The Age of Awakening Series #1: A Crippled World - A Dawning New Reality
Hello everysoul!
I was not expecting to send you another compilation so soon but there is just so much happening right now which everyone needs to be aware of that I cannot wait any longer to network this.
So what's happening? In a nutshell, the Israelis are itching to launch a new "Cast Lead 2" full scale bombing campaign in Gaza - based on what could very well be a fabricated false flag terrorist 'attack' in Jerusalem - in order, most probably, to prevent the Palestinians from uniting and launching the long expected third Intifada which could bring the Arab Spring to Israel's doorstep. The US led coalition is bombing the hell out of Libya and allegedly killing scores of civilians in the process while civilian massacres are happening in Syria, Yemen and Pakistan, in this case because of ongoing US drone attacks which just prompted the North Waziristan tribes to declare war against the US - not to mention the escalating violence in the Ivory Coast which is on the verge of civil war. There is a huge cover up concerning the extent and gravity of the nuclear radiations from the Fukushima nuclear Plant in Japan which now rivals what happened in Chernobyl, while there are credible claims that the earthquake was triggered by the Illuminati using their HAARP arrays. There are extremely weird and downright scary pulsed rumblings that have been heard in several locations around the world these past few days and recorded by some people in Florida (check also HERE and HERE - much more at the top of the NUGGETS OF SPECIAL INTEREST section below). And this is just a brief overview of the news and views you'll find in this compilation which I hope you'll find time to check out.
Now of course, it is important to remember that there is always a silver lining in any difficult situation. The cruel, inhumane policies of the Israeli government (clearly distinct from our peace-loving Jewish brothers and sisters from around the world) against Palestinians are now increasingly exposed and its agenda is widely disapproved (check also HERE), which means they are less likely to be able to get away - despite the blind, soul deaf support of the US - with its continuing seen and unseen crimes against humanity. The spreading people's revolt against their dictatorial oppressors in Arab countries marks, like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dawn of a new era of greater freedom and democracy in more and more countries around the world and signals the awakening of a new generation of souls who are determined to throw away the yoke of centuries of domination of the majority by a tiny elite, with the aim of creating a more just and socially sustainable world. The nuclear disaster in Japan is putting the last nail in the coffin of the risks-denying nuclear industry whose free ride at the expense of taxpayers has finally hit the wall of the absolute unsustainability and downright folly of nuclear power generation.
In short, despite the travails and tribulations of this period of transition into the—now inevitable!—dawning Golden Era of Peace Love and Harmony on Earth, there is an increasingly bright light growing within and around us that beckons us to grow out of our spiritual adolescence and take the reign of the glorious destiny that awaits all souls of goodwill in service to the common cause of the Highest good of all.
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THE QUOTES
"The unrest in the Middle East, the implosion of national economies such as those of Ireland and Greece, the increasing anger of a beleaguered working class at home and abroad, the growing desperate human migrations and the refusal to halt our relentless destruction of the ecosystem on which life depends are the harbingers of our own collapse and the consequences of the idiocy of our elite and the folly of globalization. Protests that are not built around a complete reconfiguration of American society, including a rapid dismantling of empire and the corporate state, can only forestall the inevitable. We will be saved only with the birth of a new and militant radicalism which seeks to dethrone our corrupt elite from power, not negotiate for better terms. The global economy is built on the erroneous belief that the marketplace—read human greed—should dictate human behavior and that economies can expand eternally. Globalism works under the assumption that the ecosystem can continue to be battered by massive carbon emissions without major consequences. And the engine of global economic expansion is based on the assurance that there will always be plentiful and cheap oil. The inability to confront simple truths about human nature and the natural world leaves the elites unable to articulate new social, economic and political paradigms. They look only for ways to perpetuate a dying system."
"In my view... The truth flowing through mainstream news, signals new consciously aware beings are rising to Power by 'Divine Grace'. - see MSNBC – Banksters And Government Exposed FINALLY by Mainstream News! - We are all response-able for the past. Authentic truth is like a dam with a hole in it now and that finger is being removed, to organically purify the past and set us free, when we see through the eyes of our divine Soul instead of limiting beliefs inherited from a world that is rapidly coming to a close. Thoughts and beliefs create reality. The more people hold a vision of the Cabal and cohorts standing down, being tried and forgiven, which sets all of us free, the more we influence positive outcome by us instead of more negativity to us. - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crP9PqlPnD0 - I ask you to focus on gratitude for a new conscious world where peace, freedom, harmony, abundance and what makes your heart sing prevail! Please re-member and give heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the courageous people who risked their lives to liberate authentic truth to set us free. Now it's up to the rest of us to find the 'courage' to look within ourselves for authentic truth. Each of us is Body Mind Soul, living the greatest adventure of any tract of humanity before now. Our Soul 'chose' to participate in liberating this Earth Garden and a greater destiny for us and all who follow! Limitless blessings to you and yours!"
- Doreen Agostino "Only Love sets us free." (March 23, 2011) -- Taken from HERE
"Bright sun bursting forth into the dawn of a brand new day...
Golden rays streak across the sky blanketing the land with newfound warmth...
Manifold lifeforms arise from their slumber to the infinite possibilities of this grand awakening...
Infinite choice presented to all with the dawn of this new day...
Do we choose to let wounds of the past and fears of the future determine our way?...
Or do we choose to stir and awaken the limitless glories within and around us?...
May we transcend past and future shadows to dance with the golden rays of the newborn sun."
- Fred Burks who also wrote: "Even with all the craziness and challenges we are facing on many levels, I am very inspired and hopeful with all that is going on in the world. Thanks to people like you and me who have embraced our own transformation, I see this very much as an exciting time of new birth." He also recommended Short Poems About Life & Love
"The Hopi are praying for the people of Japan and for the people around the world as we face crisis in our world out of balance. We are all in a time of great change upon mother earth and these events have been foretold by our Elders. Through our Prophecies and our Ceremonies the sacred land of this earth is now crying. And our children are looking to Hopi to balance life for their future. Our Elders have given us guidance for how to move through these changes. Humanity is now choosing the path upon which all life will follow and we have known this time would come. As Hopi, we ask you to join us in prayer to balance mother Earth and all life. We believe that, through our prayers and that if we pray with good hearts as told by our Elders, we can lessen the impact of these events. We as the Hopi join our prayers with those of the Dalai Lama along with people from around the world to send healing to Japan, the Earth and all life. In this time of change, we ask all the people of the world to return to a more balanced way of life. Hopi say there is a path to follow that allows for us to move through this time of change. Walk gently upon our earth with respect for her and all life. A return to connecting our heart with the heart of the path to the future. Join your hearts to Hopi in honoring our Mother Earth by planting gardens, respecting our Sacred life giving waters and all life for future generations of our children. "Kwak wha, Lolmani" (Thank you, may there be good things in the future.)"
“While it is conceivable that 2012 may see some sudden quantum shift in human consciousness or an alien landing on the White House lawn, it is also possible that we have a much longer struggle ahead of us. In that case, the end of the Long Count may still be significant as the hinge of a transition in our species’ awareness. An ever-growing segment of humanity is becoming conscious of the culture of domination that has degraded the biosphere, annihilated local cultures, and locked us in a prison of constricted awareness. As more and more of us realize this, we will unify our intention to undertake the difficult work of superseding it.”
Businesses and organisations to show leadership beyond the hour. (23 March, 2011) http://earthhourblog.posterous.com/businesses-and-organisations-to-show-leadersh
Three days out from the global switch-off event, Earth Hour has called on businesses and organisations to show their leadership by committing to lasting action for the planet when the lights come back on. A record 131 countries and territories are registered to take part in Earth Hour this Saturday 26 March at 8:30pm local time, and many global organisations will join the hundreds of millions that are once again expected to take part. “It is only through the collective action of business, organisations, individuals, communities and governments that we will be able to affect change on the scale required to address the environmental challenges we face,” said Andy Ridley, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Earth Hour. “We are calling on businesses and organisations to use the annual lights-out event as the time to show their commitment to lasting action for the planet, beyond the hour,” Ridley said.Corporate support has swelled, with industry leaders from the tourism, finance, media, food and beverage, telecommunications, real estate, and online sectors committing to participate in Earth Hour. Earth Hour 2011 has garnered support from global companies and organisations as diverse as: Nokia, PWC, FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, Leo Burnett, Canon, Baidu, Naver, National Geographic Channel, Asia, Bloomberg, Starcom, Mindshare, Pocoyo, Clear Channel, Credit Suisse AG, Coca Cola, IKEA, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Hostel World and CB Richard Ellis. This year marks the beginning of a new phase for Earth Hour – beyond the hour – with the launch of an online platform that aims to inspire and showcase positive actions the global community will take for the planet throughout the year. The platform, translated into 11 languages, allows businesses, governments and individuals all over the world to commit to an ongoing environmental action and share it to inspire others. CLIP
Jose Arguelles Passes On (3-23-11) http://www.realitysandwich.com/jose_arguelles_passes
This morning Daniel Pinchbeck received a message from the Foundation for the Law of Time informing the Reality Sandwich community that Valum Votan/Jose Arguelles has passed away. According to the Foundation for the Law of Time, Jose Arguelles "departed this Planet on Solar Moon 17 (March 23), Red Spectral Moon, at 6:10 a.m (the exact same time that he was born in 1939 in the Red Spectral Moon year)." "After a short illness, he slipped away in complete peace. We are asking for those who loved him to hold a synchronized vigil and/or ceremony on his behalf at noon (Pacific standard time) on Solar Moon 19, Kin 91. Send him your prayers, light and blessings to continue his spirit journey - and also visualize the rainbow bridge and the Return of Light. "We are saddened to report his passing, but his influence and his message lives on through his teachings. Though this galactic guide is no longer with us on the material plane, his presence will continue to guide us through the turning of the cycle and leaves us with one final message: "EVERYTHING IS PERFECT!!! Love everyone. Hate no one. God bless everyone." More details on this HERE - Watch a video of Jose Arguelles, one of his last public appearances on January 25, 2010. On the Beam: Crossing the Rainbow Bridge - the Harmonic Convergence of 2012
Jerusalem Bombing Likely To Be A Mossad False Flag
by Feroze Mithiborwala -- March 24, 2011
A bomb has struck a crowded bus stop in West Jerusalem, killing at least one person and wounding 30 in what authorities said was the first major attack in the city in several years. At least eight Palestinians, including children, were killed in Israeli mortar attacks and airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. - Al Jazeera
The terror attack in Jerusalem, follows a set pattern. Israeli’s attack Gaza with airstrikes & tanks, kill civilians so as to provoke & incite counter violence & then Mossad cells engineer a false-flag terror attack. This has been recorded & observed by various analysts.
Israel has also been threatening to launch another war on Gaza & they need to create a case, a valid pretext for the invasion.
More critically, this is also to counter the growing popular pressure from the Palestinian grass-roots for Palestinian unity, between the Fatah & Hamas. A unified Palestinian resistance, will surely set the momentum for the “Third Intifada”, which is due to break out as part of the larger pattern of non-violent democratic uprisings across the Arab world.
When millions of Palestinians begin to march, braving the Israeli bullets, it will decidedly turn the tide of public opinion in favour of Palestinian independence. This is a nightmare scenario that the Israelis do not have an answer to.
The Fatah – Hamas detente is a result of the larger winds of democratic change that are blowing across the region. President Mahmud Abbas has clearly stated that he will soon visit Gaza & that elections cannot be held till Gaza & the West Bank are united again. This is a far cry from the time when the Palestine Authority was complicit in the political marginalization & isolation of Hamas, as that was the core Israeli condition for the so-called “peace process”.
Also, the new dispensation in Egypt has invited the Hamas leadership for a dialogue, which itself is unprecedented & now Hamas is set to be integrated into the larger Arab fold.
The 7 million Palestinian Refugees are also all set to march back to their homeland on the 15th of May this year. They are demanding that UN Resolution be implemented & that they be legally allowed to return back to their homes & lands from which they were ethnically cleansed in 1948. Imagine the sight when millions of Refugees are peacefully marching back to reclaim their rightful possessions & the impact that would have on global public opinion. The Israeli’s will do all that is within their power & resort to dubious means to sabotage this mass uprising.
Also the Siege of Gaza, so cruelly imposed by the Nazi Israeli junta is unsustainable, as now Cairo will allow the flow of humanitarian aid, including construction materials into Gaza. This is a total reversal of the policies of the collaborator Mubarak regime.
Soon again in May, the Second Flotilla is all set to reach the shores of Gaza & break the Israeli Siege. More than 20 ships will set sail from various European ports & after the debacle of the Mavi Marmara massacre wherein Israeli soldiers murdered 10 peace activists, it will be interesting to observe the Israeli response to the coming peace armada.
Thus as we can infer, the Israelis have a series of political challenges & a major crisis looms on the horizon. The Israelis were truly sad to see the end of the Mubarak regime & the refrain was that democracy is not applicable to the Arab & Muslim world.
