“The images from the film ‘Titanic’ are more realistic than you’d think,” Sgaga told the Tribune. “I couldn’t get them out of my head.”

It’s unclear in which of the Concordia’s restaurants Sgaga and his brother were dining or if any other passengers heard the sickeningly ironic soundtrack. But many other passengers have said the evacuation was bungled at best, with Capitan Francesco Schettino in a lifeboat rather than on the ship and amateur videos of the evacuation showing a dark, panicked scene.

Source: huffingtonpost [January 22, 2012]

The UAP (unexplained aerial phenomenon) seems to be just another wispy cloud from a distance. But zooming in on the OVNI reveals a distinct, ribbon-like pattern never observed before in known cloud formations and defying meteorological classification.

The amateur videographer suffers from the usual lack of skill, moving the camera like a second assistant director on NYPD Blue, but when they zoom in on the object, that’s when the real mystery begins.

Resembling a hang glider shape (without the pilot), the object becomes more solid and aerodynamic the closer the camera zooms in. But instead of the wispiness expected in an otherwise clear blue sky, the UFO takes on a sturdier look as both perfectly sculpted airfoils tail off into the surrounding area, with no visible means of support.

The “cloud” also spins quickly away from the camera, behaving very differently from any weather formation known to experts. It’s more like an aircraft under pilot control. But like no aircraft ever seen before.

Here’s the video:

What do you think of this UFO news? Is it a cloud? Or something other-worldly?

Author: Tom Rose | Source: gather.com [January 18, 2012]

But plans to restore Rome’s nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum are causing rumblings among heritage workers and restorers, compounded by reports in December that small amounts of powdery rock had fallen off the monument.

The current $33 million (25 million euro) restoration plans to restore the Flavian amphitheater, which once hosted spectacular shows and gruesome gladiatorial battles, are being sponsored by Diego della Valle, of luxury Italian brand Tod’s, in exchange for advertising rights.

Restoration of the monument, which attracts up to two million visitors a year, is due to go ahead in March and will involve cleaning of the travertine exterior, the restoration of underground chambers, new gating, the moving of visitor service stations to an area outside of the building itself and increased video security.

But members of the Restorers Association of Italy are unhappy about the plans, which they believe has sidelined them in favor of non-specialist restorers and which “run the risk of causing irreparable damage to the monument,” according to the group’s President, Carla Tomasi.

“Having some of the best restorers in the world in Italy and yet turning to general enterprises is a choice that we do not share, and embarrasses both our work and the image of our nation in the world, in addition to causing risks to the monument,” Tomasi said.

A ruling given late December 2011 by Italy’s Council of State in favor of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities is however allowing the restoration plans to go ahead.

“Italian law states that restorers can restore things like statues, ceramics, mosaics and decorative surfaces but not architecture,” said Rossella Rea, Director of the Colosseum, adding that the workers employed to do the restorations are in fact “specialized in architectural restoration, they’re not just ordinary workmen.”

Rea was also quick to stress that the reports of the Colosseum crumbling were false and that only 8cm of tuff — a porous rock formed by consolidation of volcanic ash — had come off, something “that happens all the time to monuments.”

But she also added that the Colosseum has suffered in recent years from underfunding caused by government cuts and that the revenue from ticket sales only covers the yearly upkeep of the city’s ancient sites, which include the nearby Forum and Palatine.

Sponsorship, though difficult to obtain owing to sponsors having to pay VAT on donations, is much-needed.

Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic is Secretary General of Europa Nostra, an organization dedicated to protecting cultural heritage in Europe.

She said, “We at Europa Nostra and anyone dealing with heritage would say that it’s wonderful to have private companies and individuals wanting to support heritage at a time when public budgets are being cut.”

But she also warned against governments across Europe loosening restrictions on restoration work in the current economic climate, and of privately funded restoration plans not complying with strict guidelines.

And while the current Colosseum project aims to improve visitor services in addition to cleaning and restoring the amphitheater, Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic believes that its underlying problems also need to be addressed — the main one being the car traffic that surrounds the site and causes the exterior to be tarnished with pollution.

“You can do wonderful restoration works but you haven’t yet tackled the things that will continue to cause damage and this is an issue at the level of the urban management of the city,” she said.

“It’s a problem that’s been discussed with the City of Rome for many years,” said Rea, adding that she hopes that with the building of a new subway stop near the Colosseum, the roads around the site will be closed to cars — though heritage workers have long complained that vibrations from the nearby subway trains are also damaging the building.

It’s an ongoing struggle, Rea said, but one she hopes will eventually be successful.

After all, it’s only been 60 years since people parked their cars inside the amphitheater.

Author: Laura Allsop | Source: CNN [January 06, 2012]

English Subtitles: Another Jaime Maussan report. Italian lady who claims to have been abducted several times throughout her life and has a ton of physical evidence to prove it, including a real live alien fetus removed from her womb by doctors. Furthermore, she has taken both video and photographs of the ships and occupants in stunning clarity to further back up her story. This is an unbelievable case that warrants further investigation. (Source: project.nsearch.com)