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[MIKA27]

FBI Agent: The CIA Could Have Stopped 9/11

Mark Rossini, a former FBI special agent at the center of an enduring mystery related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, says he is “appalled” by the newly declassified statements by former CIA Director George Tenet defending the spy agency’s efforts to detect and stop the plot.

Rossini, who was assigned to the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center (CTC) at the time of the attacks, has long maintained that the U.S. government has covered up secret relations between the spy agency and Saudi individuals who may have abetted the plot. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who flew commercial airliners into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and a failed effort to crash into the U.S. Capitol, were Saudis.

A heavily redacted 2005 CIA inspector general’s report, parts of which had previously been released, was further declassified earlier this month. It found that agency investigators "encountered no evidence" that the government of Saudi Arabia "knowingly and willingly supported" Al-Qaeda terrorists. It added that some CIA officers had “speculated” that “dissident sympathizers within the government” may have supported Osama bin Laden but that “the reporting was too sparse to determine with any accuracy such support.”

Over 30 pages relating to Saudi Arabia in the report were blacked out. The Obama administration has also refused to declassify 28 pages dealing with Saudi connections to the hijackers in a joint congressional probe of the attacks.

As has been previously reported, Rossini and another FBI agent assigned to the CTC, Doug Miller, say they learned in January 2000 that one of the future hijackers, an Al-Qaeda operative by the name of Khalid al-Mihdhar, had a multi-entry visa to enter the U.S. By mid-summer of 2001, the CIA was repeatedly warning President George W. Bush and other White House officials that an Al-Qaeda attack was imminent. But Miller and Rossini say when they attempted to warn FBI headquarters that al-Mihdhar could be loose in the U.S., a CIA supervisor ordered them to remain silent.

Rossini says he is “deeply concerned” by how the agency continues to suppress information related to contacts between the CIA and Saudi Arabia, particularly when the spy agency is declassifying other portions of documents to show that it did everything possible to thwart the September 11, 2001 plot.

“There would have not been a 9/11 if Doug's CIR [Central Intelligence Report] on al-Mihdhar was sent,” he told Newsweek in an email. “Period. End of story.

“The total lack of accountability, nor a desire to drill down on the truth as to why Doug's memo was not sent,” he added, “is the reason why the 28 pages pertaining to the Saudis have been blocked” from release.

In 2005, Tenet, the CIA director at the time of the attacks, angrily refuted the judgment of then-CIA Inspector General John Helgerson who said Tenet did not do enough to stop the Al-Qaeda plot.

"Your report challenges my professionalism, diligence and skill in leading the men and women of U.S. intelligence in countering terrorism," Tenet wrote to Helgerson in another heavily redacted document released June 12. "I did everything I could to inform, warn and motivate action to prevent harm. Your report does not fairly or accurately portray my actions, or the heroic work of the men and women of the Intelligence Community."

Rossini claims still-classified documents would “show a pattern of financial assistance, and moreover, the CIA's role to try and recruit al-Mihdhar.” He says he was “convinced” of that and believes “there is no other explanation" for the CIA refusing to release further information.

A former CIA field operative who worked at the CTC in 2001 told Newsweekearlier this year that Rossini’s theory had merit. “I find that kind of hard to believe, that [al-Mihdhar] would be a valid source,” says the former operative, who spent 25 years handling spies in some of the world’s most dangerous places, including the Middle East. “But then again, the folks that were making a lot of calls at the time there were junior analysts, who had zero general experience and absolutely zero on-the-ground operational experience or any kind of operational training.”

The analysts had begun to take intelligence collection initiatives beyond their skill level, usually by developing their own confidential “sources” in Middle East spy services, says the former operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss such a sensitive issue. So it is entirely reasonable, the former operative says, that an intelligence analyst at the CTC was trying to develop al-Mihdhar as a source through Saudi contacts.

“I don’t think they ever personally talked to anybody” in the field, the former operative added. “They probably got a source through liaison. So their source [on the hijackers] might have been someone in the Saudi service who said they are talking to somebody, or someone in the Jordanian service who said he was talking to someone. As far I was concerned, they were a bunch of lying pieces of ****. So they could’ve done that.”

Rossini and his colleague, Miller, following the CTC’s strict rules on secrecy, say they kept silent for years about their thwarted effort to warn FBI headquarters about al-Mihdhar, providing critics with ammunition to cast doubt on their story. But in a Newsweek interview, a former FBI colleague has now come forward publicly for the first time to buttress their version of events.

