Future American Military Bases Will Be Attacked

The copycat effect is back.

I have engaged in several decades of working in the realm of mental health hospitals, treatment facilities, juvenile corrections, law enforcement consultations, and academia, before and after earning a graduate degree in psychiatric social work at Boston's Simmons College and doctoral work in social anthropology and family violence. I devoted part of my professional and academic research life to the field of suicide prevention, mass violence prevention, and aligned social policy. Related work in this area has included a study of the influence of media on creating unreasonable expectations. My 2004 Simon and Schuster book, The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines offered what a Kirkus reviewer described as "persuasive and chilling evidence" that acts of violence promoted by media reports "often inspire imitation."

The Copycat Effect and The Media

It is probably not remarkable to accept the fact that when The Copycat Effect appeared, the media (in the form of reviewers with journals, newspapers, and television), in general, ignored the book. In the United States, only one newspaper, the Boston Globe, had a writer take the time to harshly review my book and dismiss the media's influence on extending the violence rampant in their news stories. The international reaction was pointedly different in Canada, and, for example, in South Korea, some open-mindedness to examine the "copycat effect" occurred. Beyond the borders of the USA, the reality of the copycat effect was viewed, where as in the USA, my thesis was ridiculed.

Nevertheless, I knew from private correspondence, in law enforcement circles and among some in the military, there was an understanding of the lessons to be learned by watching the unfolding of mass shootings, terrorist attacks, and related events. Warning signs were clear, if you watched and looked.

Suicide Clusters Based On The Contagion Factor

Since my earlier book, Suicide Clusters (Faber and Faber, 1987) had laid down the foundation of the "copycat effect" via the then widespread clustering of suburban communities' waves of deaths by suicide, the jump in school shootings between 1987 and 2004, gave more evidence of the phenomenon.

After 2004, the skepticism of the existence of the "copycat effect" became less apparent as the growing evidence from broader acts of school shootings and terrorist attacks made the rejection of the  contagion factor not tenable.

The Copycat Effect in the 21st Century

While my book may be forgotten in terms of its academic influence, within popular usage, the term "the copycat effect" could no longer be ignored.

Examples abound of the struggle with the concept and the growing evidence that cannot be overlooked. But the challenge to accept the copycat effect continues up to today. 

The Washington Post published an article, "Yes, mass shootings tend to produce copycats. So do terrorist attacks," December 4, 2015. The piece was by Erica Chenoweth is a Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and a Susan and Kenneth Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The German media publication DW published a selection entitled "Terrorism and the copycat effect," May 9, 2017, by journalist Julia Vergin. Psychology Today published "Terrorists or Copycats? What's The Difference?" by Sue Kolod, Ph.D., May 3, 2018. Kolod's article even links to the 2017 guidelines for journalists to use in reporting on mass shootings (which hark back to those from the 1980s for reporting on suicide clusters and the 1990s for reporting on school shootings).

The questioning of the "copycat effect" is still around. The National Center for Health Research, before COVID-19 drew most of their attention, published late in 2019 or early in 2020, with a 2020 copyright date, "Does Media Coverage Inspire Copy Cat Mass Shootings?" by Alex Pew, Lauren Goldbeck, Caroline Halsted, and Diana Zuckerman, PhD, National Center for Health Research.

As has been indicated, suicide clusters, school shootings, and mass shootings have been joined by various types of terrorist attacks around the world. These include vehicular terror attacks, especially in Europe.

These articles routinely, when looking at the copycat effect in America, reprint the Mother Jones graphic from data analysis by the Harvard School of Public Health.  These charts track mass shootings from 1982 through 2014. The increase in the waves of mass shootings can be clearly shown, with some familiar names are recognized because of the media attention they received.

9/11 Gap In The Copycat Effect

As I discussed in The Copycat Effect (2004), one of the big gaps in the mass shootings takes place after 9/11/2001. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the mainstream media went into a period of blackout and directed attention. Domestic school shootings was no longer at the top of their media's agenda. The news was focused on terrorism, the events of 9/11, and the new wars against terrorism (including the military actions directed at Afghanistan and Iraq).