This in fact is the only card left that the Israelis have, to break their increasing isolation across the world. Today the Israeli leadership stands exposed for the failure of the peace process, the continued building of the Settlement blocks, destruction of Palestinian homes in the West bank & Jerusalem & the inhuman Siege of Gaza.
Just a few days ago on BBC, Netanyahu continued to insist that Jerusalem will remain the unified capital of Israel, the Settlements will carry on unabated & that Israel will maintain control of the Jordan Valley, even though some sort of a Palestinian entity or rather a Bantustan is created. Expectedly on the Refugee issue he refused to compromise. He insisted that Hamas will never be accommodated in any process, despite the fact that Hamas is the democratically elected government. Thus there is not much there to discuss, as there seems no hope at all on the core issues.
Israel also desperately needs to counter the growing momentum & recognition for a Palestinian state by the International community. Today more than 170 nations have recognised a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, as per UN Resolutions & International Law & this has too set a sense of panic amongst Israel.
The increasing & total isolation was also evident when the US wielded its veto to shamefully bail out Israel on the resolution moved by the Palestinian Authority on the Settlements. It was the US & Israel against the rest of the world.
As the democratic revolutions rage on across the region, Zionist Israel as an Apartheid state, that Occupies the Palestinian nation, supported by the US & other Western powers is now unsustainable & an anathema to global public opinion. Thus Israel is increasingly seen in extremely terms across the world, this is despite the fact that they monopolise & control the flow of news & information through their myriad media networks, but to no avail.
Thus, It is only a matter of time before the Zionist state collapses & withers away, as all colonizing projects in history have.
But Israel will wreck a lot of mayhem, terror & wars before the Palestinians finally do win their freedom. The coming years will witness violence that will be beyond our imagination & worst fears.
We now stand at a critical phase of our struggle to liberate Palestine & all of the nations from the forces of Imperialism & Zionism. The final triumph will be that of humanity & thus we must persevere on & walk unitedly with utmost faith & belief in our hearts.
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Related article and comment:
Deadly bombing targets Jerusalem bus stop (23 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12836224
One person has died and more than 30 others are injured after a bomb blast at a crowded bus stop in Jerusalem, Israeli officials say. The bomb had been left in a bag by the side of the road near the central bus station, police said. Jerusalem suffered a spate of bus bombings between 2000 and 2004 but attacks had stopped in recent years. Israel's prime minister said the country would act aggressively to restore security."Israel will act aggressively, responsibly and wisely to preserve the quiet and security that prevailed here over the past two years," Benjamin Netanyahu said. He said the attackers sought to test the country's will and determination and said the Israeli people had "an iron will" to defend their country.
(...) After the attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu met defence and security officials, delaying by a few hours a scheduled trip to Moscow where he is due to hold talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. 'Unacceptable' attack -- Jerusalem was hit by a series of bombings - mostly targeting buses and restaurants - during the second Palestinian uprising that began in 2000. However the attacks have stopped in recent years. Jerusalem last experienced a bus bombing in 2004. The latest attacks comes amid heightened tension in the Gaza Strip. The BBC's Jon Donnison in Gaza says none of the militant factions there has said it was involved in the Jerusalem attack. But an Islamic Jihad leader said a Palestinian attack would be a "natural response" to this week's Israeli strikes in Gaza. On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes launched fresh air strikes east of Gaza City, after Palestinian militants fired two rockets into southern Israel. Islamic Jihad said it carried out the rocket attacks in reprisal for the killing of eight Palestinians near Gaza City on Tuesday. Four of those killed were members of one family and two of them were children. Hamas government spokesman Taher Nono has refused to comment on the Jerusalem explosion. However, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the bombing, calling it "a terrorist attack". CLIP - NOTE from Jean: [This comment was written one day prior to receiving the "Jerusalem Bombing Likely To Be A Mossad False Flag" article above...] I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this bomb explosion is the work of the Mossad. Much like what black-op elements of the CIA have been doing for years in Iraq where they've mounted such false flag attacks to stir hatred between opposing religious groups to deflect their attention towards each other instead of having them focused on the US occupying forces (the old divide to conquer strategy), the Israeli government may be behind this and the recent massacre of Israeli children in Itamar, the reason being that Netanyahu, whose relentless drive to colonize Palestine with ever new fortified settlements and lack of any effort to start serious peace negotiations with the Palestinians ensure the status quo he seeks to maintain, may see an opportunity in the current global turmoil (Japan earthquake, the rebellion in Libya and the Arab spring of revolt against dictatorial protégés of the US Cabal) to further weakens the resistance of the Palestinian people through fabricating an excuse to launch another massive wave of aerial bombardments of Gaza - see Palestine: 19 Palestinians wounded by Israeli army bombardment Gaza - and increased oppression and denial of basic human rights in the West Bank, all with the blessing of course of the powerful US Jewish lobby tightly controlling the US Congress, Senate and the impotent Obama's White House. So let's keep our eyes peeled open and let's resist and defuse any call from our national elites betrothed to the Zionist Cabal to support any aggressive military action Netanyahu - see Netanyahu vows to act firmly against recent attacks - may be trying to launch against the basically defenseless Palestinian civilian population. And of course, use this kind of vigilant discernment to not buy into the blatant propaganda the Zionist controlled media in America have already launched to influence US public opinion towards legitimizing more crimes against humanity by the Israeli army.
Is another ‘Cast Lead’ in the offing? (March 23, 2011) http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/is-another-cast-lead-in-the-offing/
Are we witnessing the stirrings of a new, large-scale Israeli military operation? Haaretz today reports that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces would continue to use ‘firm determination and assaults’ on Gaza…[Netanyahu said:] ‘It could take the form of exchanges of fire, it could continue for a particular length of time.’”UPDATE (1:40 PM EST): The New York Times is reporting on a statement put out by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in the aftermath of today's deadly bombing in Jerusalem. From the Times: "Israel held Hamas responsible for Wednesday’s rocket attacks, and added that 'responsibility comes with a price.' The Israeli army will 'continue to act to protect citizens of the state and to carry out preventive actions' along the Gaza border, he added. 'There will be ups and downs. It will not be over by tomorrow, but we are determined to restore security and calm.'" Indeed, the stars seem to be aligning for another brutal Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip two years after “Operation Cast Lead” killed some 1,400 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians, and completely destroyed 3,000 homes in what Judge Richard Goldstonetermed a “deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population.” Eerie parallels between the period leading up to “Cast Lead” and the situation now exist, and there’s nothing to stop Israel from launching another assault, given that the United States has sent the world the message that Israeli war crimes will go unpunished. First, the parallels:
(...) The current tensions began exactly a week ago when Israel launched an air attack on a Hamas base in the ruins of the settlement of Netzarim, killing two Hamas men. That attack came in response to a Qassam fired from Gaza that landed in an open area. Hamas then responded with a barrage of 50 mortars on communities south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli attacks on Gaza over the last few days have left eight people dead, including five civilians, and another twelve civilians have been wounded. The air strikes came after Hamas offered a truce--events that bear a striking resemblance to what occurred in the run-up to “Operation Cast Lead.” What makes a renewed assault seem more possible is the fact that strident warnings are coming from Israeli leaders. Tzipi Livni, the head of the opposition party Kadima and who was the foreign minister during the 08-09 Gaza assault, recently said that “the right way to contend with [the recent rocket attacks] is through force, as Israel did during Operation Cast Lead and after it.” Both the Vice Premier and and the culture minister have voiced similar warnings. The frightening warnings and attacks on Gazan civilians could stop if the international community would pressure Israel. But what’s to stop Israel if they have U.S.-guaranteed impunity? The Goldstone report recommended that proceedings against Israelis and Palestinians who committed war crimes occur if domestic systems do not uphold international law. No high-level officials, on the Palestinian or Israeli side, have been held accountable. The U.S. has ensured that Israeli leaders who committed war crimes will get off free. A promise of law is that the deterrent effect of punishment may prevent future crimes. That promise goes out the window if there is no punishment–exactly what happened after the publication of the Goldstone report.
Establishing the timeline on ‘Cast Lead II’ (MARCH 23, 2011) http://mondoweiss.net/2011/03/establishing-the-timeline-on-cast-lead-ii.html
In a post today, Alex Kane asked the question, 'Is another 'Cast Lead' in the offing?' I wanted to just add a couple of supplementary thoughts on the current "escalation" in Gaza. (...) So as Alex pointed out, the parallels are there, particularly in terms of both establishing an atmosphere of 'inevitability' about an assault as well as provoking Hamas into a response to create the PR-friendly casus belli (as in 2008). Secondly, some have suggested that Hamas' mortar fire last week was designed to derail reconciliation efforts, or distract from March 15 protests. This is possible. However, it is also plausible that Netanyahu is seeking to stir up a 'cycle of violence' in Gaza/the south as a response to being pushed into a corner internationally, and facing numerous domestic political challenges.
Netanyahu: Israel will continue to operate against terrorists in Gaza (23.03.11) http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-israel-will-continue-to-operate-against-terrorists-in-gaza-1.351331
After barrage of rocket and mortar fire, Vice Premier Shalom says Israel may have to consider wide operation in Gaza; Minister Limor Livnat: Operation Cast Lead 2 may be in order. (...) Vice Premier Silvan Shalom warned earlier Wednesday, before any official meeting on the matter in Jerusalem, that Israel may have to consider launching a fresh military offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Shalom told Israel Radio that the situation recalled the run-up to Israel's 2008-2009 Gaza war, which killed around 1,400 Palestinians. Hamas had mostly held fire from the enclave since."We may have to consider a return to that operation," Shalom told Israel Radio. "I say this despite the fact that I know such a thing would, of course, bring the region to a far more combustible situation. "If the rocket fire continues, Israel would have to embark on a wide-scale operation to topple the Hamas regime, Shalom told Israeli Radio. The operation would have to target leaders and commanders of terrorist movements, said Shalom, rather than just tunnels and open areas. Culture Minister Limor Livnat echoed Shalom's remarks, saying Israel may have no choice but to launch Operation Cast Lead 2 if the rocket fire continued. With dissident movements rocking the Arab world, U.S.-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has broached reconciliation with Islamist Hamas, which bested his Fatah faction in a 2006 ballot and seized control of Gaza in a civil war a year later. Shalom said Hamas might have opened a new front with Israel "to stop any possibility of dialogue among the Palestinians or to come to the intra-Palestinian negotiation in a far stronger position". In a statement following the rocket attacks, Islamic Jihad said it sought to avenge "the Zionist massacres against our fighters and people" and would continue to fight "until the full liberation of our lands" - a reference to Israel, as well as the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas has described its attacks, which included the firing of more than two dozen mortar shells and rockets at the weekend, as retaliation for Israeli strikes. Hamas has at times proposed a long-term truce with Israel. CLIP - Check also Egypt warns Israel against military action in Gaza and Abbas to Russia: Pressure Israel to halt Gaza escalation
LAST MINUTE ADDITION
I just received an earthquake alert email from Charlotte King (charking@viser.net)... Here are the highlights...
"Larger aftershock due for Japan... 3rd window is between March 25 and April 5... Third precursor has shown up for another major event. Nothing specific I can say at this time but to watch for the next 7 days... All I can tell you for sure is these are not "natural"... man has his hand in these.. also the quakes are always 7.0 or greater.. so far, always in the water.. and those who know me and have been on this list for some time know this is not a cop out waiting for something to happen. I for one would be very happy if nothing happened.. and that has also been the case about 3-4 times since I put this together some 22 years ago. New Zealand is also due to shake again, nothing major at this time... Rings turning my fingers black/blue.. pH balance is off.. Solar flare, CME or Full or Partial Halo is building... perhaps a filament collapse... Whatever it is, it should be within 12-24 hours perhaps as long as 36 but likely much shorter in time. Some mild earaches, left side, again this is China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and or India/Nicobar or Andaman Islands... (this could be the Myanmar quake of today - 120 miles from China. Will continue to monitor events and observations: Whale Beachings ( Pilot Whales) - Ant invasions - Birds pigeons not able to fly - Earthworms all over the groun - Cars stalled - EQ clouds - Physical symptoms and sounds - Specific patterns..."
NUGGETS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
Earthquake Prediction 2011 Jim Berkland - A Major Earthquake in North America Imminent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXDt4VdS0E
Earthquake forecaster Jim Berkland warns of a 'high risk' seismic window and potential for a massive quake poised to strike somewhere in North America in between the dates of March 19th and 26th.
