Cyber Attacks & North Korea/ Spirit World & New Orleans

Hosted byGeorge Noory

Cyber Attacks & North Korea/ Spirit World & New Orleans

About the show

In the first half, cyber technology expert Charles R. Smith offered analysis of threats from North Korea, and reports about security flaws, hacks, and viruses. Regarding the recent North Korean rocket launch, it demonstrated that they could get a good-sized payload into orbit-- around 400 to 500 pounds, which is equivalent to one of their smaller nuclear weapons. This is worrying, as it shows they could potentially deliver a nuclear weapon anywhere on the globe, he noted. At this point, North Korean nuclear weapons are less adept at producing EMP pulses, and designed more for a classic blast effect and radiation, he pointed out. "North Korea kind of reminds of that song Still Crazy After All These Years," with Kim Jong Un even more of a loose cannon than his father, Smith remarked.

Power grids are susceptible to hackers, such as was highlighted with the Ukraine electric grid blackout in December of 2015. It was brought about by the BlackEnergy computer virus, which is typically delivered by email and gets in via a software security flaw, he explained. Smith expressed concern over backdoor attacks which allow hackers to take over a system with administrative access. He also detailed the 'Juniper Hack,' a sophisticated backdoor attack on Juniper Networks, probably originally created by the NSA, and then possibly obtained by a nation state or third party.

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In the latter half, an 11th generation Creole New Orleanian, Bloody Mary, made her debut on the show. A strong advocate for spirits' rights, she runs Bloody Mary's Tours, and guest lectures at Loyola and Tulane Universities. She discussed the rich history of voodoo and the paranormal that permeates the culture of New Orleans, and her interactions with the spirit realm. Spirits aren't necessarily something to be feared but rather can act as our protectors, she revealed. She sometimes even invokes spirits at weddings that she officiates, inviting the "ancestors" in, or holding weddings under the old oaks in a haunted area. Mary spoke about the origins of Voodoo, which was brought in by slaves who had more freedoms in New Orleans than other parts of the country.

So called voodoo dolls or effigies were initially created as a spirit tool or surrogate to help a particular person accomplish positive desires or healings, she cited. Interestingly, Mary said she was called onto the set of American Horror Story-- Coven (which was filmed in New Orleans) to conduct an exorcism or banishing because most of the cast and crew were experiencing unpleasant paranormal effects. Mary, an expert on haunted bars, quipped that "spirits love spirits," and Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop in the French Quarter, the oldest bar in the country, has had many ghost sightings. She also stressed the importance of people occasionally doing their own spiritual cleansing (such as through salt baths) as well as clearing their homes of negative energies.

News segment guests: Jerome Corsi, Peter Davenport

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