James Bernazzani, who took charge of the FBI contingent at the CTC in Langley, Virginia, soon after 9/11 attacks, recalled an encounter with Rossini. “Mark walks into my office one day at Langley and says, ‘Something's been really bothering me.’ He tells me the whole story" about how he and Miller had been prohibited from telling anyone about the likely presence of at least one Al-Qaeda terrorist, al-Mihdhar, in the U.S. the previous July, Bernazzani says.

“I said, Mark, if it ain't on paper, it never happened. He said, ‘I got it.’ After a few minutes he came back and showed it to me.” Miller, as it turned out, had made a copy of the warning cable he had prepared for FBI headquarters.

“I looked at it and I said, ‘Holy friggin’ ****,’” Bernazzani recalls. “I said, ‘This would've stopped this thing.’ I called up Assistant Director Pat D’Amuro,” who was in charge of the FBI’s investigation into the 9/11 attacks. “I said I needed to see him right away. He said, ‘This better be worth it.’ I assured him it was. I drove straight to FBI headquarters. It took me only about 15 minutes to get there. I probably set some speed records.”

Bernazzani, who retired in 2008 with a Presidential Award for Meritorious Service, says D’Amuro “looks at it, he looks at me, and he says, ‘I’ll take care of it.’”

Bernazzani returned to CIA headquarters. “I told Mark it was done, it was in the right hands,” Bernazzani says. Later, when congressional investigators came looking for documents related to the 9/11 attacks, “the FBI couldn't find it in their computers,” he says. “If they did, they didn't tell me.”

D’Amuro, now managing director of 930 Capital Management in New York, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

All these years later, “What Mark said is true,” Bernazzani says. “It did happen” as Rossini told it.

As for why CIA analysts at the CTC allegedly ordered Rossini and Miller not to tell the FBI about Al-Qaeda terrorists at large in the U.S., Bernazzani can only theorize. "It was a classic example of analysts owning information,” he says. “Operators share information. Some analysts tended to think of information as none of your business.”

Rossini is more blunt. “They ran a clandestine op in the U.S., and they didn’t want the bureau involved in it.”

[MIKA27]

Basil Valentine's Home Remedies Killed A Lot Of People. But Who Was He?

Basil Valentine, or Basilius Valentinius, was the name of a distinguished and learned Benedictine monk, who wrote treatises on medicinal compounds and alchemy. Except there’s no record that this monk ever existed.

Back in the 1600s, the public believed that Basil Valentine was a member of the Order of the Benedictines, living in austere studiousness in Germany. They probably got the German part right, but the rest was wrong. Basil Valentine was a little like Betty Crocker, if Betty Crocker’s recipes occasionally killed people. Valentine’s original inventor was probably Johann Thölde, a German merchant. Thölde spent his days manufacturing salt and his nights attempting to be an alchemist.

His alchemy was never successful, but Thölde really created gold when he created his alter-ego. Basil Valentine’s monastic lifestyle probably made people believe that he was the kind of guy who would create the philosopher’s stone, and then give away the secrets to it in his book, “The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine.” It probably also made them believe that Valentine had their best interests at heart when he recommended, in theTriumphal Chariot of Antimony, they eat antimony compounds for everything from syphilis to the plague.

This killed some people, but it didn’t stop Valentine’s popularity. Valentine didn’t know medicine, but he provided some useful tips on how to get chemicals like acids and ammonia. This is why Thölde is the most popular choice as the main author of Valentine’s books. Thölde knew chemistry from his profession, and he worked on another book about antimony. Some people think he was the only “Basil Valentine.” However, today most people believe that Valentine’s books had many authors. After all, it’s not like the real Basil Valentine could complain that someone was impersonating him.

[MIKA27]

WILDLY EXPENSIVE F-35 JET MAKES ITS FIRST SKI-JUMP LAUNCH

THE F-35 IS the hugely expensive, and hugely complicated, fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. Perennially delayed and wildly over budget, it’s had its share of problems and rightly earned piles of criticism. So here’s some good news for once: The plane—maybe the most expensive weapon ever developed—has successfully taken off from a ski jump.

Before you start laughing, this is actually a significant milestone. The F-35 will come in a number of variants for different operational profiles (one source of complications and cost overruns), including the F-35C, designed for carrier operations with hardware allowing it to land and launch from flat-top aircraft carriers like US Navy’s Nimitz and Ford class aircraft carriers, as well as folding wings and some other accoutrements. The F-35A is a more conventional fighter meant for use by the US Air Force and other land-based air forces.