Strange sounds --- This looks for real!! CRANK UP THE VOLUME AND CHECK THAT OUT. STUNNING!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4DpHkWuOmQ
These rumbling pulses are so intense, you can feel them in the ground, but the sound seems to come from the sky above the Ohio river. Note from Jean: According to what is posted HERE, this freakish rumbling noise is being heard around the world. Check in the many comments under the video above and you'll see that people heard the same thing in Germany, New York. Example: "I live in Miami Florida and I hear that all? the time around 1-4 am at first I thought it might be garbage trucks but then I said they can't be picking up garbage for that long. I am very interested in this sound and many people are hearing it through out the world." - "it's from above and not from the ground. It has long drawn out tones like space noise, (listen to recorded sounds from space), and is the result of stretching the ionosphere beyond its normal shape, limit, and form, bringing sounds waves from space into the air molecules to make the sounds we here. I would like to believe it's the Haarp machine and not some alien hell craft. BTW why don't? we as a people? stop the use of the haarp??? Cause were lazy?? it's the seismic weapon!! ask Japan they know." - "Something is definitely wrong. All these weird noises also in Florida. We are definitively in for something big in the next few days. I believe these are warning signs before something actually happens. God bless? and keep safe..." - "That's f#$%?g scary.. just seen a video from Florida and the EXACT noises? can be heard. Absolutely IDENTICAL. Unreal." And HERE the 21-3-2011 comment is: "I am in Knoxville Tennessee and I can hear it as well as my neighbors. It is not as loud as in the other videos, but is definitely discernable from a common early morning here. It has been going on for about 30mins. or more I could hear it through the walls, sounded like a sound system from a car. Just a very low pass rumbling bass/thunderok, as I am writing this it has just stopped, now I can hear something a bit different. wawawa type of noise, similar to when a boomerang is thrown. Didn't get any video, don't have a camera phone, but I do not believe it would have picked up anyway, being it was so faint. Now all noise has stopped entirely. It started back before I could even post this thread just now, will update if it stops, gets more intense or changes patterns. Anyone else from the Knoxville/Alcoa/Maryville/Townsend/Sevier county area here that might confirm this? OK, my neighbor is recording it now, will see if I can get the video from her in a few hours, hopefully something will be picked up on it, What the heck is going on here? I was hearing about the compasses being screwed up and it seems this strange noise is effecting the same general area as where the compasses were faulting Dogs now going crazy throughout the subdivision..." Check also Strange sounds from the sky and DEFENSE DEPT. AND HAARP CONDUCTING TEST FLORIDA AND S.E. U.S. CAUSING STRANGE (March 20. 2011)
Weird Noise Phenomena in Florida (w/Video) (21 MARCH 2011) http://www.setyoufreenews.com/2011/03/weird-noise-phenomena-in-florida-wvideo.html
Two very weird phenomena stories out of the Florida beginning on March 9 when residents in Flagler County located on the east coast of Florida reported a loud noise–’very strange sounds’ that lasted ‘up to 20 minutes’. [Video, which is pretty amazing, below] Nine days later, one day before the Super Moon, scared Floridians near Tallahassee, located over 200 hundred miles to the northwest of Flagler County, reported the ground and buildings shaking. (...) From Mystery Booms: Earthquake "booms" have been reported for a long time, and in the US they tend to occur more in the Northeastern US and along the East Coast. There have been many reports of "booms" that cannot be explained by man-made sources. No one knows for sure, but scientists speculate that these "booms" are probably small shallow earthquakes that are too small to be recorded, but large enough to be felt by people nearby. In New Madrid, Missouri, there are accounts of "artillery-like" sounds that were said to have occurred before or during the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. Mystery booms coming from deep in the plate boundary were reported in Indonesia for many months before the December 2004 quake and tsunami.
From Weirdus.com: Over the past fifty years Floridians have periodically heard unexplained booming sounds. These acoustical mysteries have occurred in both the atmosphere and underground. In the 1950s, booming sounds were frequently heard in the Ocala National Forest but most of those were attributed to the military’s Ocala Bombing Range. However, in more recent times the same kind of sounds have been heard over a wider area without any apparent connection to military activities. People described the sounds “like a super-sonic aircraft makes when it breaks the sound barrier.” Windows would rattle and the ground would shake which caused some people to say it was coming from underground. CLIP - Note from Jean: More HERE on this weird phenomenon about which I received on March 24 the following confirmation from Mark Graffis (mgraffis@gmail.com): "A lot of people e-mailed me about a mysterious loud sound in Florida a few days ago that was confirmed by a friend of a good friend. A few months ago when we had an earthquake it was accompanied by a loud ongoing booming sound that was pretty scary." To which I've replied To me that rhythmic noise seems like the sound effect resulting from the use of one or many HAARP arrays and bodes nothing good. What you heard during the earthquake was perhaps natural though according to What does an earthquake sound like and does it sound like thunder? "Imagine hearing thunder, explosions, or cracking under the ground, or the roar of an underground train where there is no subway. All of these sounds may he heard during or even up to 2 weeks before an earthquake. The noise is the sound of earth actually moving and breaking." I've also sent this whole matter above to Suzy Ward's attention in case she'd like to check with Matthew or Hatonn on what they know about this amazingly scary sound... and she sent me the following comment from Matthew:
"Mother, all of those sounds emanate from the Illuminati's scientists testing of their various technologies or implementing them to set off another round of destructiveness." Then later on (March 25, 4 am my time) she sent this additional message she was given by Hatonn for Gen, the Japanese translator of her books who has now just moved to Hawaii with his family after going to Okinawa, where they set up an organization to provide housing for Japanese who lost their homes: "Hatonn here. Do not give up hope about your homeland! Discussions at the highest levels of the universal council are going on as to dismantling that grid system, and what the counter effects may be with our various technologies. It's not a matter of if, but how we shall prevent more destruction to the planet by that diabolical means." She added: "He said there's no time line on this, but we'll know because future quakes or eruptions will be fewer and milder -- most of the negativity that Earth had to release already has been. He said that's the paradox about that particular use of HAARP -- it's intended to create massive amounts of negativity but has been releasing much more than it creates."
NOTE: To find out more about Suzy Ward and how she receives her channeled messages. go at www.matthewbooks.com
Earthquake Booms, Seneca Guns, and Other Sounds http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/booms.php
Earthquake "booms" have been reported for a long time, and they tend to occur more in the Northeastern US and along the East Coast. (...) there have been many reports of "booms" that cannot be explained by man-made sources. No one knows for sure, but scientists speculate that these "booms" are probably small shallow earthquakes that are too small to be recorded, but large enough to be felt by people nearby. As it turns out... there are many factors that contribute to the "sound' that an earthquake makes. To begin to understand these factors we have to understand the different types of waves, the speed they travel through the earth, and the speed that sound travels through the air. (...) There are accounts of "artillery"-like sounds that were said to have occurred before or during the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. CLIP
Mystery of Two Suns in Chinese Sky Leaves Scientists Puzzled (9 MARCH 2011) http://www.setyoufreenews.com/2011/03/mystery-of-two-suns-in-chinese-sky.html
A rare meteorological event occurring over the Chinese skies has left scientists scratching their heads. Two brilliant suns suddenly appeared in the sky.One sun, the normal, bright cheerful one that warms the Earth and lights the countryside continued to slide towards the horizon as dusk approached. The other "sun" suddenly flared to life. That eerie interloper shone almost as brilliantly. As large as the original sun, the new sun differed mostly in color and definition: the impostor was tinted orange and appeared a bit fuzzy. Stranger still, people witnessing the strange sight noticed the suns cast double shadows of objects on the ground. (...) The phenomena over China is something so rare that science has not had the opportunity to fully investigate its properties. The second sun disappeared at sunset when the original sun set. The next morning, only one sun rose. No doubt many in China breathed a sigh of relief.
Magnetic polar shifts causing massive global superstorms (5 FEBRUARY 2011) http://www.setyoufreenews.com/2011/02/magnetic-polar-shifts-causing-massive.html
NASA has been warning about it…scientific papers have been written about it…geologists have seen its traces in rock strata and ice core samples… Now "it" is here: an unstoppable magnetic pole shift that has sped up and is causing life-threatening havoc with the world's weather. Forget about global warming—man-made or natural—what drives planetary weather patterns is the climate and what drives the climate is the sun's magnetosphere and its electromagnetic interaction with a planet's own magnetic field.When the field shifts, when it fluctuates, when it goes into flux and begins to become unstable anything can happen. And what normally happens is that all hell breaks loose. Magnetic polar shifts have occurred many times in Earth's history. It's happening again now to every planet in the solar system including Earth. The magnetic field drives weather to a significant degree and when that field starts migrating superstorms start erupting. (...) Possible magnetic pole reversal may also be initiating new Ice Age - According to some geologists and scientists, we have left the last interglacial period behind us. Those periods are lengths of time—about 11,500 years—between major Ice Ages. One of the most stunning signs of the approaching Ice Age is what's happened to the world's precessional wobble. The Earth's wobble has stopped. (...) "The track of the spin axis began to slow down and by about January 8, 2006, it ceased nearly all relative motion on the x and y coordinates which are used to define the daily changing location of the spin axis."And the Earth stopped wobbling—exactly as predicted as another strong sign of an imminent Ice Age. So, the start of a new Ice Age is marked by a magnetic pole reversal, increased volcanic activity, larger and more frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, colder winters, superstorms and the halting of the Earth's precessional wobble. Unfortunately, all of those conditions are being met.
Ringing Earth - Tibetan Monks in "spirit cave" hear new sounds - The recorded sound starts at three minute mark. - Note from Jean: AMAZING out of this world sound!! I'd love to believe this, yet to my ears, this is simply done with a synthesizer and so this is a false claim. Check a related supportive explanation below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP5Ra2IuX40
Stresses on Earth are causing sounds to emanate from the earth through caves. Could it be why we are seeing so much seismic activity on the planet? Here is the original article: "There is a secret cave of spirits in Tibet. This cave is not known to the public. The Tibetan saints are sleeping in this cave. The old men and monks are saying that Shiva is starting to sing his mantra calling for Gods to return to the Earth. This mantra has three levels. The last level means the coming of the new era. Listen to this sound recorded by Russian enthusiasts who were allowed to visit the place near the cave where it was possible to record the sound. This sound has no artificial changes and is presented in raw format (only noises were reduced)." Note from Jean: As I found HERE ... "Sounds generated deep in the fiery depths of the Sun make Earth, its atmosphere, and even its magnetic field ring like many cosmic bells. According to researchers on the Ulysses mission, there are distinct tones that are thought to be generated by energy and pressure waves in the Sun. Now, researchers have identified these same tones in the Earth's seismic data, and even in induced voltages in ocean cabling. The vibrations in the Sun have two causes: pressure waves and gravity waves, which are referred to as p-mode and g-mode, respectively. Scientists hope to use the g-mode waves to study the interior of the Sun, in the same way that seismic data can provide an insight into the inner workings of Earth. But although the p-mode solar oscillations have been observed by the SOHO observatory, g-mode vibrations are not optically detectable. But the evidence of the waves is there, and easily detectable, in data on Earth. Lead researcher David Thomson says data from the Ulysses mission provides clues as to how the sounds reach Earth. He suggests the vibrations are picked up by the magnetic field at the Sun's surface. The solar wind then carries the field into interplanetary space, where space probes like Ulysses can pick up the signal. The solar wind also interacts with the Earth's magnetic field, causing it to vibrate in sympathy. From our magnetic field, the signal is picked up by our many technological systems, as well as the planet itself. The researchers add that the tones are far beyond the edge of human hearing, some 12 octaves below the lowest detectable note. While orchestras tune up to the A above middle C, at around 440 Hertz, the Earth rings at a much more stately 100-5000microHz. That is one vibration every 278 hours, or 11.5 days." The same webmaster of - propheticseer.com - making this claim about the ringing Earth also promotes the following video: CNN interviews Doomsday Travelers warning America of JUDGMENT! - next May 21 st!... Yeah! Sure!
Note from Jean: On March 22, I received this from Fred Burks (emaillist@peerservice.org) : "Exciting news! I want to give you a preview of what I believe to be the most transformational documentary to come out in years. Just made available for sale last month, The Afterlife Investigations presents incredible evidence of life after death from a mind-blowing five-year experiment on communicating with the dead and more. The videographer and producer of this inspiring documentary, Tim Coleman, was one of three who collaborated on what I believe to be the best UFO documentary ever, Out of the Blue (90 min). I was thrilled to meet Tim at a gathering several years ago, after which we became friends. He's a most amazing and intriguing man, and an incredibly skilled documentary maker. I've been watching Tim put together this most recent documentary with great anticipation for a couple years. I am so happy that it is finally done and available. For financial reasons, Tim cannot make the film available for free, but he did give me permission to make a promotional 18-minute summary of the film, which I think will blow you away. You can watch it at: http://www.personalgrowthcourses.net/video/afterlife_investigations
I also highly recommend the entire DVD, which can be purchased HERE. Please spread the word to your friends on this most excellent piece, which I believe will help thousands, if not millions, to more fully awaken to the amazing realities of life after death. And if you want more truly astonishing information on this transcendent topic, see http://www.transformationteam.net/ttcourse/tc09a."