The first media attention to post-9/11 mass shootings were not in the USA. Again, as I pointed out in The Copycat Effect, after the Twin Towers and same day attacks, it was over a year without any school shootings and workplace shootings being reported. The "return" of mass shootings was signaled first by international news of school shootings.

After 9/11, the gap in school shootings vanished with February and April 2002 school shootings in Munich and Erfurt, Germany. The death toll of 17 in Erfurt was noted widely in the US. Then there was an April 2002 high school shooting in Vlasenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and another high school shooting in January 2003 in Taiuva, Brazil.

It was not until January 2003 at the Burger King in Pomona, California, with 2 dead; a workplace in February 2003 in Huntsville, Alabama, with 4 dead; and a middle school in April 2003, in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, with 2 dead, when mass shootings were in the news again.

The Copycat Effect in the Time of COVID-19

What patterns can we see developing in a similar fashion in May 2020?

Since early in March 2020, the news media ~ whether via television, social media, newspapers, or radio ~ have almost entirely concentrated their stories (or as it is euphemistically called on cable television: "Breaking News") on two major themes: COVID-19 and President Trump.

The tracking of the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus, the number of deaths, the society's reaction, the economic input, and the government's responses (mostly through President Donald J. Trump's "news conferences") have been the only "news" most people hear.

Now, as the economy and businesses re-open as we move into late May and spring-like weather across the USA, the alert to the copycat effect must be raised.

Notice what has occurred.

International Mass Shooting: 2020

First, there has been an international mass shooting incident that produced media attention.

In Nova Scotia, on April 19, 2020, a 12 hour mass shooting spree ended with the gunman dead. With his victims, 23 including a RCMP officer were dead. See here, for details.

This mass shooting is part of the growing "incel" trend. Gabriel Wortman, the gunman, is pictured.

Post-Quaratine Shootings: 2020

What is happening? Do we need a weatherperson to tell us which way the wind is blowing?

Arizona

On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale, Arizona, was hit with a shooting. Three people were injured in the mall shooting on Wednesday night, with one critically, and two with non-life-threatening injuries.

The police in Glendale, Arizona, said on Thursday May 21, 2020, that they had a suspect in custody, 20-year old Armando Hernandez Jr. He used a "black assault rifle." State Senator Martin Quezada identified it as an AR-15.

The suspect told detectives “that he was planning on going to Westgate to harm 10 victims with this horrendous act,” and that it was unclear why the number 10 was chosen. “He said that he went to Westgate to target victims,” the police said. “He wanted to gain some respect and he felt that he had been bullied in his life.”

The gunfire erupted just about 7:25 p.m. local time at the Westgate Entertainment District, where panicked shoppers and store employees rushed for cover. The large outdoor shopping center, which is about 10 miles outside Phoenix, had been closed under a stay-at-home order in Arizona and reopened on May 8.

Texas

On Thursday, May 21, 2020, an apparent terrorist attack occurred at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. The copycat effect exists. Possible future Naval Station attacks should be on the radar of local law enforcement and military police.

A twenty-year-old male named Adam Alsahli of Corpus Christi drove to an entrance at the naval station and shot a security forces member in the chest, hitting the guard in her bulletproof vest and inflicting non-life-threatening injuries. Alsahli then accelerated towards the gate entrance and crashed into a barrier. After exiting the vehicle, he began shooting, and was shot and killed by naval security forces.

The base was put on lockdown after security forces responded to reports of an active shooter around 6:15 a.m. CT, according to the Navy.

A preliminary law enforcement investigation into the shooter has identified him as a US resident who was originally born in Syria, and likely a supporter of Salafi-jihadist ideology. Officials have identified various social media accounts, which initial reports indicate are likely associated with the shooter, the source said. Online postings by these accounts expressed support for ISIS and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Naval Air Station Corpus Christi has been home to Naval pilot training since 1941.

Florida: Copycat Source of 2020's Attack?

May 20, 2020's shooting took place three days after the FBI and Attorney General Barr held a news conference announcing they had found a link between al Qaeda and a Saudi military trainee who killed three US sailors and wounded several others in a terror attack in 2019 on Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Mohammed Said Alshamrani (pictured), a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force who had been training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, was killed by law enforcement during the attack.
The shooter in that attack had communicated with al Qaeda operatives as recently as the night prior to the shooting. His ties to the AQAP began as far back as 2015 and were "significant."