Then there’s the F-35B. It’s the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant. It’s meant to be a replacement for the Harrier “hover jet”, and it’s able to take off from much smaller ships than the F-35C. It uses fancy hardware to aim engine thrust down, allowing the plane to take off and land at much slower airspeeds or even completely vertically, helicopter-style.

See, full-size aircraft carriers like the American Nimitz class—with longer runways and catapults to make taking off feasible—are incredibly expensive, and many of our allies can’t justify the cost. Instead, they build smaller carriers with ski jump-like ramps at the end to assist planes in taking off.

The upward-sloped ramp at the bow simultaneously launches the aircraft upward and forward, allowing planes to take off with more weight onboard and with less speed than horizontal launch systems. Basically it’s about saving money, because the ship can be a lot smaller and thus cheaper to build and run. They’re used by navies around the world, including those of Britain, Australia, China, India, Italy, Russia, and Spain. The British, Italians, and Australians are all considering the F-35B. The US Marine Corps has committed to buying a number of them as well.

Last week, a BAE Systems (one of the main contractors on the F-35) test pilot successfully flew the F-35B off a ski jump for the first time at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

To make the process easier, the F-35B automatically adjusts control surfaces and nozzles for takeoff, allowing the pilot to focus on other things—and again showing how freaking complicated this thing is. If you look at the rear of the plane, you can see the thrust vectoring nozzles on the main engine pointing downward to mix lift and propulsive thrust, helping the plane get airborne.

We’re sure the myriad companies involved in building the F-35B will get it all figured out (eventually), and that it’ll be awesome once they do. But boy is it costing a lot of money. Depending on who you ask, the whole F-35 program will cost more than $350 billion over its lifetime (it got started in 2006), so it’s really important that it, you know, work. This test is one small step in making sure it does.

[MIKA27]

Prison Officer Arrested in Escape Plot

New York State corrections officer Gene Palmer was arrested Wednesday in connection with the escape of two convicted murderers from Clinton Correctional Facility. The specific charges against him have not been announced. Palmer is accused of conspiring with prison worker Joyce Mitchell to smuggle tools into frozen hamburger meat brought into the prison. Palmer has previously claimed he didn't know the tools were inside. The two murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, have evaded authorities since they escaped on June 6.

[MIKA27]

SLÁINTE: THE 8 BEST IRISH WHISKEYS TO DRINK

For many North Americans, their only taste of Irish whiskey usually comes from a shot glass after a few beers on St. Patrick’s Day. And that’s a shame. Some of the greatest whiskeys available come from the Emerald Isle, as does the primary ancestry of at least 35 million North Americans.

It wasn’t always that way. In fact, Irish whiskeys were more popular than Scottish, Canadian or even American just a few generations ago. But the Irish War of Independence (1919 to 1921) hit the industry hard as a near-boycott by the British and Commonwealth nation shuttered many distillers, and Prohibition (1920 to 1933 in the U.S. and 1918 to 1920 in Canada) killed off many more. But cooler heads have prevailed, and Irish whiskies are once again becoming popular, going head-to-head with the best Scotland, the U.S., Canada and Japan have to offer. Here’s a look at 8 of the best Irish whiskeys on the market.

REDBREAST 12 YEAR OLD

Not only is this an outstanding whiskey in its own right, but it’s a great way to introduce yourself to the more traditional Irish method of single pot still whiskey making. Unlike many Irish whiskeys, which taste like they could be from Western Scotland, Redbreast has a lighter, less malted taste that is purely Hibernian. While it seems everyone who tastes Redbreast raves about its other-worldly smoothness — as well they should — but its nutty, citrus peel nose, spicy taste and long, dessert-like finish should probably get just as much hype. Resist the temptation to drink this one neat, even if that’s part of your persona, because just a few drops of water can really bring out Redbreast’s complexities.

TYRCONNELL SINGLE MALT

If you’re not sure how deep your commitment to getting into Irish whiskeys is, give this lesser-known bargain a try. It’s another Irish whiskey that’s a definite departure from the Scottish norm. Looking for smoke or an alcohol bite? You won’t find them here. Instead, you’ll get an almost bourbon-like smoothness, a sweet, fruity nose that complements its honey and oak flavor. At its price-point it’s hard to beat, no matter what the competition’s country of origin. This is a great bottle to have on the table for a card game, with or without cigars.

LOCKE’S 8 YEAR OLD

If you’re a dyed-in-the-kilt scotch drinker who might want to stray just a little toward Irish, Locke’s could well be your gateway whiskey. The name of the game here is maltiness. The roasted barley grain are so deeply clear that you’d be forgiven if you thought this 8 year old from Kilbeggan was actually a much older vintage from the Highlands. Other flavors — notably fruit, oak and several grains — also show through to give Locke’s a complexity that belies its years. Serve this to a snooty scotch drinker and watch as he or she tries to identify its provenance.