Al Qaeda Doesn't Exist - Part 1 - Part 1B HERE and Part 2 HERE http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com/videos/911/al-qaeda-doesnt-exist---part-1.html
This is the Prologue to the new documentary from The Corbett Report, Al Qaeda Doesn't Exist. This documentary interrogates the notion that Osama Bin Laden single-handedly runs the pervasive Al Qaeda terrorist network by examining its inception, its links to Western intelligence, the double agents and fictitious characters that populate its ranks, and the fraudulent ways the Al Qaeda myth is propagated in the controlled corporate media. The documentary also offers ways that citizens can become involved in helping to spread understanding about the true government-sponsored terror paradigm
Excitement Running High as “Exopolitics” Group Claims Stunning UFO Proof (February 1st, 2011) http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2011/02/01/excitement-running-high-as-exopolitics-group-claims-stunning-ufo-proof/
It’s reported that Stephen Bassett (Facebook page and lots of videos with him), the spokesman for the Exopolitics UFO group, will present "undeniable evidence" to prove that extraterrestrials are contacting millions of people on Earth, and even abducting and impregnating women with "alien-human hybrid babies" – and that our government knows about it. The groundbreaking proof will be the highlight of Bassett’s second presentation on the topic at the aptly named Flying Saucers Cafe in Santa Monica, Friday, February 4. Michael Horn, the American Media representative for Swiss UFO contactee, Billy Meier, will be on hand to help facilitate and examine the evidence. "I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Stephen and his group will present, since I have been openly critical of their so far unsubstantiated claims for years. It may sound funny for me to say it but I’m a ‘UFO skeptic’ about such things as scores of so-called ‘aliens’ just walking around, shaking hands with everyone and getting overly friendly with our female population. CLIP
British UFO Files Reveal Shocking Sightings And Hoaxes From 1950 To Present (03/ 3/11) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/03/uk-releases-8500-pages-of_n_830880.html
Among many other shocking disclosures, a series of 8,500 documents released by the British National Archives have revealed that many Brits feared a devastating alien invasion back in 1967. As Reuters is reporting, the 35 previously classified files -- available online -- mainly cover the period from 1997 to 2005. Included are photographs, sketches and detailed accounts of flying saucer sightings, along with correspondence between the U.K. Ministry of Defense and witnesses. (...) Other materials, however, suggest that the UFO craze has receded as of late, with sightings having dropped from a peak of 609 in 1996-97 to a measly 130 per year between 2001 and 2006. HARD TO BELIEVE!
Lammas: The eco-village that lives off the grid - video (22 March 2011) http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gardening-blog/video/2011/mar/22/lammas-eco-village-off-grid-video
Heydon Prowse visits the pioneering off-grid Lammas project in Pembrokeshire to learn how they blend green building technology and perma-culture economics to fuel a thriving community. Note from Jean: The government of Wales has now made it easier for such off-the-grid communities to be formed. This is a model of sustainable development and local self-sufficiency that could be replicated across the Western world if the governing authorities were to finally see the wisdom of encouraging the development of such a low environmental impact model of living. Although we depend here of the provincial electric utility company Hydro-Quebec (which derives most of its electricity from relatively sustainable hydro-power and provides utility rates that are far more affordable than trying to be off the grid), this type of sustainable development is what we have been doing here in our rural intentional community where I've been living for the past 30 years. You can now read HERE an approximate Google translation of our history - French version HERE - and access pictures and French videos of what is to be found here.
World Water Day was celebrated worldwide on March 22 http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/index.html
This is the first time in human history that most of the world's population live in cities: 3.3 billion people ...and the urban landscape continues to grow. 38% of the growth is represented by expanding slums, while the city populations are increasing faster than city infrastructure can adapt. The objective of World Water Day 2011 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems. This year theme, Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge, aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the challenges of urban water management. The international World Water Day is held every year on 22 March to focus global attention on the importance of water and advocating for the sustainable management of our water resources. Much more details HERE - Check also UN: 800 Million People without Drinking Water
Vote Bottled Water Out of the Statehouse (March 24, 2011) http://www.earthaction.org/2011/03/vote-bottled-water-out-of-the-statehouse-1.html
While World Water Day, on March 22nd, has already passed, you can still take action on key water issues. In the United States you can take the simple yet powerful action to urge state governors to kick the bottle out of statehouses. From the folks at the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign: "State governments are spending millions of taxpayer dollars each year to buy bottled water. Be it water coolers by the copier or plastic bottles at state events, our elected leaders are choosing the bottle over the tap. Wouldn't you agree that this sends the wrong message? After all, about half the time bottled water comes from the very same source as the tap. What’s more, the tap is more highly regulated for quality and safety. Urge your governor to cancel state bottled water contracts and invest in public water. Every governor is looking for ways to cut state spending. Now is the time to remind them of the simple solutions that are good for our pocketbooks, environment and public water systems." Act now for a simple and straightforward way to reduce waste and wasteful spending.
Stop 'Corrective Rape' -- let's reach 1 million http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_corrective_rape_6/
‘Corrective rape’, the vicious practice of raping lesbians to ‘cure’ their sexuality, is becoming a crisis in South Africa. Activists on the ground are risking their lives to stop this brutal crime and have got the government's attention. Let's support them -- a global outcry now could force the government to take concrete and urgent action. Sign the petition and send it to friends!
The 'Lion Whisperer' http://www.rense.com/general87/lion.htm
An Extraordinary Story - Kevin Richardson, zoologist and animal behaviouralist, raises and trains some of the most dangerous animals known to man. To do this he does not use the common methods of breaking the animal's spirit with sticks and chains, instead he uses love, understanding and trust. Kevin can confidently look into their eyes, crouch to their level and even lie down with them - all taboos in the normal world of wild animal handling - yet he has never been mauled or attacked. Some call him crazy; others shake their heads at his unique method of interacting with the animals. And Kevin's secret - get to know the particular personality of each animal, what makes them angry, happy, upset, irritated - just like a mother with a child... certain myths dispelled - animals do have individual characters, they do show feelings and most of all they can develop a special bond with a man. And we CAN bond with ALL sacred life on our planet and in the universe. More on this through http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za/ - Make sure to check the Photo gallery (7 pages to explore) and the Video gallery (3 pages) like this ONE. What Love can do is just AMAZING!
Chercher le courant - NOUVELLE bande-annonce (21 janv. 2011) À VOIR! (Choisir le HD) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHKX4WTSizs
Le documentaire «Chercher le courant» de Nicolas Boisclair et Alexis de Gheldere avec Roy Dupuis amorce une tournée à travers le Québec. -- Nicolas Boisclair et Alexis de Gheldere y parcourent en canot les 500 km de la rivière Romaine avant la construction de 4 barrages hydroélectriques par Hydro-Québec. En parallèle, accompagnés de Roy Dupuis, ils explorent les différentes énergies renouvelables et leur rentabilité en interviewant des experts à travers le Québec. CONSULTEZ LE SITE http://chercherlecourant.com POUR LES NOUVELLES DATES DE PROJECTION
Commentaire de Pierre Langlois (pierrel@coopcscf.com) datant du 6 février 2011: « Hier soir je suis allé voir le documentaire Chercher le courant. J’en suis ressorti estomaqué, ébranlé et tellement reconnaissant que les producteurs et réalisateurs de ce film magnifique aient fait une oeuvre de conscientisation citoyenne aussi explicite et nécessaire, pour contrer la désinformation qu’on nous sert quotidiennement afin de nous endormir et mieux nous exploiter. Quand nos élus ne comprennent plus le gros bon sens, à répétition, et que la logique est reléguée constamment aux oubliettes dans les prises de décision,on est en droit de se poser de sérieuses questions sur les motivations qui animent nos politiciens. Il ne reste alors pas beaucoup d’alternative autres que de conclure aux pressions de puissants lobbies, qui n’ont rien à foutre du mieux être des citoyens, et de nos écosystèmes. Bâtir le complexe hydroélectrique de la rivière La Romaine à 10¢ le kWh plus le coût des lignes haute tension et les dépassements de coûts (26% en moyenne pour les derniers barrages construits) et revendre l’électricité aux Étatsuniens à 5,8¢ le kWh, c’est pas comme ça qu’on va s’enrichir!Non seulement on s’appauvrit, mais on détruit notre environnement. Quand on pense qu’il en coûte seulement 3¢ le kWh pour rendre disponible de l’électricité en misant sur l’efficacité énergétique tout en créant de nombreux emplois en même temps! Sans parler des nombreuses sources d’énergie renouvelable, dont plusieurs peuvent compétitionner avec l’hydro-électricité au coût du projet La Romaine... Comme le dit la publicité, si vous payez une facture d’électricité au Québec, VOUS DEVEZ VOIR CE FILM, c’est un devoir citoyen qui va vous faire découvrir des paysages grandioses faisant parti de notre si riche patrimoine. Comme le dit Roy Dupuis, pour lequel je lève très haut mon chapeau, il faut redéfinir ce qu’est la VÉRITABLE richesse. »
Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says (22 March 2011) Great news!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197
A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion there is set for extinction, say researchers. The study found a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation.The team's mathematical model attempts to account for the interplay between the number of religious respondents and the social motives behind being one. The result, reported at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, indicates that religion will all but die out altogether in those countries.The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. (...) "In a large number of modern secular democracies, there's been a trend that folk are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40%, and the highest we saw was in the Czech Republic, where the number was 60%." The team then applied their nonlinear dynamics model, adjusting parameters for the relative social and utilitarian merits of membership of the "non-religious" category. They found, in a study published online, that those parameters were similar across all the countries studied, suggesting that similar behaviour drives the mathematics in all of them.And in all the countries, the indications were that religion was headed toward extinction. CLIP
Half a Million Canadians Against Telecom Price Gouging - Petition to sign by all Canadians! http://stopthemeter.ca/
This is where Canadians take a stand against price gouging by big phone and cable companies - Phone and cable companies are about to put a pay meter on your Internet use.This means we're looking at a future where big telecom companies will charge per byte for Internet use, the way they do with smart phones. If we allow this to happen Canadians will have no choice but to pay MUCH more for less Internet. Big phone and cable are obviously trying to gouge consumers, control the Internet market, and ensure that consumers continue to subscribe to their television services. These Big Telecom companies are forcing small competing ISPs to adopt the same pricing scheme, so that we have no choice but to pay these punitive fees. This will crush innovative services, Canada's digital competitiveness, social progress, and your wallet. We urgently need to send a clear message to decision makers in Ottawa that we refuse to be gouged by big phone and cable companies. Enough is enough. Version française.
Rio de Janeiro 2016 - Olympic Welcome Symbol (with pictures) http://jamiehouston.posterous.com/rio-de-janeiro-2016-olympic-welcome-symbol
"Solar City Tower ", built atop the island of Cotonduba will be the welcome symbol to the 2016 Olympic Games In Rio de Janeiro. It will be seen by the game visitors and participants as they arrive by air or water. The tower captures solar energy, and will supply energy for all of the Olympic city, as well as also for part of Rio. It pumps up water from the ocean to create what appears like a water fall and this fall stimulates turbines that produce energy during the night. It will also hold the Olympic flame. The Tower possesses an amphitheatre, an auditorium, a cafeteria and boutiques. Elevators lead to various observatories. It also has a retractable platform for bungee jumping from. At the summit is an observation point to appreciate the scenery of the land and ocean, as well as the waterfall. Solar City Tower will be the point of reference for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. I don't know about you, but I AM BLOWN AWAY by this - ITS AMAZING!!!
No-fly zone next in Belgium?! Clashes as police disperse mass protests (March 24, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHAeInhkuJ0
Police and protesters have clashed in Brussels, as European Union leaders are gathering there for a fresh attempt to address the EU's year-long debt crisis.
LATEST UPDATES ON THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR CRISIS
Note from Jean: Please make sure to read the related articles in the Main article section of this compilation, and especially Scientist: Japan earthquake, nuke “accident” are tectonic nuclear warfare and What They're Covering Up at Fukushima - to begin to have a clearer picture of what really happened - another heinous crime against humanity perpetrated by the Illuminati Cabal - and of the true scope of this unfolding nuclear disaster which, predictably, is already far behind in the rear-view mirror of the mainstream media disinformation propaganda. Bear in mind also that what happened in Fukushima - a name which, like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from now on will reverberate through history as the horrific legacy of our global nuclear industry, even more so than Chernobyl - can happen at any moment at a nuclear plant near you (see HERE where they are all located in the US and HERE for the location of the 442 nuclear reactors in operation around the world plus 65 others now in construction). Highly radioactive nuclear reactors (active and decommissioned ones) of all kinds are found in 72 countries around the world, not to mention nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, and everyone of them can experience the same catastrophic failure seen in Japan and unleash deadly radioactive particles that, on a human time-scale, kill forever. Aside from that threat, the elephants in our global living-room are the tons of radioactive waste generated by this industry that are sitting in hundreds of storage pools (that need constant water circulation for the first 20 years of storage to remain within safety limits) awaiting for a final disposal solution that is not yet on anyone's radar and which could safely contain for at least 24,000 years (which is like an eternity considering how many past civilizations have vanished in the last 24 millennia) these very lethal byproducts of the nuclear insanity we are stuck with. Should similar large scale catastrophes, manmade or otherwise, occur at the sites where Spent Fuel and High Level Waste are stored, more radioactive fallout will occur with hundreds of millions of human beings to be exposed. This is probably the most dirty and dangerous industry this planet has - aside from the nuclear weapon industry whose true level of risk is a well kept secret as the Environmental Effects of Nuclear Power are beyond anyone's imagining. So far only Germany has begun to take the safer path of eventually doing away with this exorbitantly costly and patently unsafe method of producing electric power, especially at this time when we have affordable solar, wind and geothermal sources of clean energy, practically forever. Let us hope that this foreseeable, inevitable calamity will turn out to be the final wake up call we needed to get rid everywhere of these perfect symbol of man's hubris, shortsightedness and scientific madness. A mere 13.4 % (as of 2008 - picture taken from Nuclear Power in the World Today) of our electricity worldwide is generated with nuclear power. We can certainly - and quickly - do away with this for our own safety and for the survival of our children and or all generations to come. And we must urgently final a permanent and final, reliable solution to dispose of all nuclear waste.
