified their information in order to receive pensions.

Greece states that ending those accounts will save them nearly $1 billion, and that they will also be recouping all money that was fraudulently taken.

The government blames the previously uncaught fraud on people lying to authorities who were either too overwhelmed or corrupt.

Investigations are continuing, and Greece hopes to save even more money, as they catch more people.

According to budget information released earlier this month, the pension fund used up 44% of it's year's budget, within the first quarter.

Black Box For Your Car

In March, the United States Senate passed a bill that requires all new vehicles, starting with 2015 models, to have a "black box".

Many are concerned with the ease of which such devices would allow the government to track you.

Officially it would only record data before, during, and after a car crash and a privacy provision is included. But it does give the government the authority to access the black box in a number of circumstances including: court order, consent of the owner, an investigation or inspection, or to determine the need for emergency responses.

Additionally, the same bill allows the IRS to revoke passports of anyone who owes more than $50,000 in back taxes. An odd combination that has some conspiracy theorists in rabid form.

Some theorists have stated that if this technology was ever combined with biometric scanners, the government could control whether or not you could drive your own vehicle, where you could, or when you could.

Connecticut Removes Death Penalty

Connecticut's Democrat Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed a law Wednseday that removes the death penalty as a possible penalty for crimes.

Governor Malloy pushed the law through without media present, behind closed doors.

Polls taken by Quinnpac University after the signing show that 62% of the state supports the death penalty.

47% of the state disapprove of Malloy.

Hamas Executing Israeli Collaborators

Hamas has announced that it will begin executing anyone found to be collaborating with Israel.

The head of security in the Gaza Strip, Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad, made the announcement and also stated that they had arrested ten known collaborators.

Earlier in April, a Palestinian man was hanged by Hamas after being charged with being an informant for Israel. His identity was not released by Hamas.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the execution, stating that they had not authorized it. Executions are not supposed to take place without PA President Mahmoud Abbas' permission.

In the past Hamas, had granted pardons to collaborators who turned themselves in, confessed, and repented.

Unknown Symbols and Structures in China

A series of lines, symbols, roads, and structures in Northern China, near the Mongolian border, have been spotted through the use of Google Maps. They are near where China performs it's space operations, nuclear program, and some of it's most top secret military maneuvers.

The Telegraph was nice enough to link to the Google Maps location of some of them, and they are there. However the others weren't clearly marked, so not so easily found.

It is completely unknown what purpose they serve. The location would definitely suggest that it has some sort of military application. But as they are unrecognizable, everything is just guesses at this point.

Some were clearly built up, in some form or another, by the shadows the pictures show. Others you can't tell if area's were painted or just bulldozed flat.