KNAPPOGUE CASTLE 12

This is a gem worth hoarding. Made by Irish whiskey giant Bushmills, Knappoque Castle is a boutique brand that is harder to find, but well worth the search. As indicated by its color — there are darker white wines — it’s delightfully light as whiskeys go. But in that very lightness comes a wild diversity of tastes that seem endless on the palate. With a nose that teases with apple, barley and honey, it quickly dives into a subtle mix of barley, honey and even red berries on the palate. The best part is that no taste ever seems to muscle out any of the others. And all that flavor comes with a creamy smoothness you wouldn’t expect in so light a whiskey. If there’s a complaint to be had, it’s that the finish doesn’t last. That, of course, just makes you want to start the experience all over again. Although it’s not expensive, this is not a whiskey to be wasted by those who wouldn’t appreciate its complexity.

POWERS JOHN LANE RELEASE

While most Irish whiskeys tend to follow tradition perhaps too closely, this dandy is a bit less conservative. Aged in a combination of charred bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, the result is unlike any other Irish whiskey. The first clues of its wild but controlled nature is its deep, slightly red color and its oak, leather, fruit and smoky nose. And its flavor — full of dark tastes like chocolate, riasins, blackcurrants and coffee — is rich and smooth without the tiniest misstep. And it finishes with strong vanilla. Although not a truly definitive Irish whiskey, it certainly is among the best. Serve it when you would normally break out a high-dollar bourbon, but never before dinner.

CONNEMARA 12 YEAR OLD PEATED

If you’d like to try the most Irish of all whiskeys, look no further. Because other types of whiskeys are much more familiar to North Americans, the best way to describe Irish is by comparison. In short, think of American smoothness and drinkability with Scottish depth and flavors. Add is a distinct oily earthiness, and you have Connemara 12 Year Old Peated. Don’t take that label lightly; while several distinct flavours show up — apple and malt in the nose, butter and honey on the palate with a spicy vanilla close — they are all subdued by that smoky peat that reminds tasters of Talisker or Lagavulin. But it’s a lot smoother than either of them.

MIDLETON BARRY CROCKETT LEGACY

If awards mean a lot to you, be aware that this whiskey has more than you can reasonably shake a stick at. And it richly deserves them. Aged in a combination of bourbon and new American oak barrels, Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy has a distinctly American, rather than Scottish, feel to it. Creamy smooth, like a bourbon, it also has a long, vanilla and butter finish. Very complex, with flavors ranging from floral to tobacco, it is not for the uninitiated, nor is it for anyone looking for peat. But it easily justifies its reputation and its elevated price tag.

THE WILD GEESE CLASSIC BLEND

Not all great whiskeys are expensive, and this one is proof. Double, instead of the traditional triple, distilled then aged in bourbon barrels, this delightful blend spars well above its weight pricewise. Right from the first sniff of its nose, it reveals itself as a complicated and enticing drink. It begins with oak, but then has both malt and berries battling for your attention. On drinking, you’ll notice a distinct series of flavors that seem to politely allow one another room to breathe. This is exactly the kind of low-cost but enjoyable whiskey you’ll break out for yourself or your closest friends when your mission is to enjoy, not to impress.

[MIKA27]

THE PARACORD BRACELET AND KEYCHAIN THAT START FIRES

There are plenty of different woven paracord keychain and bracelet options on the market, but none of them compare to the options from Bomber Barrel. The same company that released the most successful bag on Kickstarter has now expanded their offerings to include a paracord bracelet and keychain with a flint/steel firestarter woven right into the design. The keychain and bracelet are rounded out with high-end hardware and enough paracord to get you out of an emergency situation that calls for some high tensile cord. In addition to these new items, they’re also bringing back the Bomber Barrel Duffle Bag as part of the Complete Bomber Set which also includes a mini travel kit, bracelet and keychain. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

Honest Trailer For Terminator 2 Shows How It Ruined Sequels Forever

Terminator 2: Judgement Day was a masterful sequel that blended special effects, a movie star at his most blockbuster-y prime and sick action sequences to make a movie that will be remembered forever. The problem with it though? It was too good. It ruined all action movie sequels after it.

In trying to reach the benchmark set by T2, action movies now rely too heavily on special effects and abuse the idea of sequels and end up choreographing action sequences over writing a good story. T2 was so fun it exposed how bad every other movie was.