Fears of full meltdown as more smoke rising from Fukushima reactors (March 24, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2onPIXyzz4
Follow latest updates at http://twitter.com/rt_com and http://www.facebook.com/RTnews Three workers have been exposed to harmful radioactive elements while working at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Two of them have been hospitalised. There have been reports of a rise in temperature and new plumes of smoke rising from the facility's most troubled reactor. Engineers are attempting to restore the cooling system of the facility, damaged by the devastating earthquake. -- Total cost of the earthquake and tsunami to reach beyond 300 billion dollars!...
Fukushima Radiation Release Rivals Chernobyl (March 24, 2011) http://www.prisonplanet.com/fukushima-radiation-release-rivals-chernobyl.html
Despite media spin downplaying severity of crisis, Fukushima is likely to be a worse catastrophe than 1986 disaster -- The radiation released by the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant already rivals and in one sense exceeds the Chernobyl catastrophe according to Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, even as media spin downplays the severity of the crisis despite the fact that the problems at the plant show no signs of abating. “The release of two types of radioactive particles in the first 3-4 days of Japan’s nuclear crisis is estimated to have reached 20-50 percent of the amounts from Chernobyl in 10 days, an Austrian expert said on Wednesday,” reports Reuters. Iodine-131 released in the first 3-4 days of the crisis was about 20 percent of that released from Chernobyl during a ten-day period, whereas the amount of Caesium-137 released amounted to about 50 percent, according to the institute’s Dr Gerhard Wotawa. Despite the fact that the story appears under the euphemistic Reuters headline, Japan radiation release lower than Chernobyl, as Tyler Durden points out, when you consider the fact that the amount of Caesium-137 released at Fukushima in the first 3-4 days of the crisis amounted to 50% that released by Chernobyl over 10 days, the real run rate of the radiation released at Fukushima is now about 120-150% the figure released by the Chernobyl explosion – and that’s not even factoring in ongoing radiation leaks from Fukushima, which many experts have estimated could go on for much longer. As the New York Times reported, “Experts….suggest that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months.” Even if Fukushima technicians manage to stop radiation leakage after one month, estimated Caesium-137 emissions would be at least 500 percent more than those released by Chernobyl, whereas iodine-131 levels could be 200 percent worse. A further complication is the fact that we don’t even know how much if any plutonium emissions have leaked from Fukushima reactor number 3, which runs on MOX or Mixed Oxide fuel, a mixture of plutonium and uranium. Plutonium is the most deadly radioactive isotope known to man, and MOX is two million times more deadly than normal enriched uranium. The Half-life of Plutonium-239 in MOX is 24,000 years and just a few milligrams of P-239 escaping in a smoke plume will contaminate soil for tens of thousands of years.In the case of Chernobyl, the vast majority of the plutonium was not released during the explosion and subsequent fire. Japanese authorities and the establishment media seem reticent to even discuss the potential release of plutonium from reactor number 3 at Fukushima. CLIP
The Amount of Radioactive Fuel at Fukushima DWARFS Chernobyl (MARCH 18, 2011) http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2011/03/amount-of-radioactive-fuel-at-fukushima.html
Science Insider noted yesterday: The Daiichi complex in Fukushima, Japan ... had a total of 1760 metric tons of fresh and used nuclear fuel on site last year, according to a presentation by its owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). The most damaged Daiichi reactor, number 3, contains about 90 tons of fuel, and the storage pool above reactor 4, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Gregory Jaczko reported yesterday had lost its cooling water, contains 135 tons of spent fuel. The amount of fuel lost in the core melt at Three Mile Island in 1979 was about 30 tons; the Chernobyl reactors had about 180 tons when the accident occurred in 1986. That means that Fukushima has nearly 10 times more nuclear fuel than Chernobyl.It also means that a single spent fuel pool - at reactor 4, which has lost all of its water and thus faces a release of its radioactive material - has 75% as much nuclear fuel as at all of Chernobyl. However, the real numbers are even worse. Specifically, Tepco very recently transferred many more radioactive spent fuel rods into the storage pools. According to Associated Press, there were - at the time of the earthquake and tsunami - 3,400 tons of fuel in seven spent fuel pools plus 877 tons of active fuel in the cores of the reactors. That totals 4,277 tons of nuclear fuel at Fukushima. Which means that there is almost 24 times more nuclear fuel at Fukushima than Chernobyl.
Japan earthquake leaves ghost towns in its wake (March 22, 2011) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0322/Japan-earthquake-leaves-ghost-towns-in-its-wake
For large swathes of the coast hit hardest by the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami, a daunting rebuilding effort is exacerbated by years of falling birth rates and a youth exodus to big cities. -- The Japan earthquake has accelerated the decline of small cities and villages, experts say, and will likely leave behind a collection of ghost towns along the tsunami-devastated northeast coast. Amid concern of future natural disasters, many communities that were already shrinking due to aging and depopulation now look set to never be rebuilt. CLIP
Tokyo tap water too radioactive for infants, officials say (March 23, 2011) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0323/Tokyo-tap-water-too-radioactive-for-infants-officials-say
Officials warned today that infants should not drink Tokyo tap water because radioactive iodine exceeded legal limits at one purification facility. -- Tokyo officials warned today that infants should not drink city tap water because radioactive iodine exceeded legal limits at one purification facility, even as hopes rose that the source of that contamination – the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant – may soon be under control. Infants are much more vulnerable than adults to iodine-131, which officials have measured at 210 becquerels per liter. The limit for infants is 100 becquerels per liter, while for adults the limit is 300 becquerels. “Even if you drink this water for one year, it will not affect people’s health,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. At Fukushima, external power lines have now reached all six reactor buildings and lights went on in one central control room at the plant late Tuesday night. Tests monitoring equipment in buildings No. 1, 3, and 4 have also been completed and cooling pools in buildings No. 5 and 6 are reported to be stable.But late Wednesday afternoon workers were once again evacuated as dark smoke rose from building No. 3. The normal cooling systems in buildings No. 1 through 4 have not yet started up because plant operator TEPCO is still inspecting and repairing machinery there. In the meantime firemen, plant employees, and Japan's self-defense force members pumped and sprayed huge amounts of water into the volatile spent fuel pool in building No. 4 and also into the No. 1 reactor, which rose 150 degrees above its normal temperature early this morning. Normal pumps in building No. 3 – the first to regain power in its control room – could start up as early as tonight or tomorrow, a company representative says. But even if cooling is restored and the plant stops emitting contaminated steam, low levels of radioactive substances will keep raining down on farms, cities, and oceans for years, says Ikue Kanno, who designs radiation detectors at Kyoto University“Radioactive materials stick to dust floating in the atmosphere. When it rains, we see a rise in cesium-137 levels resulting from atomic weapons tests done by the Soviet Union and United States decades ago, although not at dangerous levels,” he says. Emissions of cesium-137 and iodine-131 from Fukushima may be "approaching emissions of these isotopes from the Chernobyl accident in 1986, according to estimates from Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics reported in a blog at Nature.com Tuesday. "Fukushima is no Chernobyl, however," the report said, adding that wind has blown much of the cesium over the ocean, rather than toward cities. Food and economic concerns -- Radioactive contamination is a growing public safety concern and an economic problem for Japan. In addition to the Tokyo tap water warning, Prime Minister Naoto Kan took yesterday’s existing domestic ban on shipping vegetables from contaminated areas a step further, warning the public not to eat leafy vegetables from Fukushima Prefecture, even those already on store shelves. On one type of leafy green collected Monday, radioactive cesium exceeded the legal limit by 164 times. Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years and cesium-134 of 2.1 years. CLIP
Japan says high seawater radiation levels are no cause for alarm (March 22, 2011) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0322/Japan-says-high-seawater-radiation-levels-are-no-cause-for-alarm
As engineers reported progress on stabilizing overheated reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Tuesday, elevated levels of radiation have been found in seawater nearby, fueling concern over long-term environmental and health impacts. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced today that in samples taken 1,100 feet south of the plant on Monday, radioactive iodine exceeded legal limits for wastewater by 126.7 times, cesium-134 by 24.8 times, and cesium-137 by 16.5 times. Samples taken 16 kilometers (10 miles) south were up to 16 times above legal levels.Radioactive elements in the ocean will not likely pose a threat to human health because they quickly become diluted, says Masaharu Hoshi, a specialist in environmental impact assessments at Hiroshima University’s Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine. He says contamination of seawater was not a problem following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, Jun Misono of Tokyo’s Marine Ecology Research Institute said that while radioactive iodine breaks down relatively quickly, cesium is more persistent and can accumulate in marine animals, such as fish. “We need to carefully monitor the amount of radiation that continues to be emitted and evaluate the impacts,” he told national broadcaster NHK. The science ministry announced it would begin monitoring seawater at eight locations near the plant. CLIP
Neutron beam observed 13 times at crippled Fukushima nuke plant (March 23) http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80539.html
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday it has observed a neutron beam, a kind of radioactive ray, 13 times on the premises of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after it was crippled by the massive March 11 quake-tsunami disaster. TEPCO, the operator of the nuclear plant, said the neutron beam measured about 1.5 kilometers southwest of the plant's No. 1 and 2 reactors over three days from March 13 and is equivalent to 0.01 to 0.02 microsieverts per hour and that this is not a dangerous level. The utility firm said it will measure uranium and plutonium, which could emit a neutron beam, as well. In the 1999 criticality accident at a nuclear fuel processing plant run by JCO Co. in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, uranium broke apart continually in nuclear fission, causing a massive amount of neutron beams. In the latest case at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, such a criticality accident has yet to happen. But the measured neutron beam may be evidence that uranium and plutonium leaked from the plant's nuclear reactors and spent nuclear fuels have discharged a small amount of neutron beams through nuclear fission.