Alshamrani had made anti-American, anti-Israel and jihadi posts on social media -- including one on the September 11 anniversary -- that stated "the countdown has begun," and another two hours before the attack that referenced the words of an al Qaeda cleric. During a 15-minute shooting spree, Alshamrani shot at a photo of President Donald Trump as well as a former president. He made statements during the attack that were critical of American servicemen overseas, the FBI has said.
AQAP had claimed responsibility for the Pensacola attack and said it was in touch with Alshamrani. In February, the White House announced that Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of the group, had been killed in an airstrike in Yemen.

The timing of the Florida attack matched the pattern at the Naval base in Texas. On the morning of December 6, 2019, a terrorist attack occurred at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida. Prior to the attack, at 6:39 a.m. a message on Twitter was posted by a user using the handle @M7MD_SHAMRANI, which declared hate for Americans due to its support of Israel.
The shooting was first reported at 6:51 a.m. when the suspect, armed with a 9mm Glock handgun and several extra magazines, opened fire in one of the classroom buildings. During the incident he moved through two floors of the building, discharging his weapon on both. One of the victims was able to make his way away from the scene to alert the first response team of the location of the shooter amongst other details. The suspect was shot and killed at 7:45 a.m. after two deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office exchanged gunfire with him.

Future 2020 Military Base Attacks?

Military bases in the USA are not the fortresses against penetration that they once were thought to be. The enemy on the outside and inside are causing casualties. As the Mother Jones chart from 2015 testifies, the Washington (D.C.) Navy Yard shooting of 2013 involved a high death toll. In that incident, 13 (including the gunman) died. The Fort Hood shooting of 2009, involved a total body count of 14 (including one unborn child). 

Increasingly, military bases in the US have been the site of active shooter incidents. Between 2000 and 2018, there were 277 active shooter incidents, what the FBI defined as "an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area." In total, 2,430 people were either killed or injured.

From 2000 through 2018, seven of the 277 active shooter incidents were on military property.

During 2019, four of the active shooter incidents were on military bases. These were:

January 1, 2019: On New Year's Day, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Riley Kuznia was killed by another on-duty Marine at the Washington, D.C., Marine Barracks.

April 5, 2019: At the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a 25-year-old male Navy sailor was killed by base security after shooting a female sailor in the parking lot. The woman was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

December 4, 2019: A 22-year-old active duty sailor killed two people and injured another at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard near Honolulu, Hawaii, according to authorities. The shooter opened fire on shipyard personnel with his M4 service rifle and then used his M9 service pistol to shoot and kill himself.

December 6, 2019: An active shooter was reported at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, on Dec. 6, 2019. Four people, including the suspected shooter, were killed. (Detailed above.)

Warning

With the "re-starting" of active shooter situations in 2020, military bases in the United States should consider the rising rate of incidents at their locations alarming. These location must be on alert and prepared for the impact of the copycat effect in the future.

Look to the special dates and situations that terrorists and terror wannabes will try to match with past incidents, times, and numbers.

Be safe.

Dressed in Black, Caught Between Two Worlds in Santa Clarita

The news out of Saugus, California, was of another school shooting on November 14, 2019. Santa Clarita High School is located in Saugus, north of Los Angeles. The town is known as the home of film star notable Harry Carey (who died in 1947) and his son Harry Carey Jr. (who died in 2012). Both are known for Westerns, and both claimed Saugus as their home.

The elder Harry Carey, actor and one of silent film's earliest superstars, is most often recalled for his Oscar-nominated role as the President of the Senate (the Vice President of the United States) in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939).

Carey Sr. married Olive Fuller Golden in 1920, and they purchased a 1,000-acre ranch in Saugus, California, north of Los Angeles, which was later turned into Tesoro Adobe Historic Park in 2005.

As an homage to Harry Carey, John Wayne held his right elbow with his left hand in the closing shot of The Searchers (John Ford, director, 1956), imitating a stance Carey himself often used in his films. According to John Wayne, both he and Carey's widow Olive (who costarred in the film) wept when the scene was finished.

