The amount of money raised for Haiti earthquake relief has reached a staggeringly high $1.4 billion in less than one year from the United States alone. Everyone from celebrities to regular people held telethons, bake sales and dinner parties whose proceeds went to help Haiti earthquake victims.

A year later, people who opened their purse strings and wallets so generously are asking where the money went and how well was it spent. According to a survey by the Chronicle of Philanthropy of 60 major relief organizations, only 38 percent of that money has been spent to provide recovery and rebuilding aid. By comparison, in New Orleans, about 80 percent of the money raised for Hurricane Katrina victims has been spent.

Furthermore, only 63.6 percent of the money pledged for 2010 has been disbursed, according to the U.N special envoy for Haiti. The Haiti money train tends to take two different tracks. There is the money that was raised and donated shortly after the earthquake. That money has been spent on emergency relief efforts. And then there are billions pledged by foreign nations, most of which may not now be disbursed after all, according to many officials with knowledge of the process.

Carleene Dei, director of the United States Agency for International Development told reporters in a January 7 conference call that there was a "lack of understanding" about the pace at which pledges from March's donors conference could be met, referring to the UN conference where nations pledged more than $10 billion to help Haiti rebuild itself.

The mass political assassination attack in Tucson, AZ on Saturday January 8, 2011 that as of 2:44 pm pst had left six people dead and eighteen shot were shot during the attack has a marked MKULTRA profile, and of suppression of drug cartel investigation and of expansion the U.S. space program as one of its effects.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was reported in grave condition and in surgery at University Medical Center in Tucson, after the shooting in a Safeway supermarket parking lot.

One news report states,

"The suspect in the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and others, Jared Loughner, posted a You Tube video three weeks ago indicating that "in a few days, you know I'm conscience dreaming!" as well as a MySpace post saying goodbye to friends.

"According to MSNBC, "Police say the shooter was in custody, and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as Jared Loughner, 22. Pima County Sheriff's officials said he used a pistol to carry out the shooting spree. U.S. officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release it publicly."

"In a You Tube video attributed to Jared Lee Loughner, which was posted approximately about three weeks ago, Loughner states, in part:

"This video is my introduction to you! My favorite activity is conscience dreaming: the greatest inspiration for my political business information. Some of you don't dream - sadly.

"In conclusion, my ambition - is for informing literate dreamers about a new currency; in a few days, you know I'm conscience dreaming! Thank you!

"The MSNBC report also indicates that federal law enforcement officials were analyzing Loughner's MySpace page after the shooting incident. According to MSNBC, "The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by U.S. officials, included a mysterious 'Goodbye friends' message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to 'Please don't be mad at me.'"

A veteran congressional aide who worked most recently as a lobbyist and was married to a senior White House legislative affairs official was found dead in her car Monday behind the couple's Capitol Hill home following a low-speed car crash and subsequent fire.

Ashley Turton, whose husband, Dan, is the White House's deputy director of legislative affairs for the U.S. House, died in the early-morning incident in the garage behind 800 A Street SE, friends, her employer and congressional leadership aides said. City fire and police units responded to the vicinity of the home at about 5 a.m. Monday, according to fire department spokesman Pete Piringer.

"It had heavy smoke and fire conditions in a garage - an attached garage of a 2 and ½ story rowhouse," Piringer said. "The homeowner initially indicated that everyone in the house was accounted for. Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the bulk of the fire during the firefighting operation, but they did find an adult occupant of the vehicle [in the garage] deceased."

A self-described humorist named a liberal cable news host a "target" on her blog the day after he denounced incendiary political rhetoric in response to an Arizona shooting that claimed the lives of six people, including a federal judge, a congressperson's aide, and a child.

Andrea Rouda's post entitled "Speaking of Target Practice" listed several historical figures who were murdered "by a crazy person" before naming MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, whom she referred to as "the Devil."

"What a waste, especially since there are so many good targets out still out there," she wrote. "Take Keith Olbermann."

She continued, "In the wake of yesterday's horrific shooting of a young congresswoman, the Devil himself who walks among us in the form of a TV 'journalist' has decided that Sarah Palin and the Tea Party are responsible and is spreading his usual vitriol."

"Please, won't somebody stop him?" Rouda concluded.

First let's have a little musical interlude to get us in the right mood for what I'm going to say in this essay:

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - I Won't Back Down

I sure stepped in it writing about so-called "Chemtrails." The flamers and ad hominem attackers came out of the woodwork and when that happens, you know you've hit a hot button or a sore toe. Can we say COINTELPRO controlled clappers in the audience trying to keep the attention on the distraction so nobody will figure out what is really going on?