Chernobyl Cleanup Survivor's Message for Japan: 'Run Away as Quickly as Possible' (March 22, 2011) http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/22/chernobyl-cleanup-survivors-message-for-japan-run-away-as-qui/
(...) AOL News: What was your first reaction when you heard about Fukushima? Manzurova: It felt like déjà vu. I felt so worried for the people of Japan and the children especially. I know the experience that awaits them. But experts say Fukushima is not as bad as Chernobyl. Every nuclear accident is different, and the impact cannot be truly measured for years. The government does not always tell the truth. Many will never return to their homes. Their lives will be divided into two parts: before and after Fukushima. They'll worry about their health and their children's health. The government will probably say there was not that much radiation and that it didn't harm them. And the government will probably not compensate them for all that they've lost. What they lost can't be calculated. What message do you have for Japan? Run away as quickly as possible. Don't wait. Save yourself and don't rely on the government because the government lies. They don't want you to know the truth because the nuclear industry is so powerful. When you were called to go to Chernobyl, did you know how bad it was there? I had no idea and never knew the true scope until much later. It was all covered in secrecy. I went there as a professional because I was told to -- but if I was asked to liquidate such an accident today, I'd never agree. The sacrifices the Fukushima workers are making are too high because the nuclear industry was developed in such a way that the executives don't hold themselves accountable to the human beings who have to clean up a disaster. It's like nuclear slavery.What was your first impression of Chernobyl? It was like a war zone where a neutron bomb had gone off. I always felt I was in the middle of a war where the enemy was invisible. All the houses and buildings were intact with all the furniture, but there wasn't a single person left. Just deep silence everywhere. Sometimes I felt I was the only person alive on a strange planet. There are really no words to describe it. CLIP
Corporate Media Ignores Astronomical Fukushima Radiation Levels (March 23, 2011) http://www.prisonplanet.com/corporate-media-ignores-astronomical-fukushima-radiation-levels.html
The Kyodo News Agency reports that radiation around the hobbled Fukushima nuclear plant is 1,600 times the normal level. The astounding figure was released to the media by the International Atomic Energy Agency officials on Monday. Data collected by an IAEA team show that radiation levels of 161 microsievert per hour have been detected in the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, the officials said, according to a report posted by House of Japan. Tests carried out by IAEA technicians in numerous locations around the plant revealed radiation levels ranging between 2 and 160 microsievert per hour, while the normal level for the area should not exceed 0.1 microsievert per hour, the Russian newsite RIA Novosti reports. A CBS affiliate in Wisconsin also reported on the high radiation levels that will ultimately be dispersed around the world and will undoubtedly result in unprecedented health problems and premature death from cancer. Most of the corporate media, however, did not bother to report the story. Reuters reported that there was 500 microsieverts of radiation per hour on March 18 at the site but does not explain what this means. It did not mention the 1,600 number. Earlier in the week, nuclear energy critic and author Hirose Takashi wrote about the media effort to obfuscate the truth about Fukushima: Around Fukushima Daiichi Station they measured 400 millisieverts – that’s per hour. With this measurement (Chief Cabinet Secretary) Edano admitted for the first time that there was a danger to health, but he didn’t explain what this means. All of the information media are at fault here I think. They are saying stupid things like, why, we are exposed to radiation all the time in our daily life, we get radiation from outer space. But that’s one millisievert per year. A year has 365 days, a day has 24 hours; multiply 365 by 24, you get 8760. Multiply the 400 millisieverts by that, you get 3,500,000 the normal dose. You call that safe? And what media have reported this? The corporate media as the complaisant handmaiden of the elite are obliged to cover up the truth. In the end, all of us – especially our children – will pay for it. WATCH Radiation level 1,600 times above norm in Fukushima nuke zone
Chernobyl-Style Yellow Rain Causes Panic In Japan (March 24, 2011) http://www.prisonplanet.com/chernobyl-style-yellow-rain-causes-panic-in-japan.html
Authorities assure alarmed citizens yellow powder is pollen, but victims of Chernobyl radiation were told the same thing - Radioactive yellow rain that fell in Tokyo and surrounding areas last night caused panic amongst Japanese citizens and prompted a flood of phone calls to Japan’s Meteorological Agency this morning, with people concerned that they were being fed the same lies as victims of Chernobyl, who were told that yellow rain which fell over Russia and surrounding countries after the 1986 disaster was merely pollen, the same explanation now being offered by Japanese authorities. “After two days of rain in Tokyo I woke up to a thick coating of this yellow stuff all over my car. What looks like a glare between the glass and the body of the car is actually pollen. My first thought was ewe! Radioactive sludge from Fukushima, but no,” states the comment associated with this You Tube clip. CLIP
Fukushima Radiation Spreading To More U.S. States (March 24, 2011) http://www.prisonplanet.com/fukushima-radiation-spreading-to-more-u-s-states.html
Radiation from the ongoing disaster in Japan is spreading throughout the United States, and while the EPA says the levels are not dangerous, it also admits that some of its radiation-tracking air monitors may not even be working.Colorado and Oregon are the latest states to report detection of radioactive particles that have drifted over the North Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima plant, some 5000 miles away. The EPA announced late yesterday that small amounts of iodine-131, a radioactive form of iodine, has been detected by monitors at Grand Junction, Denver, and Colorado Springs in Colorado. Iodine-131 was also picked up yesterday by monitors in Portland, Oregon.Hawaii, California and in Washington State previously reported finding trace amounts of radioactive iodine, cesium, and tellurium.
(...) “The levels we’re measuring are extremely low,” Mike Bandrowski, manager of EPA radiation programs in San Francisco, said in an interview Wednesday. “They’re a fraction of natural background radiation. People should not be concerned.” “The radiation levels detected on the filters from California and Washington monitors are hundreds of thousands to millions of times below levels of concern.” an EPA statement also suggested.
(...) While the Japanese government continues its blatant cover up of the severity of the situation, the US government is literally telling Americans they are more at risk from a bag of rocks than they are from breathing in some nuclear fallout.
Stuxnet, Japan Division (Michael Rivero) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b10mGzqY8qA
In this video Michael Rivero in Oahu reports that radioactive iodine and cesium is showing up in rain water there, at significant levels but below "danger" zone. He also reports that the U.S. government is currently evacuating 200,000 personnel from Japan and relocating them to locations in California. He also mentions a computer virus called Stuxnet that purportedly was designed by U.S./Israeli military to take out the Siemen's control systems commonly used in most reactors globally. Related: New cybervirus found in Japan / Stuxnet designed to attack off-line servers via USB memory sticks - From the what really happened website:Here is a nightmare scenario for you. 1. Israel and the US create Stuxnet. 2. Stuxnet is deployed to wreck Iran's nuclear power station. 3. But Stuxnet escapes from its intended target and spreads across Asia! 4. As the above article documents, Stuxnet was in Japan last October, presumably still spreading and intended to wreck nuclear power plants. Here is another story about Stuxnet being in Japan and infecting computers last October. 5. Stuxnet targets the Siemens controller 6. The head of the IAEA only last month warned that Stuxnet posed a threat to all nuclear power stations around the world! And Fukushima uses the Seimens controllers Stuxnet was designed to interfere with! So now the difficulty the Fukushima nuclear plant operators faced in recovering control over their runaway reactors takes on a darker significance. Remember that the first problem following the quake was that the automated shutdown systems failed to operate at some of the reactors, because pumps failed and valves would not open even while running on batteries; the very sorts of mischief Stuxnet supposedly was designed to cause at Iran's power station. We have yet to confirm Stuxnet was inside the Fukushima plant, but we obviously cannot rule it out, either!
Xenon 133 Dispersion Animation - Radionuclide Has Blanketed Entire United States (03/21/2011) http://www.zerohedge.com/article/xenon-133-dispersion-animation-radionuclide-has-blanketed-entire-united-states
Update: we are truly amazed that presenting what is a pure fact without any spin associated to it, can generate such an outbreak of insecurity and outright fear-driven responses. We had always expected that readers here can receive and interpret facts as presented, instead of demanding filtering for what some deem is unpleasant information. We urge that sub-segment to immediately and permanently orient their attention to other media outlets that does the prefiltering for them, as per the government's mandate of not spreading panic.Radioactive Xenon 133 (5.243 day half life) has now reached the entire Eastern seaboard, and soon will likely cov
British Scientist Christopher Busby: The Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation - Alex Jones 1/3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joPoEj5e_G4
PART 2 HERE - PART 3 HERE - Alex continues his coverage of the Japanese nuclear reactor mega-disaster. He talks with Christopher Busby, a British scientist and activist known for his work on the health effects of ionizing radiation. In addition to his academic appointments he is the director of Green Audit, an environmental consultancy agency, and scientific adviser to the Low Level Radiation Campaign which he set up in 1995. http://www.greenaudit.org/index.htm - Recommended by Jeff Wefferson (therockist@yahoo.com) who wrote: "This is the single best interview I know of describing the real effects of this nuclear disaster. For example, over 1000 tons of MOX fuel rods are believed to have burned up; 600,000 spent fuel rods exist (-ed) on this site. The smoke coming off the reactors consists of highly radioactive particles which DO NOT SHOW UP on Geiger counters." After sharing this above with he replied: "I've read that the plutonium released from the MOX plant isn't so much radioactive as it is extremely toxic chemically which is where the danger lies. Something like 1 mcg or a molecule or two in your lung is supposed to lead to a 50% chance of eventual lung cancer. I had always thought the danger in plutonium was radiation related too and think it may be the types of particles that are emitted having something to do with that. At any rate I keep monitoring this site which hopefully is a good indicator of what's coming over the big pond: http://radiationnetwork.com/
How to Help Support the Body's Healing After Intense Radioactive Contamination or Radiation Exposure http://meditationexpert.com/RadiationDetox/
Here's some of the information we do know from the only book in the world on the topic. Keep this information in the back of your mind as it may one day help save you or someone you know.Most people are aware taking potassium iodide (KI) or potassium iodate (KIO3) tablets will help block your thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine should there ever be a dirty bomb explosion or nuclear power plant mishap such as the Three Mile Island incident. In 1999, another such accident happened in Tokaimura, Japan where several individuals died from radiation exposure in a fuel processing facility. What people don't recognize is that potassium iodide or iodate tablets only protect the thyroid gland and do not provide protection from any other radiation exposure, so taking them should not give you a false sense of security. It's important to detox your body after radioactive exposure! CLIP
Radiation Toxicity Antidotes http://doctorapsley.com/RadiationTherapy.aspx
Q: What can I do now to protect myself from nuclear fall-out arriving from the meltdown of Japan's nuclear power plants?
A: History has taught us to "hope for the best," but "plan for the worst" and to educate oneself better than the politicians or their official scientific spokespersons! The radioactive metals uranium, plutonium, cesium and strontium are of primary concern, right alongside radioactive iodide. Once lodged into our tissues, all will induce lethal tissue ionization, which over decades will derange genetic functions and kill many cells. To avoid this, the metals need to be removed from the cells. Specifically over the long term, radioactive cesium will concentrate in the fatty tissues, radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland and ovaries, strontium and uranium in the bone, and uranium and plutonium in the liver. For North America, over time this may/will lead to significantly greater levels of cancer or alternative forms of chronic degenerative disease in our children and young adults via the Petkau Effect. The fallout will present in THREE forms or threats to our health: The first will be the immediate airborne threat over the next several weeks heading into the U.S. For comparative analysis that may pertain to fall-out coming out of a Fukushima Meltdown, John Christensen working as a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division has co-authored a study describing how lead pollution travels from Asia to the U.S.. His research - based in part upon photos taken by NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor - was recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology (see fallout map to immediate right). Depending upon which "starting date" you use (the date of the first detection of radioactive cesium being airborne or when helicopter crews from the USS Ronald Reagan were first documented to have been exposed, i.e., March 14th, 2011), we can expect the West Coast of the U.S. to begin to receive at least minimal fallout within 7 to 10 days or possibly on the weekend of March 18th - 20th, 2011 This may mean that by the 1st of April, the entire region of North America will have undergone the first round of fall-out exposure, even if at undetectable levels in many areas. As the upper air currents repetitively cycle around the globe over and over again, the stock of radioactive airborne materials will fall out as part of normal rainfall or as simple dust particles. CLIP
Germany set to abandon nuclear power for good (3/23/2011) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42227782/ns/world_news-europe/
BERLIN — Germany is determined to show the world how abandoning nuclear energy can be done.The world's fourth-largest economy stands alone among leading industrialized nations in its decision to stop using nuclear energy because of its inherent risks. It is betting billions on expanding the use of renewable energy to meet power demands instead.The transition was supposed to happen slowly over the next 25 years, but is now being accelerated in the wake of Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant disaster, which Chancellor Angela Merkel has called a "catastrophe of apocalyptic dimensions."Berlin's decision to take seven of its 17 reactors offline for three months for new safety checks has provided a glimpse into how Germany might wean itself from getting nearly a quarter of its power from atomic energy to none.And experts say Germany's phase-out provides a good map that countries such as the United States, which use a similar amount of nuclear power, could follow. The German model would not work, however, in countries like France, which relies on nuclear energy for more than 70 percent of its power and has no intention of shifting."If we had the winds of Texas or the sun of California, the task here would be even easier," said Felix Matthes of Germany's renowned Institute for Applied Ecology. "Given the great potential in the U.S., it would be feasible there in the long run too, even though it would necessitate huge infrastructure investments."Nuclear power has been very unpopular in Germany ever since radioactivity from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster drifted across the country. A center-left government a decade ago penned a plan to abandon the technology for good by 2021, but Merkel's government last year amended it to extend the plants' lifetime by an average of 12 years. That plan was put on hold after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami compromised nuclear power plants in Japan, and is being re-evaluated as the safety of all of Germany's nuclear reactors is being rechecked. Germany currently gets 23 percent of its energy from nuclear power — about as much as the U.S. Its ambitious plan to shut down its reactors will require at least ¤150 billion ($210 billion) investment in alternative energy sources, which experts say will likely lead to higher electricity prices.Germany now gets 17 percent of its electricity from renewable energies, 13 percent from natural gas and more than 40 percent from coal. The Environment Ministry says in 10 years renewable energy will contribute 40 percent of the country's overall electricity production. CLIP
Merkel Pays Political Price for Shift on Nuclear Power (March 21, 2011) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/world/europe/22iht-letter22.html
BERLIN — Angela Merkel is not known to change her mind quickly. But that is what the chancellor did last week. In the wake of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, which caused radioactive leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Mrs. Merkel temporarily shut down Germany’s seven oldest nuclear power plants.It means that a highly unpopular decision the government made last year to prolong the life of all of its 17 plants by an average of 12 years has been postponed until June while safety checks are carried out. By then, conservative politicians and the nuclear industry are hoping that the crisis in Japan will be over and public attention in Germany will have moved on to another issue. Perhaps, said analysts, they believed that the government could then continue its support for nuclear energy and keep the plants functioning for many more years. But Mrs. Merkel, at least for now, seems determined to disappoint them. Sensing the public mood, she said that the nuclear crisis in Japan “had changed everything in Germany.”In fact, the crisis confirmed Germans’ deep angst, exaggerated or not, regarding anything nuclear. A quarter of Germany’s electricity is generated by nuclear power, relatively small in comparison to other countries. In France, it is more than 75 percent; in Slovakia, 53 percent; in Belgium, 51 percent; and in Ukraine, 48 percent, according to the European Nuclear Society, one of the largest lobbying groups for nuclear science, research and industry in Europe. Yet in these countries, there have been hardly any anti-nuclear demonstrations in reaction to Japan. In Germany last week, hundreds of such protests took place across the country. And with Mrs. Merkel facing a major election challenge next Sunday in the important state of Baden-Württemberg, where four nuclear power plants are based, opposition parties are planning more anti-nuclear demonstrations. CLIP
Many more related articles below in the Main articles section of this compilation
KEY INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Libya air force 'unable to fight' (23 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12837330
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's air force "no longer exists as a fighting force", the commander of British aircraft operating over Libya has said. Air Vice Marshal Greg Bagwell said the allies could now operate "with near impunity" over the skies of Libya. He said they were now applying unrelenting pressure on the Libyan armed forces. Latest reports say government tanks are shelling the hospital in the rebel-held western city of Misrata. Witnesses had earlier said the tanks encircling the city had pulled back from their positions under air assault from international forces.Wednesday night also saw reports of loud explosions in and around the capital Tripoli. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has again urged Col Gaddafi to step down and leave Libya. AVM Bagwell was speaking during a visit to RAF aircrew based at Gioia del Colle in southern Italy. "We are watching over the innocent people of Libya and ensuring that we protect them from attack," he said. "We have the Libyan ground forces under constant observation and we attack them whenever they threaten civilians or attack population centres." His comments come as Nato members debate who should lead the intervention, with the US keen to hand over to Nato. They were echoed by Rear Admiral Gerard Hueber, US chief of staff for the Libya mission, who said: "We are putting pressure on Gaddafi's ground forces that are threatening cities." Asked if that meant air strikes, he replied: "Yes." Speaking to reporters by phone from the command ship USS Mount Whitney, in the Mediterranean, he insisted there had been no reports of civilian casualties caused by allied action. "Our mission here is to protect the civilian populace and we choose our targets and plan our actions with that as a top priority." He said allied aircraft had flown 175 sorties in the last 24 hours - 113 of them by US aircraft. CLIP - Check also Libya: Lowest Approval Rating Ever For Military Action "The 47% of Americans approving of the action against Libya is lower than what Gallup has found when asking about approval of other U.S. military campaigns in the past four decades."