[MIKA27]

The US Military Is Actually Prepping For War In Space

The space race never went away, and now the US is getting a new operations centre to prepare for conflict from above the Earth’s atmosphere.

The US Department of Defense plans to open a new space-war centre within six months, according to Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Work, who talked about the project yesterday at GEOINT 2015, an intelligence conference. The centre will track spy and military satellites at the same time so US intelligence and military can work together to create the best defence — especially against attacks on its satellite systems. It will be a sort of backup to the military’s existing Joint Space Operations Center in California.

The center wouldn’t only focus on warding off space-based attacks. According to Defence One, Work pointed out that creating a centre that receives all satellite communications from government departments would allow for better geospatial intelligence gathering, since it’d provide access to most satellite images taken by the government:

“If Russian soldiers are snapping pictures of themselves in war zones and posting them in social media sites, we want to know exactly where those pictures were taken,” Work said, alluding to a 24-year-old Russian soldier named Alexander Sotkin who posted photos of himself operating Russian-made military equipment inside Ukraine last July.

Back in 2010, retired Air Force General Lester Lyles explained the military’s fixation on space by calling it “the ultimate higher ground.” This station will definitely give the Pentagon a better perch, turning the entire US satellite system into a strategic vantage point.

[MIKA27]

This Crazy Vertical Turntable Is The Best Way To Show Off Your Records

Thanks to the growth of Urban Outfitters and independent local free-trade coffee shops, vinyl records are back on the rise. But this is still the 21st century: Why settle for a pedestrian, boring, flat record player, when your vinyl could be proudly spinning vertically?

This is the founding principle behind ‘Floating Record’, a Kickstarter campaign for a record player with a vertical platter. It is very much like every other entry-level turntable in the world — it even costs $US350, a reasonable entry-level price — only with the unique ability to make all your facial-haired hipster friends say whoa at exactly the same time.

At an educated guess, it’s probably not going to sound amazing — $US350 isn’t a whole lot for a turntable, especially one that includes built-in speakers (and presumably some magical engineering that makes the whole vertical record thing work). But at the very least, the cartridge — the important bit at the end of the arm that makes the most difference to sound quality — is a well-reputed model from Audio Technica. Gramovox, the company behind it, has managed to actually sell audio equipment before, which helps allay some of the usual Kickstarter vapourware concerns. And there’s no danger of the project not meeting its goal — it’s already raised $US136,000, way past the original $US50,000 goal. [Kickstarter]

[MIKA27]

Paris Taxi Drivers Burn Cars In Violent Anti-Uber Riot

Parisian taxi drivers have long made their anti-Uber feelings clear, normally through the medium of broken windows and slashed tires. But taxi drivers protesting against Uber this morning took things a step further, attacking passenger-carrying cars and burning other (empty) Uber vehicles.

Reports indicate that this morning, taxi drivers attempted to more or less shut down the city in protest: road access to the capital’s main airports was “completely blocked”, and the ring-road around the city shut down by burning tires. Isolated reports of attacks against Uber cars have also emerged, with singer Courtney Love live-tweeting an attack on her vehicle en route to the airport:

In response, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve ordered Paris police to issue a decree banning the activity of UberPOP, “given the serious public order disturbances and development of this illegal activity”, Reuters reports. UberPOP (UberX in all but name) was provisionally declared illegal back in November, but Uber issued a constitutional challenge, the result of which is expected soon.

[MIKA27]

THIS LITTLE IRON TCHOTCHKE CAN HELP CURE A BIG HEALTH ISSUE

It looks like a trinket a tourist might pick up as a quaint souvenir, but this fish has the power to cure anemia.

Called the Lucky Iron Fish, the three-inch-long piece of metal functions like a nutritional supplement, only instead of swallowing it, you add it to a simmering pot of food for ten minutes. Doing that can increase the iron content in the diets of users in places like Cambodia, where roughly half of the population suffered from iron-deficiency anemia before Lucky Iron Fish was introduced. The fish just won this year’s Cannes Lion Grand Prix in product design.

That an analog device could top out a product design category filled with future-facing technology—like a DNA-sequencing food testing kit and a gamified studio cycling bike—speaks to both its effectiveness and its genius. The designers not only managed to make the treatment foolproof but increased compliance by hacking a local superstition, that fish are auspicious.

Christopher Charles, an epidemiologist, was living in Cambodia in 2008 when he witnessed firsthand the societal effects of anemia. The condition, in which the blood stream doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to pump oxygen throughout the body, can lead to extreme lethargy, dizziness, and birthing complications. It’s caused by insufficient amounts of iron in the body. Iron is easy enough to get through certain foods or supplements, but neither were an option in rural Cambodia, where the local diet consists primarily of fish and rice.