My readers know I'm into conspiracies - have been since the time I read None Dare Call it Conspiracy back in 1985 and tried to convince myself it was all paranoid nonsense and failed. What's more, I've paid a high price for what I've learned and shared. I don't do this for my health or to win a popularity contest. After all, people in mainstream religions hate and fear me, mainstream science types hate me, New Agers hate me, and even a lot of conspiracy theorists hate me. I guess it's because I don't buy into the "friend of my friend is my friend, enemy of my friend is my enemy"; I prefer to take each situation and examine it on its own merits. And when I see the kinds of reactions I got to my little piece about chemtrails, I know that something is rotten and getting smellier by the day and it isn't chemicals being spouted from the rear of passenger jets.

Recently it was revealed that Fidel Castro was super critical of the Iranian President's views on Israel. When this became public the accusations came flying from every server on the Web... Fidel is a zionist, Fidel is senile, Fidel has lost his mind!

Today he proved that all of the above is false, and that his mind is as clear as it was when he and his forces toppled the Cuban dictator, Batista, in 1959. He probably holds the Guinness Book of Records' 'record' for the Longest Lasting Thorn in the Side of The United States' .... and here's why;

Cuban revolutionist blames Mossad, secret services of US, UK for recent assassination of Iranian scientist. 'I don't remember another time in history when killing of scientists was official policy of powers armed with WMDs,' he writes in local paper

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro on Friday accused Israel, the United States and Britain for the "massacre" of Iranian scientists.

The Cuban revolutionist claimed that the mercenaries who acted on behalf of these countries are also responsible for a series of other assassinations that are meant to thwart the development of an Iranian nuclear program.

A tragic event unfolded this weekend in Tuscon, Arizona when a political assassination attempt was made on the life of Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Several innocent people were killed and many more were injured. Our hearts go out to the victims.

We have been watching events unfold and looking for patterns that can help explain what caused this terrible act of violence and to discourage further escalations in domestic terrorism.

We see this event as a teachable moment in two respects. Firstly, it is clear that hate speech directed toward large groups of people (especially the villification of liberals, Jews, Muslims, and immigrants) adds legitimacy to the violent acts committed by unstable individuals. Hate speech should never be condoned, as it has been for years now by prominent public figures in the conservative movement.

Secondly, the unfolding media coverage offers a rare opportunity to watch political framing in action. We have a highly contentious event that is already being framed in a manner that conceals systemic causes. This provides us with an opportunity to watch agendas getting set in place and politically motivated interpretations established as the norms.

Protesters rallied yesterday outside government offices in Dublin to demand that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stop shielding child rapists in the Catholic church, and threatening citizens who demand action.

Gerry O'Donovan, a member of the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS), joined with Kevin Flanagan, Dave O'Brien and others in delivering a formal letter of protest to the government because of the DPP's refusal to bring charges against a Catholic priest, "Brother B", who has raped at least nine girls.

The protesters also pointed out that the DPP has even threatened to sue anyone who demands the prosecution of suspected child raping priests.

Europe and the euro will remain among the most important areas of investment for China's world-record $2.65 trillion of foreign-exchange reserves, a central bank official said in the nation's latest show of support.

"The euro and the European financial markets are an important part of the global financial system and were, are and will be one of the most important investment areas for China's foreign-exchange reserves," Deputy Governor Yi Gang said in a statement on the central bank's website.

China's statements of support have included Vice Premier Li Keqiang this week expressing confidence in Spain's financial markets and pledging more purchases of that nation's debt. In backing European economies, China may help to prop up demand in the region that is its biggest market for exports and also the value of its euro-denominated assets.

On New Year's Day, a devastating terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 others. Although the identity of the culprits was not known, it was assumed that they were Muslim extremists, intent on targeting those they saw as heretics. Religious tensions immediately rose in the country, and angry Copts stormed streets, battled with police, and even vandalized a nearby mosque. The riots and heightened tensions between the Muslim and Coptic communities was likely what the terrorists wanted - to divide the Egyptian community and create sectarian strife between different religious groups.

Yet by Coptic Christmas Eve, which took place Thursday night in Egypt, things had changed completely. As Egyptian Copts attended mass at churches across the country, "thousands" of Muslims, including "the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak," joined them, acting as "human shields" to protect from terrorist attacks by extremists. The Muslims organized under the slogan "We either live together, or we die together," inspired by Mohamed El-Sawy, an Egyptian artist:

Egypt's majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside. From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as "human shields" for last night's mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.

"We either live together, or we die together," was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the "human shield" idea. Among those shields were movie stars Adel Imam and Yousra, popular preacher Amr Khaled, the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak, and thousands of citizens who have said they consider the attack one on Egypt as a whole. "This is not about us and them," said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. "We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together."