INTERNET DOOM seekers have picked up on a story from Australia about the red supergiant star Betelgeuse and spun it into a dire warning of impending destruction in 2012.  First, it's based on a careless reading of the story; second, if it does happen, it might not be for another million years.  Personally, we're more concerned with the threat posed by the Green Bay Packers' offense.
Also: Yellowstone caldera bulges; Dubai islands for the rich sink; and Judge John Roll died a hero.

ONE YEAR after the disastrous earthquake, Haiti has all but disappeared from the public's awareness.  That's good for somebody; one year on, only 10% of the aid money donated to help rebuild Haiti has been spent there, and only 5% of the rubble in Port-au-Prince has been cleared.
Also: rumor of Nelson Mandela's death unfounded; Blackwater founder backs mercenaries in Somalia; and the US government tests GPS defense.

RICK WARREN'S "Daniel Plan" demonstrates again his willingness to bend scripture to his will.  We remind you that the real Daniel plan was about remaining obedient to God's word, not maintaining a heart-healthy diet.
Also: "Baby Doc" returns to Haiti; bees fly out to sea; US Joint Special Ops Command stacked with Knights of Malta; and the Taiwanese create a video parody of Chinese President Hu's visit to Washington, D.C.

THE SUN rose two days too early in western Greenland this year, according to a report in an Austrian newspaper (English language article at the Daily Mail).  Experts quoted in the report blame a huge meltoff of the Greenland ice sheet.
Elsewhere: rebellion in Chile and Tunisia; American travelers losing their laptops to Homeland Security; WikiLeaks blamed by The Guardian for its own leak; mysterious cattle deaths in Wisconsin; and political maneuverings in Lebanon and Israel.

LAST NIGHT'S memorial for the victims of the shooting in Tucson felt more like a political rally than a somber remembrance.  In fact, thousands of t-shirts with the slogan "Together We Thrive" were distributed to the attendees.  At the very least, it seems like a very odd tribute to the dead.  Don't miss the opening blessing (link opens YouTube video).
Elsewhere, Rick Warren has partnered with three doctors, including Oprah's favorite Dr. Oz (all professing the benefits of Eastern mysticism and, in Oz's case, influenced by the 18th century "Christian" mystic Emanuel Swedenborg), to create a purpose-driven diet plan.  Will anyone at Saddleback Church object?
Also: an iPhone app to read your mind; and hundreds of dead birds near St. Louis.

WHILE THE media focuses on the shootings in Tucson Saturday, a crisis brews in the Middle East.  The government in Lebanon has collapsed as Hezbollah ministers resigned.  Indictments naming Hezbollah officials in the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri were "hours or days" away from being turned over to a pre-trial judge.
The USS Enterprise carrier strike group, with 6,000 American service personnel, has been redirected to the eastern Mediterranean.  As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted yesterday, there are now an estimated 60,000 rockets — all made in Iran and Syria — now pointed at Israel.
Also: Iran building bunkers for Hamas in Gaza; a brief look at the prophesied war of Psalm 83; and more mysterious animal deaths.

FEAR CAN be a useful tool to a government.  People who are intimidated are more easily led.  We look at how the U.S. government is using its power to discourage dissent — we mean serious dissent, not the pro-wrestling-in-designer-clothing that passes for political analysis on cable news.
Also: headless bodies in Acapulco; leader of Saint Death cult arrested; and where our true allegiance lies.

TONIGHT'S SHOW focuses on the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others at a Safeway in Tucson.  We pray for the recovery of Rep. Giffords and the wounded, for their families and the families of the six who were killed.
The incident had barely been reported when conservative political talk was already being blamed for the incident.  Right-wing bloggers very quickly pointed out that a liberal supporter of Rep. Giffords had posted something inflammatory about her just two days before the shooting.  The blame game distracts us from the true powers and principalities responsible for this evil act.
We look at some of the unanswered questions and the potential consequences of the shooting.

WE LOVE technology, but we'd be naive not to recognize how it's being used against us.  For example, Apple filed a patent application in August for a phone that monitors its user's voice print, heartbeat, and facial features — and compares pictures of its surroundings and recordings of a vehicle's engine with ones in memory! — to determine whether it's been stolen.
While this sounds like a great security feature, it doesn't take much imagination to see how useful this is to a national security apparatus that doesn't need a warrant to download this data from your phone company.
Also: a million pigs buried alive in South Korea; the son of the Shah of Iran commits suicide; and Ted Williams, the prodigal son with the golden voice, returns home.

HAS THE "God particle" been found? One science blogger reports rumors that the Tevatron particle collider near Chicago has identified a light Higgs. Scientists at Tevatron say the rumors are false.
Here's a bit of interesting speculation: what if the rumors are true — and the discovery is responsible for the growing number of mysterious animal deaths all over the world (link opens a Google Map with locations and links to news reports)?
Also: more weirdness connected to the death of John Wheeler; Bill Daley goes back to D.C.; Harold Camping predicts the end of the world (again); and news about the fire that destroyed the home of Tom and Nita Horn.