News Done Right

MADISON, WI - Dr. Soren Ulfert was killed yesterday in a single-car accident on I-94 at approximately 2:30am. According to police, Ulfert was speeding and lost control of the car. The vehicle struck a tree, killing Ulfert instantly.

The preliminary investigation seems to show that no drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident. Police believe fatigue may have played a role in his death, however. "The evidence in his car is he'd been doing some extensive travel lately, probably some sort of road trip," said one investigator. "Given the hour and the presence of receipts from Pennsylvania earlier in the day, we think this young man just fell asleep at the wheel." The vehicle also contained a copy of the book Farewell Atlantis with hand-written notes in it, including the names Rowan, Celina, DJ, and Dave, as well as a phone number labeled "Professor Meyers." Police have been unable to reach anyone at that number.

Dr. Ulfert, 33, was most prominent in his role as communications director for the Institute for Human Continuity, a role he filled for three years. He resigned from the organization in August. He was unmarried, but is survived by his mother, Wilhelmina.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND -- The Institute for Human Continuity today announced the winner of their Election for the Leader of the Post-2012 World. The winner, Michael S., ran on a platform of expanding the IHC's Safe Haven and Survival Lottery programs. He has cited both ancient and modern works of art as his priorities for preservation, including the Mayan Dresden Codex and the Aaron Copeland piece "Rodeo."

IHC spokesman Barbara Lewis-Penn said that the IHC was confident the process has produced the most qualified leader possible, and praised Michael S. for his well-planned campaign.

Michael S. was not immediately available to comment on his victory.

SVALBARD, NORWAY -- Dr. Birger Rasbrant of the Institute for Human Continuity today said that preliminary findings from a study on the effect of the solar wind on the Earth's magnetic field is inconclusive.

Rasbrant has been leading a group in the Svalbard Archipelago for over a year now, focusing on aurora borealis events and attempting to measure whether the bombardment of solar radiation the Earth withstands every day has any effect on the strength or polarity of the Earth's magnetic field.

"We are particularly interested in the interplay between the sun and the poles," said Rasbrant. "But there's so much variation in the data that we just can't pluck out a clear pattern."

The study is expected to continue through late 2010.

RALEIGH, NC - Insiders at Aerospace Robotics Corp. say the company is on the brink of instigating intensive cost-cutting measures that could leave nearly 1,700 employees around the world without a job.

Our source indicated that these job cuts are mainly due to a long-running trend for production declines in the company's manufacturing and fabrication units. "Running clean rooms and secure production lines is a pretty big cost center. We don't need to run as many lines or keep as many teams together when there aren't so many customers," the source said.

A representative of ARC said these measures, along with a series of other measures such as shutting down less productive offices and limiting overtime pay, should save the company up to $500 million in the next two years.

RALEIGH, NC - Privately owned Aerospace Robotics Corp. announced last week that it has won a $1.4 billion contract. Under the contract, the company will examine and retrofit several dams in the Pacific Northwest with more environmentally friendly power systems over the next six years. The company says that its innovative systems for generating hydroelectric power should increase the output from each dam by as much as 18%.

"We are of course gratified that we can do our part in helping meet the growing energy needs of this region. It's even better that we can help to maintain the salmon populations and the local economies that count on them," said a company spokesman.

ARC was founded in 1909. The company specializes in aerospace design and construction, but also enjoys a thriving business in related heavy industries.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - Today the Institute for Human Continuity announced that voting has begun in its election for a Leader of the Post-2012 World. Voting will continue from now until Nov. 3 to allow the public to assess the candidates and make an informed decision.

IHC spokeswoman Barbara Lewis-Penn issued a video statement naming the twelve candidates and describing the election procedures. In it she called for wide participation: "It's very important that we get as large a pool of voters as possible, so once you've voted, be sure to tell your friends and family to vote, too."

Voters must go to TheIHC.com/election to see profiles of each candidate. There is a voting mechanism available on the website.

The candidates were chosen via an assessment process the IHC concluded a few weeks ago. Would-be leaders were measured for their skills in the categories of leadership, reasoning, and strategy, among others.

NEW YORK CITY - A graduate student doing research for her dissertation on the works of Renaissance sculptors uncovered a stunning secret last month, when she found that some of the high-profile and high-value works featured in a highly regarded collection were not, in fact, authentic. She reached out to News Done Right on condition of anonymity, saying that she had approached museum officials with the news that they were displaying fake artwork, but had not been taken seriously.