Saugus is named after the town of Saugus, Massachusetts, the hometown of Henry Newhall, upon whose land the town was originally built.

Saugus rancher Harry Carey Sr. (right) returns as "Cheyenne Harry" opposite Winifred Westover (left) — the future Mrs. William S. Hart — in the 1919 John Ford Western, Marked Men (a lost silent film). The character, Cheyenne Harry, always dressed in black. "The Carey Family in the John Ford Western Universe" (August 7, 2016).

Saugus and Santa Clarita. All just coincidences? Perhaps? Perhaps not?

Andrew W. Griffin, on October 31, 2019, "Working' on a mystery," in Red Dirt Report, wrote:

Oddly, Santa Clarita, where Del Shannon spent his final days, has been coming up in the news the past few days. Santa Ana winds in the Santa Clarita area have led to devastating wildfires in that area, while a Santa Clarita-based congresswoman, Katie Hill, a Democrat, has resigned over an ethics investigation.
Not sure if any of this means a doggone thing. Just taking notes as I continue to "work on this mystery."

A man in black is the shooter....

A young man described as "Asian," dressed in all-black, on his 16th birthday, shot at five fellow classmates for 16 seconds on November 14, 2019, at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. He killed two people, injured three, and attempted to kill himself with a self-inflicted suicidal wound.

The shooting began at 7:38 a.m., before the beginning of classes.

The perpetrator reportedly pulled a .45 caliber handgun from his backpack and fired on fellow students in the school's quad. One of the students was struck in the stomach. A student was found at the school's choir room, and another was struck outside the school. A handgun was located outside the area of the shooting. Shortly after the attack on his classmates, the perpetrator turned the semi-automatic pistol on himself and attempted suicide. The shooting lasted sixteen seconds.

Three off-duty police officers had just dropped off relatives at the school and became the first responders on the scene: a detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and police officers from Inglewood and Los Angeles. They were joined within a minute by uniformed deputies on duty from the sheriff's station in Santa Clarita, as well as a sheriff's deputy who works at the school as the school resource officer. The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed firefighters responded to the shooting before 8 a.m. Santa Clarita, as a contract city, uses county sheriff and fire services in lieu of operating its own police and fire departments.

Two students, a 16-year-old girl (Gracie Anne Muehlberger) and a 14-year-old boy (Dominic Blackwell), died following the shooting. Blackwell turned 14 on September 11, 2019. Muehlberger turned 15 on October 10, 2019.

There were two girls, aged 15 and 14, injured in the shooting. Four students were hospitalized at the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, where three are in critical condition. Two students were transported to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.

The suspect was identified as Nathaniel Berhow, a student at the school, who turned 16 that day. He was in critical condition after shooting himself in the head.

It was announced on the afternoon of November 15, 2019, that Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow had died of his self-inflicted wound at 3:32 pm Pacific time.

In Japanese, there is a culture of Kanji which is a set of characters originated from Chinese characters, and the meaning of the name changes according to the choice of Kanji characters. It appears that mostly the meanings are "heaven" with forms of "assistance."

This ties into the first name, Nathaniel. Nathaniel is a given name derived from the Greek form of the Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el), meaning "God/El has given" or "Gift of God/El."

His Japanese mother is Mami Matasuura. His American father, Mark Berhow died on December 5, 2017, at the age of 55. Mark Berhow was an avid hunter.

Nathaniel Berhow appears to have been caught between two worlds...between cultures...between living and dying...

Between two worlds...

Enki A. King adds...

"Twin Peaks again. The suspect lived on Sycamore Creek Drive. In the Twin Peaks universe, sycamores are associated with portals between worlds."

The Black Lodge was surrounded by sycamore trees. "Sycamore Trees" is a song performed by Jimmy Scott as the Black Lodge performer in Episode 29 of Twin Peaks. The music was written by Angelo Badalamenti and the lyrics by David Lynch.

Sycamore trees have a long history in folklore dating back to Egyptian times where the Holy Sycamore is said to connect the worlds between the dead and the living.