Libya Crisis: Fifth Night of Airstrike (March 24, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDMwoyG3uzY
Coalition forces continue to target key sites in Libya as Moammar Gadhafi and rebel fighters battle to win important eastern cities. CHECK ALSO Gruesome slaughter in Ajdabiya as rebels and government forces dig in "Five days after coalition air strikes helped rebels push back Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces from the outskirts of Benghazi, their advance has stalled at gates of the eastern Libyan town of Ajdabiya."
Libya TV airs images of Tripoli bombing aftermath, said-to-be civilian victims http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFVujbLpVt0&NR=1
Libyan broadcasters claimed that an unknown number of civilians were injured and killed in coalition airstrikes in Tripoli late on Wednesday. Fresh explosions and gunfire have been heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli, with reports saying coalition forces are targeting major military facilities across the country. Allied forces have also conducted air strikes against troops loyal to the leader Muammar Gaddafi, in the country's western city of Musrata.
To some in Libya, ‘Brother Leader’ Gaddafi still a hero (March 24, 2011) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/many-libyans-appear-to-back-gaddafi/2011/03/24/ABHShlRB_story.html
TRIPOLI — To all outward appearances, this is a city deeply enamored of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. His portrait hangs from lampposts, adorns shopping centers and sprouts from the gleaming new office blocks rising from the seafront. Sayings from his Green Book, required reading for all schoolchildren, are posted in government buildings, including public restrooms. And his supporters, draped in Gaddafi green and clutching pictures of their beloved leader, noisily and passionately assert their presence in near round-the-clock displays of devotion. Hurtling through the streets in pickups or gathering in Tripoli’s central Green Square, they bellow the rhythmic chant that encapsulates the omnipotence of Gaddafi’s self-ascribed role: “God, Moammar, Libya: Enough!” How deep that support runs in a populace that has been governed by fear for decades is impossible to tell. But six days into the allied bombardment of Libyan military targets, it is clear that Gaddafi can count on the fierce loyalties of at least a significant segment of the population in the vast stretches that lie beyond the enclave of rebel-held territory in the east. “We don’t want anyone except him,” gushed Fatima al-Mishai, 20, who joined the crowds assembled at Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziyah compound to offer their services as voluntary human shields against the bombs. “He gave us freedom and everything we need.”Indeed, the Libyan government has kept average incomes relatively high, while doling out generous social benefits, including health care and education. Even Gaddafi’s opponents, who dare murmur their dissent only out of earshot of regime loyalists, concede that the man who has governed Libya for nearly 42 years does command genuine support.
(...) Libya’s role as a sparsely populated, oil-rich state may go some way toward explaining why Gaddafi has been able to retain the support he has. Libya is nearly twice as big as Egypt, yet contains less than one-tenth as many people. Per capita incomes are more than double those in Egypt, where a successful revolt last month inspired Libyans to take to the streets. The government funds generous social welfare programs that include free education and health care, helping keep at bay the poverty that has fueled discontent elsewhere.“He has done a lot for the country and no one can deny it,” said Mustafa Fetouri, director of the MBA program at the Academy of Graduate Studies in Tripoli. “He’s built hospitals, schools, roads, lots of things.” Moreover, he said, the powerful tribal structure that forms the backbone of the government has remained behind Gaddafi, despite initial reports in the early days of the uprising that powerful tribal leaders had defected. Gaddafi has apparently been helped in this regard by making good on a pledge to distribute weapons. “There are two kinds of people: those who believe in the regime itself and just don’t care too much about freedom, and then there is the tribal structure, which is behind him,” he said. “The support of the tribes goes beyond Gaddafi to his tribe, and to their relationship with his tribe, which predates Gaddafi. It’s nothing to do with Gaddafi.”
Note from Jean: The ragtag rebel groups and Gaddafi forces should seriously consider a truce to sort out their differences around a negotiation table to perhaps end up with several autonomous regions including one encompassing all those who are happy with being governed by Gaddafi and his family and others governed by the elected representatives of all those who prefer to fly on their own. Oil revenues should be shared proportionally to each region's population. A loose central Libyan government composed of representatives from all regions would administer the negotiated peace agreement and represent the country in international forums. If the anti-Gaddafi Western governments remain fixated upon his downfall, something which cannot be achieved without boots on the ground because, IMHO, the disorganized rebels have little chance of prevailing in a prolonged armed conflict, then this country will descend into Somalian levels of anarchy and countless lives will be lost not to mention widespread destruction similar to what the US-led coalition has achieved in Iraq and Afghanistan. The colonial borders which are disconnected from the historic cultural reality of this land must give way to a new reality that would be closer to the European union. How about an Arab Union spanning the entire northern part of Africa with close economic ties to their neighbors across the Mediterranean sea?...
Who's in charge? Germans pull forces out of NATO as Libyan coalition falls apart (23rd March 2011) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368693/Libya-war-Germans-pull-forces-NATO-Libyan-coalition-falls-apart.html
Deep divisions between allied forces currently bombing Libya worsened today as the German military announced it was pulling forces out of NATO over continued disagreement on who will lead the campaign. A German military spokesman said it was recalling two frigates and AWACS surveillance plane crews from the Mediterranean, after fears they would be drawn into the conflict if NATO takes over control from the U.S. The infighting comes as a heated meeting of NATO ambassadors yesterday failed to resolve whether the 28-nation alliance should run the operation to enforce a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone, diplomats said. Yesterday a war of words erupted between the U.S. and Britain after the U.K. government claimed Muammar Gaddafi is a legitimate target for assassination.U.K. government officials said killing the Libyan leader would be legal if it prevented civilian deaths as laid out in a U.N. resolution. But U.S. defence secretary Robert Gates hit back at the suggestion, saying it would be 'unwise' to target the Libyan leader adding cryptically that the bombing campaign should stick to the 'U.N. mandate'. President Barack Obama, seeking to avoid getting bogged down in a war in another Muslim country, said on Monday Washington would cede control of operations against Muammar Gaddafi's forces within days, handing the reins over to NATO. But Germany and European allies remain unwilling to have NATO take on a military operation that theoretically has nothing to do with the defence of Europe. CLIP - NOTE: According to this March 24 CNN article... "Leadership of the coalition forces is expected to change soon. A deal in principle has been reached for NATO to take command of the military mission in Libya in coming days, diplomatic officials told CNN on Thursday.The deal was reached after a conference call among U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterparts from Britain, France and Turkey, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of not being identified by name. NATO sources said that a major sticking point involved the rules of engagement for coalition forces that will take over command of enforcing a no-fly zone and naval blockade of Libya. The rules of engagement will be drafted in coming days, the NATO sources said, adding that the process would take 48 hours. That means the earliest date for the United States to hand over control of the mission to NATO would be Sunday, according to the sources."
Libyan Hospitals Attacked. Libyan Sources: Three French Jets Downed (March 19, 2011) http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23801
The U.S. and its allies are embarking on another regime change operation. Before they started their attacks on the Libyans, they admitted that there would be civilians casualities in an act of irony. They claim to be acting to save civilians, but they will be killing them."Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the action amounts to an 'act of war' that is critical to remove Moammar Gadhafi from power before he massacres any more of his own people," according to the Edmonton Journal. It also added: "The prime minister acknowledged that the military operation will be complex and could lead to casualties among the very civilians that nations are trying to protect, and perhaps among the military personnel being sent to Libya." The war criminals are back at it again. Hours after the attacks, sources in Libya have reported that three medical facilities were bombarded. Two were hospitals and one a medical clinic. These were civilian facilities. Al-Tajura Hospital was hit as was Saladin Hospital in Ain Zara. The clinic that was bombed was also located in the vicinity of Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Not only where these civilian structures, but they were also all far away from the combat zone. Civilian air facilities throughout Libya have been attacked. Libyan sources have also said that all the Libyan military academies have also been destroyed. This is a means to prevent Libya from training officers to defend itself. The same sources have also said that all Libyan military bases were attacked, even ones that have no connection with imposing a no-fly zone. Libyan air bases, naval bases, and ground bases were attacked by the new Iraq-style "coalition of the willing." Moreover, a vast naval blockade around Libya has now been imposed by the U.S. and its allies. According to (unconfirmed) internal Libyan sources, two French jets were also shot down by the Libyan military near Janzour (Janzur/Zanzur). According to the same source, another French military jet was shot down by the Libyans near Anjile. People in Benghazi are also fleeing the city, because of the war. Surt (Sidra) and Misratah have also been attacked by the French, the U.S., the British and their coalition allies. The U.S. and its allies are now the ones that are creating a real humanitarian disaster. They talk about peace while they arm the Benghazi-based opposition rebels via the Egyptian military junta, which is as much a military client as its so-called civilian predecessor. This is also a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution that the U.S. and its allies passed, which states that no weapons are to be sent to Libya. Hillary Clinton was in both Tunisia and Egypt in relation to the operations directed against Libya. Both the regime in Tunis and the military junta in Cairo are overtly and covertly supporting the war against Libya. The autocrats of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have also indicated that they will send military forces to attack Libya.
Biden Demands Impeachment: The President’s own party turns against him (03/23/2011)
STUNNING REBELLION AGAINST TRIGGER-HAPPY OBAMA! DREAM AS MUCH AS YOU WANT... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42466
Barack Obama’s presidency has entered a new, and possibly terminal, stage of crisis, as Vice President Joe Biden has called for his impeachment. “I made it clear to the President,” a furious Biden declared, “that if he takes this nation to war without Congressional approval, I will make it my business to impeach him. That is a fact.”Biden’s comments reflect growing Democrat anger at President Obama’s unilateral military action. In the House, where the impeachment process must begin, Representative Dennis Kucinich has already begun talking about removing Obama from office, which is consistent with his previous stance on President George Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), the only Muslim representative in Congress, has said “impeachment should be on the table.” While not willing to go as far as joining Vice President Biden’s open call for impeachment, current House Minority Leader, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is angry that Obama went to war without consulting Congress. “I do believe that Congress should assert itself and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Libya,” Pelosi stated. Things are looking grim in the Senate, too. Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) has introduced legislation stating that “no funds … may be obligated or expended for military operations or activities within or above the territory of Libya, or within the territorial waters of Libya, except pursuant to a specific authorization of Congress.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated his support for this legislation. Speaking for the freshman Democrat class in the Senate, a recently elected senator told the Boston Globe that “the President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” The impeachment drive has gathered strength among Democrats outside of Congress as well. Most remarkably, the state of Vermont has voted to impeach the President, condemning him for launching an “unnecessary” war. They also want Obama impeached for “conspiring” with the rogue soldiers who murdered a civilian in Afghanistan and photographed themselves posing with the corpse, even though the President had no direct connection with these actions, did not order them, and has supported a prompt investigation of the incident. Vermont voters were also angered by Obama’s “indefinite detention” of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, “without charges, without legal counsel, and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention.” It remains to be seen how President Obama can survive such a powerful drive to remove him from office, with so many prominent figures in his own party, and even his own Vice President, clearly calling for… Whoa, wait a second, what the…Gosh, I’m sorry folks, I made a really silly mistake here. I forgot to set the date parameters in my Google search. This is all stuff the Democrats said a few years ago about Bush, not Obama. They were talking about operations in Iraq, and the looming possibility of action against Iran. The only person mentioned above who actually has been treating Obama the same as Bush is Dennis Kucinich. The “recently elected senator” who firmly informed the Boston Globe that unilateral Presidential military action in the absence of an imminent threat is un-Constitutional was Barack Obama himself. On behalf of the Democrat Party, I’d like to ask you to forget you read this article, along with everything any Democrat ever said about congressional war-making powers prior to 2009. Thanks for your cooperation!