"It looks like these sculptures were replaced with replicas at some point," she said. "I have proof - I took photos for my project early last year, and they clearly show a tiny pattern of cracks that aren't there anymore."

Museum officials have said, however, that a theft would be impossible, due to the size and weight of the sculptures in question. "We've conducted a very intensive cleaning and restoration project over the last few months," said the museum director. "I'm sure those imaginary cracks were just cobwebs and dust."

LOS ANGELES - Publisher Hudson Cameron Press has given News Done Right an exclusive excerpt from the first chapter of upcoming novel "Farewell Atlantis", by Jackson Curtis. The novel follows the story of a crew of astronauts trapped in space as tragedy unfolds around them. Their varied reactions when facing nearly certain death paint a broad picture of the human condition, with some characters serving only themselves, while others rise to a nobility of spirit that defies mere self-preservation.

My name is Captain Troy Scottsman. I am the Chief Systems Engineer on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. I am one of an original crew of seven - now six - sent into space to measure the effects of increased solar radiation upon advanced radio and satellite systems. It is the year 2012, and during our six weeks in orbit we have recorded extraordinary evidence that massive gravitational forces from the Galactic Alignment have been a catalyst to unprecedented solar storm activity. The Earth's magnetic field largely deflects these violent showers of solar protons bombarding our planet. However, as the storms grow larger and more frequent and more violent, the protective power of the magnetic field will diminish.

We want to report back to Earth about the imminent danger, but somebody does not want us to do this. Our radio connection has been jammed for two days and our equipment has been sabotaged. If you need any more proof, look no further than the dead astronaut floating off my starboard side towards the general vicinity of Jupiter.

This is Curtis' debut novel, available on Oct. 1. His publisher has confirmed that they will be sending Curtis on a tour to promote the book, though specific dates and locations have not yet been announced.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - The Institute for Human Continuity announced today that longtime communications director Soren Ulfert has stepped down. Chief strategist Barbara Lewis-Penn will be stepping in for the interim as the public face of the IHC.

"We really hate to see Dr. Ulfert go, but we understand his decision," said Lewis-Penn. "We'll work very hard to make sure that this personnel change doesn't affect the public or our core mission."

Ulfert could not be reached for comment.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - The Institute for Human Continuity announced today that the entry period for the 'Leader of the Post-2012 World Election' has ended. During the entry period, which began a few weeks ago, would-be candidates submitted to a series of rigorous tests involving, among others, reasoning and leadership abilities.

According to IHC Communications Director Soren Ulfert, the IHC now plans to thoroughly reviewing the results and will announce 12 finalists on or around Oct. 1. At that time, "the voting period begins," Ulfert said. "Everyone can participate in voting. We want everyone to have a voice in this. It is without question the most important political process of our lifetime."

TIKAL, MEXICO -- Authorities are reporting alleged cult activity in connection with the turnover of the Mayan 'Long Count' calendar on Dec. 21, 2012. Various groups of New Age sun worshippers are congregating around various Mayan ruins. Some of these groups are lobbying local governments for permission to conduct religious activity at these historical sites.

One source, on condition of anonymity, told our reporters that at least some of these groups believe the world will end due to massive solar activity in 2012, and are worried that they will whip up wide hysteria.

Our anonymous source went on to say, "It's not really surprising. People get worked up over big, round numbers, you saw it in a big way around Y2K, and we're starting to see the same thing around 2012 right now."

But while some law enforcement agencies are concerned that these groups may be potentially disruptive, others are embracing them as a much-needed economic boost. According to a tourist spokeperson, "Tourism has been a little slow, and some of the new tourists are a bit strange, but the tourism revenue is good for the country."

NEW YORK CITY -- The Institute for Human Continuity has launched a competition to find what they call "the Leader of the Post-2012 World."

The election consists of two main phases. The first phase, in progress now, consists of a series of skill-based challenges that the IHC claims are "designed to measure leadership abilities." Twelve finalists will be selected in this process. Those finalists will go on to campaign for votes in a month-long general election, to run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 3.

IHC communications director Soren Ulfert explained the group's plan. "As there is no homogenous global government now, choosing one existing government to preserve after 2012 would be tremendously unfair and ethically dubious," he said. "We're doing the most fair thing we possibly could."

The Institute for Human Continuity was founded in 1978 as a think tank to develop strategies for ensuring human survival in the face of multiple potential catastrophes. The group claims to have confirmed that there will be a global disaster in 2012 and say they are working to preserve humankind in its aftermath.