It was the ancient Egyptian Tree of Life. The fruit and the timber, and sometimes even the twigs, are richly represented in the tombs of the Egyptian Early, Middle and Late Kingdoms.

And between other worlds...

With Monument Valley in the background, John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, at the end of The Searchers, symbolizes much.

As for the doorway, it’s a brilliantly simple way to show Ethan is trapped between two worlds: the outlaw West and civilization...When Ethan returns from his journey, he discovers a world where settlers are throwing parties and the great Comanche war chiefs are dead. Texas has become a more peaceful place, only Ethan can’t bring himself to settle down. He doesn’t belong in this civilized world, and, really, he isn’t even welcome there. None of Ethan’s friends or family members invite him inside, and the door closes to lock him out. There isn’t anywhere for Ethan to go. He isn’t welcome with the Native Americans; the Confederacy lost the Civil War; and everyone he knows has either died or left him behind. Much like the Comanche corpse earlier in the film, Ethan is fated to “wander forever between the winds.” "What does the final shot of The Searchers mean?" (June 5, 2015)

++++



Also on November 14, 2019: Another school shooting.
Russian police responded to a college shooting in Blagoveshchensk, where a student killed one and wounded three more students, dying by suicide shortly after the attack. Russia’s state Investigative Committee said the 19-year-old shooter brought a hunting rifle to class in Blagoveshchensk near the border with China and opened fire on students, killing one and severely injuring three more.

Historically...

November 14, 1970 – Southern Airways Flight #932 crashed in the mountains near Huntington, WV, killing 75, including most of the Marshall University football team. 

November 14, 2017 – Kevin Janson Neal, 44, killed his mom the day before, then killed 4 and injured 12, on the Rancho Tehama Reserve, California.

A twilight language site surrounded in cultural chaos? July 23, 1982: Outside Santa Clarita, CA, actor Vic Morrow and two Asian children are killed when a helicopter crashes onto them while shooting a Vietnam war scene for Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Five Dead in Paris Knife Attack

A police station administrator attacked employees and killed four (several police officers, one woman + three men), on Thursday, October 3, 2019, who used a ceramic knife.

Four people have been killed in the stabbing at the Paris police headquarters. Five were dead, including the attacker.

The motive of the attacker, who was a longtime administrative employee for the police, is still unknown.

“He has been with us for over 20 years," a spokesman told the media outside the police headquarters.

The 45-year-old attacker, who was said to have worked for the police for 20 years, was shot dead at the scene.

This occurred at Île de la Cité, the island in the center of Paris where the police headquarters was attacked.

The island is also home to Notre Dame cathedral.

The attack happened at about 1pm local time at the large police building located just across from Notre Dame Cathedral.

This follows a sword attack in Finland which left one woman dead on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

Metro, Twin Peaks, and Cinergy: Deaths in France & Texas

Odessa, Texas

Odessa means "wrathful," and is the feminine version of Odysseus, which has taken on the connotative meaning of wandering, traveling adventure in honor of the famous voyage in Homer's epic The Odyssey. 

Odysseus ~ to hate. The name Texas is derived from the word "teyshas" (meaning friends or allies), from the native American Caddo language.

Odysseus ~ hate + Texas ~ allies = Hate allies.

Aurora, Colorado

Colorado ~ Red + Aurora ~ Dawn = Red Dawn.

On August 10, 2019, at 5:02 PM Eastern, Enki sent this predictive comment to Twilight Language:

An event on another anniversary date caught my eye recently. On, July 20, 2019, the seven-year anniversary of the Aurora shooting by James “Joker” Holmes, another joker appeared. Damik A. Disdier, wearing a clown mask and wielding a prop chainsaw, led police on a bizarre low-speed chase which ended at Southern California’s synchromystic hotspot Venice Beach.
Upon arriving at the beach, Disdier abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot. In the final minutes of the surreal chase, Disdier stopped to assist someone in burying a friend in the sand. A clown appearance on July 20 already had me nervous about another coming rash of Red Dawn events, but this especially odd, seemingly symbolic behavior triggered this morbid thought: They will not be able to bury the dead quickly enough.