Charles happened to know of a simple, cheap solution: adding a chunk of iron metal to food while it cooks. The heat causes the blocks to release between 60 and 300 milligrams of bioavailable iron, which then gets absorbed into the food or water. That’s substantially more than is recommended for one person a day, so you can imagine the iron’s effectiveness at improving an entire family’s diet at once. Problem was, nobody wanted to use it. It was ugly and unappetizing. It looked like it would ruin a meal. When Charles and his newly formed Lucky Iron Fish partners started troubleshooting, they came across a funny insight into Cambodian culture: the kantrop fish, a staple in the local diet, was also a good-luck symbol. So they started carving the small bricks of iron into little kantrop fish instead. It worked: Women—who do most of the cooking—started slipping them into pots and skillets. There are currently 5,000 of them being used in kitchens across the country.

Lucky Iron Fish is in its third round of trials now, and so far, has found evidence linking adoption of the fish to a 50 percent decline in iron-deficiency anemia in the areas they’re being used. It’s also a fairly long-term, easily scalable solution: The fish, which are mostly made from recycled car parts, work for up to five years. And the Lucky Iron Fish Project is only getting bigger: The organization has 12,000 fish in the pipeline to be distributed, and is looking into expanding to other Southeast Asian countries, India, and East Africa. In those parts of the world, the fish could take on other culturally relevant forms.

[MIKA27]

Avengers star Patrick Macnee dies

Actor Patrick Macnee, star of The Avengers TV series, has died in California at the age of 93.

The Briton, best known for playing John Steed in the 1960s television spy series, died at home with his family at his bedside, his son Rupert said.

Macnee also played roles in theatre, appearing on Broadway, and served in the Royal Navy during World War Two.

A statement on the actor's website read: "Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories."

He died peacefully at his home in California's Rancho Mirage on Thursday, Rupert said.

James Bond ally

Born in London, Macnee grew up in Berkshire and was educated at Summerfields Preparatory School and Eton.

At the age of 11, he acted in Henry V opposite a young Sir Christopher Lee. He first appeared in the West End while still in his teens.

He played a number of minor roles - including one in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film version of Hamlet - before rising to fame in the original Avengers series between 1961 and 1969.

The series developed a cult following around the world, the BBC's Los Angeles reporter Peter Bowes said.

Steed was known for his dress sense, always donning a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella, which was used as a secret weapon.

Macnee returned when that series was reprised as The New Avengers in the 1970s, appearing alongside Joanna Lumley's Purdey and Gareth Hunt's Mike Gambit.

Later, he starred on Broadway in Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth, touring internationally with that play and several other productions

He also appeared in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill, playing an ally of Roger Moore's Bond character, and made a cameo appearance as the head of a record company in This is Spinal Tap.

Sir Roger tweeted: "So very sad to hear Pat Macnee has left us.

"We were mates from 1950s and I have so many happy memories of working with him. A true gent."

Macnee featured too as a guest star in dozens of British, American and Australian TV productions.

'Ahead of their time'

In a 2014 interview with The Lady magazine, Macnee said he believed The Avengers was a success because it "did something different and did it better."

He told the magazine: "It was beautifully written, the ideas were very good, way ahead of their time and they incorporated fantasies for people who dreamed of doing exciting things."

Macnee and wife Katherine Woodville, who also appeared in The Avengers

Macnee with fellow actor Richard Burton in 1973

Macnee had two children, son Rupert and daughter Jennifer, and one grandson.

He was married three times, including to actress Katherine Woodville, with whom he acted in The Avengers.

He had been a US citizen since 1959, according to the AP news agency.

[MIKA27]

DUNTON HOT SPRINGS RESORT IN COLORADO

Across from Telluride, Colorado lies Dunton Hot Springs, a former ghost town which has been repurposed into an exclusive Colorado resort nestled deep in the San Juan Mountains. Log cabins that are exquisitely furnished, quality food and breathtaking trails free of smartphones.

There are 13 restored log cabins in total built in a circle around a saloon with a dance hall and a bath house. The resort also has eight luxurious canvas tents, an open-air chapel, library and, most importantly, natural hot springs on site. The resort is open year-round, offering top-notch skiing in the winter and mountain trails in the Rockies for the rest of the year, with the resort providing all of the snow-shoeing equipment, mountain bikes, cross-country skies, and ice-skates you could ever want. Of course, there’s also a screening room with access to over 800 DVDs if you prefer. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

LA COLOMBE PURE BLACK COLD BREW COFFEE

It's certainly not the only cold brew coffee out there. But it's among the strongest.La Colombe Pure Black Cold Brew Coffee is steeped for 16 hours in stainless steel wine tanks, then pressed and filtered twice. The result is a drink that's rich, smooth, and filled with coffee flavor. Best when poured over ice, or used as an ingredient in other drinks or recipes.

