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Not even an hour's drive southeast from the center of Chicago sits Gary, Indiana, a semi-apocalyptic shell of its former self. Originally founded in 1906, Gary, Indiana wasn't always the way it is now. During the middle of the 20th century, Gary was a booming steel town and a hub for the United States Steel Corporation. Domestic steel workers and newly-arrived immigrants flocked to the city for its economic opportunity, and during the 50's and 60's, Gary was thriving enough to rival other major industrial hubs like Chicago and Detroit. So how did this once-thriving center of industry collapse into...

In a few hours it will be July 20. I take note of this because I have noticed that the date of July 20 is a date in which some very unusual events have taken place. July 20, 70 AD---Siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. July 20, 1944---Operation Valkyrie. Assassination attempt on Hitler at his East Prussia HQ. July 20, 1969---Man lands on the Moon. July 20, 1973---Bruce Lee dies at age 32. July 20, 1976---Viking I lander lands on Mars. July 20, 1993---Vince Foster "commits suicide" in Ft. Marcy Park.

When former President George W. Bush speaks in Erie tonight, he will undoubtedly receive a warm welcome from the sellout crowd at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center, where he'll address the 104th annual meeting of the Manufacturer & Business Association. The association has a knack for landing speakers when they are hot on the lecture circuit, and it is justifiably proud in bringing the former president to Erie just months after he left office. The crowd leans to the conservative side, but the association doesn't select speakers who merely preach to the choir. Often, the audience hears two contrasting perspectives.

PATONG, Thailand (AFP) - A second surge of tsunami terror is hitting southern Thailand, but this time it is a wave of foreign ghosts terrifying locals in what health experts described as an outpouring of delayed mass trauma. AFP Photo AP Photo Slideshow: Asian Tsunami Disaster Tales of ghost sightings in the six worst hit southern provinces have become endemic, with many locals saying they are too terrified to venture near the beach or into the ocean. Spooked volunteer body searchers on the resort areas of Phi Phi island and Khao Lak are reported to have looked for tourists heard...

An eerie calm prevails at the FleetCenter By David R. Guarino Thursday, June 24, 2004 With convention construction already $5 million over budget and three days delayed due to a picket line, all was amazingly quiet inside the FleetCenter yesterday - 33 days from DNC D-Day. Convention organizers and Mayor Thomas M. Menino say construction's on schedule. But, to the naked eye, the FleetCenter is far from ready for Sen. John F. Kerry's big event. Workers have taken out seats to make room for the convention stage and steel has been added to the ceiling to help light the ceremonies....

Sound of silence gives you that eerie feeling September 12 2003 at 04:36PM London - The haunted feeling given off by certain buildings is the result of low frequency "infrasound" vibrations, according to a team of British scientists who have conducted a series of experiments in a concert hall. Richard Wiseman told a conference in the northern English city of Manchester on Monday his tests showed extreme bass sounds, like those emitted by some church organs or from the wind on windows and chimneys, could have a profound effect on feelings. "It makes people feel extremely strange, even though they...

But NASA had planned to launch Columbia to the station on its next flight in November, a mission featuring the agency's first educator astronaut, Barbara Morgan. Morgan was the backup to the first "teacher in space," Christa McAuliffe, who died in the Challenger disaster.

Can any of you translate the words? Do you think that is the body of Osama Bin Laden? Graphic. Can you figure out how long the video has been up at that site? Any insights, FReepers? Has the FBI etc been notified? Do you think it is a hoax? Please let the page load and view the pictures and video (and have sound on): http://www.hamor.net/media/swf/alkholoud.htm and give your opinion. There is a discussion at http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43702 [UNEX/WAR/WTF?] OSAMA DEAD? *strange* video, look at this and we could not find anything previously posted about this on Free Republic.