The recent spate of high-profile mass shootings suggests my intuition was correct. I expect things to continue to heat up through 2019’s Summer of Hate, and even extend into the fall. A synchromystic Evil Spirit of 76 seems to be at work here, with The Joker scheduled to premiere at the original Venice’s 76th Venice Film Festival on August 31, and with the film's wide release happening October 4, 76 days from the Venice Beach clown craziness. These two dates will be ones to watch for jokers going wild.

Enki was correct. As he wrote to me on August 31st, "so far today we have had clowns marching at a straight pride event in Boston, a mass stabbing near Lyon, and a roaming shooter in Texas. Crazy times."

August 31 turned into a day of violence.  This took place exactly 4 weeks after the two shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. In America, it apparently began at the Twin Peaks and ended at the Cinergy!

The first the clowns, then the hints that this would be a day filled with random attacks came from France.

Venice, Italy

The film festival premiere of the Todd Phillips-Joaquin Phoenix version of Joker went over well on August 31, 2019.

Joker was received with an eight-minute standing ovation following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival Saturday, Variety reports.
Director-writer Todd Phillips and stars Joaquin Phoenix and Zazie Beetz were on hand for the event. During a press conference, Phillips said his drama was inspired by 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs as well as the Martin Scorsese-directed Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King of Comedy, three of Scorsese’s seminal works each headlined by Joker co-star Robert De Niro.

Boston, Massachusetts

The Straight Pride Parade occurred on Saturday, August 31, 2019, in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and attracted counter-protesters, as well as a heavy police presence. Within the parade, according to photographs taken there, clowns were in attendance. Were they part of it, or in protest of it?

The "straight pride parade" in Boston got people so enraged by anyone who would participate, an epic trolling campaign started with people posting pictures of clowns as "participants" of the event.

Source.

Events went downhill from there. But the clowns were at the fringes of yesterday's tragic events. Was that an indicator of things to come?

Lyon, France: 1 Dead, 8 Injured

One person was killed and eight others wounded during a knife attack on people waiting for a bus near the Laurent-Bonnevay metro station in Villeurbanne near Lyon, France. Three of the eight victims were seriously wounded.
The single fatality was a 19-year-old man, Villeurbanne Mayor Jean-Paul Bret told reporters.
The assault occurred in Villeurbanne, a suburb of the southeastern city of Lyon, about 4:30 p.m.
A suspect has been taken into custody, according to Lyon Mayor Gerard Collomb. The motive for the attack is unknown. The suspected attacker is a 33-year-old asylum seeker, Sultan Marmed Niazi from Afghanistan.
(On September 9, 2018, seven people were injured, including two British tourists, during an attack by a man wielding a knife and an iron bar in northeastern Paris, police said. The assault came after a series of knife attacks in France.)

Midland to Odessa, Texas: 7 Killed, 1 Gunman Killed, 21 Injured

A gunman in West Texas killed seven people while firing from his vehicle and then from a hijacked mail truck. He was fatally shot by police in a gun battle in a movie theater parking lot, authorities said Saturday, August 31, 2019.
At least 21 people were injured, including some who were wounded by the shooter. Three law enforcement officers were injured: one from the Department of Public Safety, one officer from the Midland Police Department and one officer from Odessa Police Department.
The shooter was identified as a white male in his 30s. His name and a motive were not given.
The chain of events began when a Department of Public Safety officer pulled over a vehicle on an interstate highway Saturday. Reports said it began at a Twin Peaks restaurant, someone was shot outside an Olive Garden, also shootings near a Home Depot, Walmart, then at random cars on Highway 191, between Midland and Odessa. It all ended at the Cinergy movie theater in Odessa, where the gunman was shot dead. He was identified as Seth Aaron Ator, 36, of Odessa.

Leila Hernandez, 15, is one of at least seven people killed when a gunman hijacked a postal truck and began firing indiscriminately in the neighboring cities of Midland and Odessa, Texas.

United States Postal worker Mary Granados was shot and killed when the gunman hijacked her truck.