[Habana Mike]

CIGAR PUNCH CUFFLINKS

Maybe you want to smoke a celebratory cigar at a wedding. Maybe you’re dressed up and someone offers you a stogie. Whatever the case, you’ll be glad you’re wearing these Cigar Punch Cufflinks. The cufflinks, which make a great gift for dad or any cigar lover, unscrew to reveal a hidden, usable cigar punch. No more trying to get a hole in the back of your cigar like you’re MacGyver; just pop a cufflink off and let it do the work. [Purchase]

Of course this means I need to get a Guayabera with French cuffs.....

[MIKA27]

Of course this means I need to get a Guayabera with French cuffs.....

But of course Mike...

[MIKA27]

Surfer Paddling in Australia Stops After Noticing Something Underwater. After He Sticks His Camera In, You’ll Understand Why He’s Breathing So Hard.

A surfer in Sydney knew just what to do when he spotted something that every beachgoer dreads.

In a video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, a surfer in the waters off Australia’s Manly beach saw a great white shark, his GoPro camera recording the heart-pounding encounter the entire time.

In the video, the surfer suddenly stops paddling and sits in the water for a few moments. That’s when he slips the GoPro into the water to show the deadly ocean creature.

The surfer remains remarkably calm without losing sight of the great white as he begins to paddle again. Moments later, the GoPro camera shows the shark swimming away, perhaps still in search of its next meal.

The surfer’s actions are a perfect example of what to do if you ever encounter a shark. The video description states that when sharks come into contact with humans, they rarely attack. It’s best to remain calm and always watch what the animal is doing and where it’s going, even as you plot a way back to safety.

The video was published just days after two teenagers were attacked by a great white shark off the North Carolina coast. Both victims survived, but the girl lost part of her arm and may require a leg amputation, and the 16-year-old boy lost an arm.

[CanuckSARTech]

Great. What now? Are we going to see Batman and Superman sitting in the dark, all moody?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-1LGw4fqFI

[Fuzz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-1LGw4fqFI

Was wondering when somebody would post that vid!

[CanuckSARTech]

John Oliver Nails Australia For Threatening Johnny Depp's Dogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucA2VM4ghw0

When Australia elevates itself onto the world stage these days, it’s rarely for something we can all be proud of. Last week saw Senator Barnaby Joyce threaten to euthanise Johnny Depp’s dogs after the star bypassed the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to bring them in. John Oliver’s got wind of it, and is using the platform of Last Week Tonight on HBO to skewer the whole country.

No Aussie is spared: not Barnaby Joyce; not Kyle Sandilands; not echidnas or the platypus; not even Vegemite.

Check out the clip above before it’s taken down. We’ve linked to a slightly dodgy clip, simply because the real Last Week Tonight clips go behind a US geoblock to preserve local distribution rights.

If you’re after further reading on Depp’s dogs, the ABC’s Insiders program re-edited some Pirates Of The Carribean to reflect the Hollywood crisis.

This is funny stuff right here. Just awesome!

[MIKA27]

A Controller So Beautiful You Might Not Care If It Actually Sucks

If you’ve been playing video games since the original NES landed over 30 years ago, your tastes have probably refined over the years. So why muck up your living room coffee table with plastic controller monstrosities when this gorgeous walnut and aluminium alternative perfectly complements all your furniture?

Designed by Kem Studio for SON, a New York-based “lifestyle gaming brand,” other details about the S1 are thin at this point. Presumably designed to replace the controller that came with your Xbox One or PS4, the S1 features a lightweight aluminium housing topped with a solid walnut face.

So it’s got looking lovely down pat, but almost everything else remains a mystery. Its pair of analogue joysticks can be adjusted to different heights, but battery life, connectivity, and compatibility are all unknown. Can it really balance form and function well enough to make it a suitable replacement controller without being an eyesore? We’ll pass judgement once we see more than a stylish render — but we’ll remain hopeful. [Kem Studio]

[MIKA27]

Someone Is Trying To Crowdfund A Greek Bailout Because Why Not

Greece is not doing well financially at the moment, to put it mildly. The country is broke and can’t repay its IMF loan, which is due tomorrow. So some folks are trying to help bail the country out in the way that the internet loves best: A silly crowdfunding campaign!

