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Mutants near crippled Fukushima

31/12/2015

Environmentalists in Japan are sounding the alarm about the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi wrecked nuclear plant. Testing of plants and soil in areas now considered safe are showing increasing levels of radioactive cesium. Conifers tested show many mutations and small plant parasitic insects have shown mutations in their legs, some deformed and some missing.

Small amounts of radioactive cesium can be taken up by living things during their normal metabolic activities. The conifers in the area in particular are increasing their load of the radioactive element. The process is called bioaccumulation and would normally occur in any long lived or growing organism.

The official line is that scientists are seeking to see if it is a simple anomaly or a result of the ongoing radiation load.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm because the Japanese government is encouraging some refugees that fled the area three years ago to return to their villages. The villages slated for resettlement are declared decontaminated. A small area outside the village has also been declared decontaminated as well.

Unfortunately the larger surround has not been and dust and radiation can move through the air and water to previously cleared areas.

One of the cleared villages has a large storage area just off its borders that contains hundreds of large plastic bags filled with radioactive soil. Other radioactive materials have been removed to burners throughout Japan to be incinerated. Critics of that move point out that this simply dilutes the concentration of radioactive waste and spreads it further, contaminating even more areas.

While the world is being told that progress in the cleanup of the plant is being made, just this week a fox was caught on surveillance camera within the highly radioactive containment building. The fox later disappeared and its whereabouts is currently unknown. Tepco officials are not sure how it got into the building.

In four years the Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in Tokyo. A former ambassador to Switzerland for Japan, Mitshei Murata has pleaded with the Olympic Committee to move the Olympics as they cannot be sure that a further nuclear catastrophe will not happen.

Personally I believe, that the IOC cannot and should not take on the responsibility to plan for the Olympic games in a region where daily 7000 workers are attempting to clean up a contaminated nuclear reactor. The meltdown of three of the four reactor cores in Fukushima, where the contamination is clearly not under control and where a natural disaster as an earthquake quickly could increase the danger, in my opinion should strongly advocate restraint. Mitshei Murata

Sources:
NSNBC
The Japanese Times

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El Nino comes calling with extreme weather

29/12/2015

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Tornados are frequent in El Nino years

The weather phenomenon known as El Nino usually peaks around Christmas time. The Child refers to the child that was born about 2000 years ago. One was to be the prince of peace, this other one brings much misfortune.

This year we are experiencing what has come to be called an El Nino year. The Pacific Ocean water is warmer than usual in its east. This affects the atmosphere around the globe which in turn affects weather around the world.

Researchers can predict that weather patterns are likely to change in an El Nino or a La Nina year but don’t link particular storms or anomalous temperatures to the weather phenomenon. Researchers at the US institutes NASA and NOAA have predicted that North America will likely experience a warmer than average winter for the west coast and extending across the continent almost to the east coast. South of that, they predicted an amplified storm track across the US.

It is hard for the ordinary citizen to not link extreme weather events to the Child.

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South Sudans president undermines peace agreement

28/12/2015

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S.Sudan refugee camp

The world’s newest country is locked in a vicious civil war that has displaced millions and set many more onto the road to starvation. Two years ago the president, Salva Kiir and the vice-president Riek Machar split in a disagreement and plunged the country into war – again.

South Sudan had been part of Sudan since the territory was granted independence from the European colonists. It had had ongoing civil unrest and intercene warfare. The people voted two years ago to form their own country and a fairly peaceful transition was made. There were high hopes for the fledgling country which is rich in petroleum resources and agricultural land.

Violence erupted shortly after the two top leaders split.

Peace talks have since been held in Ethiopia. Both sides have agreed to conditions necessary to end the warfare and both sides have violated the agreements. The latest round of talks seemed to be more effective and envoys from the Machar camp were scheduled to travel to the capital city Juba to progress the peace process.

Last week Pres. Kiir suddenly dissolved the state lines and instituted 28 new states and boundaries, complete with new governors. This is a violation of the most recent peace agreements. In addition, more splits in the country’s unity have surfaced, where armed groups have declared their own course independent of either the president or former VP.

This week Pres. Kiir is calling on faith based groups and other peace loving individuals to help him implement the peace deal.

“help his government disseminate messages of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness as he implements the peace deal which he signed in August with leader of armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), Riek Machar, and other stakeholders” Sudan Tribune

The UN and human rights groups have maintained that war crimes have been committed by both sides in the conflict.