The final episode of David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks Season Three (released two years ago on September 3, 2017) takes place partially in Odessa, Texas.  Cooper arrives at Judy's Diner in Odessa, Texas, and obtains the address of Carrie Page who resembles Laura Palmer. Cooper, believing she is Laura, drives her to Twin Peaks. He finds the Palmer house occupied by different owners. Confused, Cooper asks Carrie what year it is. Carrie hears Sarah calling Laura's name and screams. The house lights go out. The season closes with a visual callback to Laura whispering to Cooper in the Red Room. ~ sent in by various contributors.

Loch Ness' Boleskine House Is On Fire Again: 93

Boleskine House has long been shrouded in mystery and intrigue. It once was owned by occultist Aleister Crowley and later by the talented Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

Boleskine House (Scottish Gaelic: Taigh Both Fhleisginn) is a manor on the southeast side of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is notable for having been the home of author and occultist Aleister Crowley (October 12, 1875 – December 1, 1947), and Led Zeppelin (1968-1980, plus reunions in 1985, 1988, 1995, 2007) guitarist and producer Jimmy Page (born January 9, 1944).  

Boleskine House suffered significant fire damage in December 2015.

On July 31, 2019, firefighters are currently battling a fire in the ruins of Boleskine House.

Two fire trucks from Inverness were dispatched to the scene on the B852 shortly after 3.45 pm local time, following reports of a derelict building on fire.

A spokesman from The Boleskine House Foundation confirmed the news on social media saying: “We have received a report and have verified that the remainder of Boleskine House is on fire, as a criminal act of vandalism. Two fire engines are on site. If anyone is local and capable of going to see what is going on we would be grateful.”

The 2015 fire almost completely ruined Boleskine House.

A photograph from a drone shows the extensive 2015 damage.

On June 26, 2019, there was an announcement about the 2015 fire at the Boleskine House earlier.

Seven fire crews rushed to the scene of the blaze near Foyers on the afternoon of December 23, 2015, but were unable to save it from being totally gutted.

In an incident report by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, obtained under Freedom of Information legislation, in a section headed “main cause,” it states: “Overheating, unknown cause.”

Three years after that December blaze, when Boleskine House was razed by fire, the cause of the fire was officially revealed as “unknown,” although fire investigators say it was most likely accidental and sparked by overheating.

But they have not been able to pinpoint from where it actually started, adding to the enigma of the building where black magic rituals involving sex, drugs and the occult were said to have taken place.

Boleskine House is still a popular tourist attraction for those interested in the history of the building, particularly those with a dark interest in Crowley, dubbed “the wickedest man in the world” and the “Beast of Boleskin.”

The Boleskine House Foundation has an active Go Fund Me to 

raise money for the Boleskine House Restoration.

There is a special (unknown) premium for all those donating £93.

The twilight language of £93....

The number 93 is of great significance in Thelema, founded by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley in 1904 with the writing of The Book of the Law (also known as Liber AL vel Legis).
The central philosophy of Thelema is in two phrases from Liber AL: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and "Love is the law, love under will." The two primary terms in these statements are "Will" and "Love", respectively. In the Greek language, they are Thelema (Will) and Agape (Love). Using the Greek technique of isopsephy, which applies a numerical value to each letter, the letters of each of these words sum to 93:
Thelema: Θελημα = 9 + 5 + 30 + 8 + 40 + 1 = 93
Agapé: Αγαπη = 1 + 3 + 1 + 80 + 8 = 93
It is common for Thelemites to greet each other with "93" in person as well as in the opening and closing of written correspondence. This custom derives from Aleister Crowley's guideline that Thelemites should greet each other with the Law of Thelema by saying "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." Since saying the entire Law can be cumbersome, using 93 has become a kind of shorthand.
In informal written correspondence, one often finds the number singularly at the head of a letter, representing "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and in the form "93 93/93" at the end, which stands for "Love is the law, love under will." Crowley often used this form himself within his own letters.
Aleister Crowley wrote thus on the matter:

"I am often asked why I begin my letters this way. No matter whether I am writing to my lady or to my butcher, always I begin with these eleven words. Why, how else should I begin? What other greeting could be so glad? Look, brother, we are free! Rejoice with me, sister, there is no law beyond Do what thou wilt!" Source.