The Indiegogo campaign was started by a British man who is trying to raise €1.6 billion, or about $US1.8 billion. What do you get for tossing Greece a few euros?

From Indiegogo:

Pledge €3 and get a postcard sent from Greece of Alex Tsipras, the Greek Prime Minister. We’ll get them made and posted in Greece and give a boost to some local printers and post offices. Maybe the odd will write Efharisto on it for you.

Pledge €6 and get a greek Feta and Olive salad

Pledge €10 and get a small bottle of Ouzo sent to you

Pledge €25 and get a bottle of Greek wine

How much have they raised so far? Just €526. It’s unclear how the money would be delivered to Greece should it reach its goal, but honestly we don’t think they’re going to have that problem.

[MIKA27]

SpaceX Still Doesn't Know Why Its Falcon 9 Rocket Blew Up

On Sunday, Elon Musk’s SpaceX saw another rocket explode — this time only minutes after launch. And following what must have been a fun night of review for the SpaceX team, the verdict on what went wrong is in: They don’t have a clue.

Prior to this update, Musk had shared that data suggested “There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank,” but the latest Tweet points to causes unknown.

The Falcon rockets are meant to ferry Dragon cargo capsules to the International Space Station and are thankfully unmanned. This was the first failure of a SpaceX craft on a primary mission. Two other rockets have exploded this year — but where the other two were failed landing attempts, this one exploded mid-flight.

Falcon 9 took with it 1800kg of food that Astronaut Scott Kelly will have to keep waiting for, 30 student experiments, new hardware, a water filtration system and two HoloLens devices. At a joint press conference with NASA and SpaceX today, space spokesmen assured that the ISS inhabitants can hold out until the next supply. But there’s no denying that this is a set-back for both SpaceX and NASA.

As for the notoriously exacting Musk, we’re certain he hasn’t slept and has no plans to sleep until the latest Falcon mystery is solved. Who’s ready for a few more thousand engineering-hours of review?

[MIKA27]

Solar Impulse Sets Off On Gruelling 5-Day Flight From Japan To Hawaii

The Solar Impulse solar-powered aeroplane has set off from Nagoya in Japan on its 120-hour flight to Hawaii — one the most perilous legs of its round-the-world flight.

At the start of the month the aeroplane attempted the trans-pacific flight — one of the most difficult on the first-ever solar powered round-the-world flight — but it had to abandon the attempt due to bad weather. This time, the team waited until the pilot Andre Borschberg was 10 hours into his flight before the communicated the attempt was underway, troubleshooting doubts and technical difficulties in the early stages of the attempt.

Now, the Solar Impulse team says that Borschberg has “passed the point of no return”, and must press on with the 120-hour flight “through to the end”. The flight leg will put the solo pilot Andre Borschberg through five days and nights of flying with only 20-minute naps for breaks, in an unpressurised cabin where temperatures vary wildly.

You can follow the progress of the flight on the Solar Impulse website.

[MIKA27]

Synthetic Blood Transfusions Are Coming

Cancer-curing Cylon baby blood may still be a fantasy, but with the next two years, two human volunteers will be receiving the very first blood transplants manufactured in a lab, the British National Health Service announced last week.

Technically, what the NHS is calling the world’s first “synthetic blood” is actually biological in origin: It’s produced in vitro by extracting stem cells from the umbilical cords of newborn babies or from adult bone marrow. Placed in the proper chemical environment in the lab, stem cells can be stimulated along a particular developmental pathway that eventually leads to fully-functional red blood cells. Researchers have been developing the technology to manipulate stem cells for years, and now, our tools have advanced to the point that scaling up and producing entire blood bags seems within reach.

Sure, synthetic blood may sound a bit creepy, but much like lab-grown tissue transplants or replacement organs, it will actually be brilliant if we can make it to work. Eventually, hospitals could stockpile huge quantities of the stuff for emergency transfusions, or design batches specifically for patients suffering from sickle-cell anemia and other rare blood disorders. What’s more, having never been inside a human body, lab-grown blood is practically guaranteed to be disease free, and has the potential to dramatically reduce the risk of spreading blood borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis.

For the first human trials, volunteers will be injected with a few teaspoons of the stuff to test for adverse reactions. Test transfusions will also allow scientists to study how long their lab-grown blood cells survive in a human host. So far, preliminary tests show that synthetic red blood cells are biologically comparable, if not identical, to blood cells produced the ol’ fashion way. But biology is full of surprises, and we’ll never know for sure until we try.[The Independent]