The country is in a shambles. Only a minority of people have access to a protected water source such as an enclosed well and few have the luxury of piped water. Open ponds and rivers are the only water supply for many. The UN estimates that starvation stalks the people with one third and more at risk of severe food shortages and starvation.

Pres. Kiir and ex-VP Machar look well fed when TV cameras cover their peace talks.

Sources:
Al Jazeera
Human Rights Watch
Sudan Tribune

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Israeli terrorist calls for burning of Christian churches

24/12/2015

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Interior Church of the Nativity

Opinion
We so often hear about Islamic terrorists while ignoring those who promote terrorism and hatred but purport to follow a different faith.

A right wing Jewish settler has lashed out at the Christians in Israel. He has been quoted as saying that there is no place for the celebration of Christmas in ‘his’ Israel. The exhortation to burn Christian churches in Israel has also been attributed to him. He has called Christians in Israel “blood sucking vampires”.

Benzi Gopstein is the head of an extremist group known as Lahava. Members of this group were implicated in the firebombing and murder of a Palestinian family in their home last summer.

Since the end of the Six Day War in 1967 Israel has occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and controls the Gaza Strip. For many of the Palestinians living in those areas the war has continued over the years.

The state of Israel has gradually taken over much of the occupied land, forcing the Palestinians out of their farms and homes.

The building of massive settlements for Jewish people while building massive walls to keep Palestinians from their land has been condemned by the UN.

The nastiness is not confined to the terrorists living in the occupied territories. In September, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear to the world that Israel will not allow people fleeing the Syrian civil war. He announced the building of another massive barrier wall construction to keep the people out. He is quoted below:

"We will not allow Israel to be flooded with illegal migrants and terrorists." Common Dreams

It would behoove those in power in Israel to look to the growing number of fascists within their ranks and extirpate them.

Guided and instigated by far-right ideologues such as Benzion Gopstein and Baruch Marzel, the crowds chanted their usual “Death to Arabs,” “A Jew has a soul, an Arab is a son of a whore,” and other similar malicious slogans. Mondo Weiss

Sources:
Al Jazeera
Wikipedia
Common Dreams
Mondo Weiss

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Saint Nicolas Has Morphed from a Saint to a Salesman

23/12/2015

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The Christmas season in North America features an obese figure in a garish red and white snowsuit. He’s a smoker but “do gooders” are trying to hide that from the kiddies. Santa Clause is the favourite salesman for car dealers, toy makers, jewelers, and anyone else who wants to make a buck on the back of the holy Christian holiday.

He’s a miracle worker alright. He can fly through the air. He can divide himself into many parts and appear whole across town in many stores and shopping centres at once. This used to confuse me as a child until I accepted that it was a miracle. When Santa is around, you may see strange beings called elves. They all live together in a magical place at the North Pole.

The modern Santa Clause is the patron saint of greedy children.

There was a real person who lived an unselfish life according to Christian principles. He was born in Turkey, then occupied by Greece around the beginning of the fourth century. He was born into a wealthy family but was orphaned at an early age.

His pious nature led him to devote his life and fortune to good works. He was reputed to anonymously donate dowries to poor young women, ransom children out of slavery and succor the ill among other good works.

This annoyed the Roman emperor Diocletian who threw him and his fellow church officials into jail. Later St. Nicholas became a highly respected bishop. That still didn’t make him a saint.

It was after his death that strange and wonderful things happened that were attributed to St. Nicholas and he was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. He is also recognized a saint in the Greek Orthodox tradition and given a feast day – December 6th.

The association of St. Nicholas with Christmas and giving has been in and out of favour with the European churches over the years. In N. America he seems caught in the image painted by the author of Twas the Night Before Christmas. Many believe that he was invented complete by the Coca Cola company to promote their drinks but that is not true. They merely appropriated the image that fit so well with their corporation’s colours.

So this holiday season, spare a thought for the former Bishop of Bari and the good works he is credited with. As he loved children, the needy and the ill remember the reason for the season and commit to one good work in his memory.

Ref: St Nicholas Center

First published by Barbara McPherson at "Saint Nicolas Has Morphed from a Saint to a Salesman."

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Mutants near crippled Fukushima

El Nino comes calling with extreme weather

South Sudans president undermines peace agreement

Israeli terrorist calls for burning of Christian churches

Saint Nicolas Has Morphed from a Saint to a Salesman

Barbara McPherson

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