2009 US Embassy secret Diplomatic Cable from Tripoli Highlighted Strong US-Libya Counter-terrorism Relationship (23 March 2011) http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/03/23/2009-us-embassy-secret-diplomatic-cable-tripoli-highlighted-strong-us-libya-counter-
Following a meeting in Tripoli between Libyan leader Colonel Qaddafi, his son Muatassim and a United States Congressional delegation led by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman on 14 August 2009, the American embassy classified diplomatic cable to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton highlighted the close working relationship both nations enjoy to combat the Global War on Terrorism.The American embassy classified cable, released by WikiLeaks, quotes Senator Lieberman, the Chairman of the US Senate’s highly important Homeland Security Committee as calling Libya “an important ally in the war on terrorism.”Lieberman in his discussion with the Libyan leader and his son further noted that “common enemies sometimes make better friends. The Senators recognized Libya's cooperation on counterterrorism and conveyed that it was in the interest of both countries to make the relationship stronger. They encouraged Libya to sign the Highly Enriched Uranium transfer agreement by August 15 in order to fulfill its obligation to transfer its nuclear spent fuel to Russia for treatment and disposal.” The embassy in a foot note to the diplomatic cable noted: “The Libyan Government subsequently informed us of its intent to sign the agreement on August 17 and has begun taking good-faith steps to do so.” The American embassy cable to Secretary Clinton further noted Senator McCain, a leading Republican and former presidential candidate in the November 2008 election, encouraging the Libyan Leader Colonel Qaddafi’s son Muatassim “to keep in mind the long-term perspective of bilateral security engagement and to remember that small obstacles will emerge from time to time that can be overcome.” The diplomatic cable said McCain described the bilateral military relationship as strong and pointed to Libyan officer training at U.S. Command, Staff, and War colleges as some of the best programs for Libyan military participation. CLIP
Three Hundred Million A Week - Libya breaks the bank (03/23/2011) http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42464
Operation Odyssey Dawn is yet another stunning demonstration of American fighting skill and military technology. The pilots and missile crews don’t get paid all that much for their bravery and competence, but that technology is expensive.Fox News has been tallying up the cost: 161 cruise missiles at $1 million to $1.5 million apiece, $10,000 per hour to fly B-2 stealth bombers (which cannot then be driven to a Jiffy Lube for cheap maintenance), and one $75 million F-15 already destroyed by mechanical failure, with the crew thankfully rescued.The bottom line, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, is that “the Libyan no-fly zone could cost $100 million to $300 million per week.” That’s a lot of money for a government that’s already adding $26 billion to its budget deficit each week. Loren Thompson, head of the Lexington Institute and advisor to defense contractors, tells Fox “the Pentagon really needs to this on the cheap,” because voter support for the operation – currently looking pretty good in polls – would dissolve if they were told it would become much more expensive. Support would evaporate even faster if voters were told we’ll put American troops at greater risk because we’ve got to accomplish our nebulous objectives in Libya on the cheap. CLIP
Be Consistent—Invade Saudi Arabia (March 22, 2011) http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/be_consistent_invade_saudi_arabia_20110323/
It’s the black gold that drives nations mad and inevitably raises the question of whether America and the former European colonial powers give a damn about human rights as the basis for military intervention. If Libya didn’t have more oil than any other nation in Africa would the West be unleashing high-tech military mayhem to contain what is essentially a tribal-based civil war? Once again an American president summons the passions of a human rights crusade against a reprehensible ruler whose crimes, while considerable, are not significantly different from those of dictators the U.S routinely protects. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Moammar Gadhafi must now go not because his human rights record is egregious but rather because his erratic hold on power seems spent. After all, from the London School of Economics to Harvard, influential foreign policy experts were all too happy until quite recently to accept Libyan payoffs in exchange for a more benign view of Gadhafi’s prospects for change under the gentle guidance of what Harvard’s Joseph Nye celebrated as “soft power.”
But that revisionist appraisal of Gadhafi suddenly became an embarrassment when this nutty dictator—whom few in the world could ever understand, let alone warm to—was exposed by defections from his own armed forces to be akin to rotten fruit destined to drop. Libya’s honeymoon with the West, during which leaders led by Tony Blair and George W. Bush thought Col. Gadhafi might finally prove to be a worthy partner more concerned with reliably exporting oil than ineffectively ranting against Western imperialism, has suddenly been abandoned as no longer necessary. As with former U.S. ally Saddam Hussein before him, the Libyan strongman now seemed an awkward relic of a time that had passed him by, and easily replaceable. Not so the royal ruler of Saudi Arabia and the surrogates he finances in Yemen and Bahrain; their suppression of their peoples still falls within acceptable limits because of the vast resources the king manages in a manner that Western leaders have long found agreeable.
But this time, in the glaring light of the democratic currents sweeping through the Mideast, the contradictions in supporting one set of dictators while toppling others may prove impossible for the U.S. and its allies to effectively manage. The recognition, widely demanded throughout the region, that even ordinary Middle Easterners have inalienable rights is a sobering notion not easily co-opted. Why don’t those rights to self-determination extend to Shiites in the richest oil province in Saudi Arabia or for that matter to Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza?
The fallback position for U.S. policymakers is the “war on terror” standard under which our dictators are needed to control super-fanatic Muslims. That’s why the U.S trained the Republican Guard led by the son of the despised ruler of Yemen as the counterterrorism liaison with Washington. On Tuesday it was the tanks of the lavishly U.S-equipped Republican Guard that stood as the final line of support surrounding the Presidential Palace as calls for departure of Yemen’s dictator increased in intensity. The U.S. was still following the lead of Saudi Arabia, long a financier of the Yemeni ruler.
The Saudi lead was made clearer in the kingdom’s support for the royal family in neighboring Bahrain as Saudi troops were sent in along with forces from the United Arab Emirates to suppress Bahraini democracy advocates claiming that freedom would enhance the power of the majority Shiite population. The fraud here is to locate Shiite Iran as the center of terrorism when it was the Sunni monarchies that were most closely identified with the problems that gave rise to al-Qaida. Not only did 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 come from Saudi Arabia but Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with Pakistan, were the only countries to diplomatically recognize the Taliban regime that harbored al-Qaida. In Bahrain the majority Shiite population is dismissed as potentially under the sway of the rulers of Iran without strong evidence to that effect. Once again it is convenient to ignore the fact that Iran, as was the case with Saddam’s Iraq, had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack that launched the U.S. war on terror. All of which elevates the question of how long will the U.S. and its allies ignore the elephant in the room posed by an alliance for human rights and anti-terrorism with regimes in the Middle East that stand for neither? While the jury is still out on whether the West’s attack on Libya will prove to be a boon for that nation’s population, at the very least it should expose the deep hypocrisy of continuing to sell huge amounts of arms and otherwise supporting Saudi Arabia and its contingent tyrannies.
The Coalition Dissolves (03/23/2011) http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42468
Among the stated targets for Allied bombing in Libya are “command and control facilities.” Days of intense bombing have succeeded in completely destroying command and control. Unfortunately, it’s our command structure that’s falling apart. The UK Daily Mail takes stock of the grim carnage: German is actually withdrawing ships and planes from NATO in order to avoid being swept into Operation Odyssey Dawn. Obama wants to hand the operation over to what’s left of NATO, but Turkey says it will not allow that. Italy says it will take back the airbases it has committed to the effort, “unless a NATO coordination structure was agreed.” The Arab League has already vanished, leaving behind a hastily scribbled note that it still really totally supports the operation it demanded, but it didn’t realize that aerial bombardments occasionally kill people, so it’s going to hang out in the basement and listen to some old Tori Amos albums for a while until it finds a way to cope. CLIP
The situation in Libya http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482311
An uprising against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's rule has left more than 1,000 people dead and many more injured since 16 February.Protests of any kind are prohibited in Libya but in mid-February, thousands of people took to the streets in Libya's second city, Benghazi, after an outspoken government critic was arrested. The protests rapidly escalated and spread throughout the country, with the government's use of force against civilians increasing. Much of eastern Libya was soon in rebel hands, with Benghazi as their headquarters. Rebels in the city established a 30-member Interim Transitional National Council which on 10 March, was recognised by France as the legitimate government of Libya. But the regime's troops began a concerted attempt to win back rebel-controlled regions, launching air and land attacks on towns in both the east and west of the country. (...) In power since 1969, Col Gaddafi is the longest-serving ruler in Africa and the Middle East, and also one of the most autocratic. The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has announced it will investigate Col Gaddafi and his associates for alleged crimes against humanity. The unrest led to a massive exodus of people by land, sea and air. More than 200,000 foreign nationals streamed over the borders with Tunisia, Egypt and Niger to flee the violence, according to the United Nations, which launched a $160m (£99m) appeal for emergency humanitarian aid.
Syria unrest: 'Protesters killed' at Omari mosque (23 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12827542
At least six people have died after security forces fired on protesters outside a mosque in the Syrian city of Deraa, human rights activists say. Hundreds of people had gathered in the streets outside the Omari mosque to prevent troops from storming it. The mosque has been the focus of anti-government demonstrations - at least 10 people have now been killed in clashes. Officials blamed Wednesday's violence on an "armed gang" and said there had been weapons inside the mosque. UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay earlier urged the Syrian government to end the use of "excessive force". "People have the legitimate right to express their grievances and demands to their government," she said. The EU has also strongly condemned the "unacceptable" crackdown.
(...) "The Syrian authorities are now committing a crime against humanity whose victims are innocent, defenceless and peaceful citizens, who are staging peaceful sit-ins, and who don't even have stones to defend themselves with," said the activist, who did not want to be named. "These people think that they can kill the democratic protesters without being held to account."
(...) Rights groups say arbitrary arrests of protesters and activists have been taking place across the country. On Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Louai Hussein, a former political prisoner who supported the protesters, was taken from his home in the Damascus suburb of Sahnaya. However, reports say the governor of the Deraa region, Faisal Kalthoum, has been sacked - one of the demands of the demonstrators. The authorities have also released the 15 children whose detention for writing pro-democracy graffiti prompted people to march from the Omari mosque after Friday prayers. The security forces later opened fire to disperse the demonstration, killing four people. The following day, they fired on mourners at two of the victims' funerals, killing another person. An 11-year-old boy died on Monday after suffering the effects of tear gas inhalation. Although the demonstrators have not demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, the unrest is the most serious challenge to his rule since he succeeded his father 11 years ago. The BBC's Lina Sinjab says the events are unprecedented in recent Syrian history, and the unrest is certainly making the government very worried.Syria has been ruled under emergency laws since 1963.
Syria: Setting the country alight? (23 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12814530
Six days after trouble first started in the southern Syrian town of Deraa, it seems to be proving hard for the authorities to contain it. With access by independent reporters severely restricted, there are conflicting accounts about what happened on Tuesday night near the al-Omari mosque, which has become the focal point of continuing unrest in Deraa. Both the official accounts and those of activists agreed that about half-a-dozen people were killed, making it the bloodiest single incident since Deraa was paralysed by protests and a security crackdown late last week. Activists said the victims, including a medical team, were killed when security forces attacked protesters who had settled around the mosque and vowed to remain there till their demands were met. But the official state media said the medics and a policeman died when an ambulance came under fire from the "armed gang" which they blamed for the trouble. State TV and the official news agency carried pictures of arms, ammunition and wads of cash they said were found in the mosque. They said weapons and advanced communications equipment had been smuggled across the border from Israel, which they said was also the origin of more than a million SMS messages urging Syrians to use mosques as bases for fomenting trouble. They dismissed messages and pictures sent by locals to the outside world as "lies put about to incite and frighten people with stories of a massacre in Deraa, whose people are in fact co-operating with the security forces to chase the armed gang".
(...) The continuing disturbances come despite official efforts to calm the situation by despatching high-ranking delegations to the area. The governor of Deraa, Feisal Kalthoum, is also reported to have been dismissed, though there has been no official announcement. Highly combustible? Syrian protesters are hoping to set society alight -- Syria has clearly joined the growing list of Arab countries being shaken by populist uprisings demanding change and reform. Although the movement there is just starting to stir, President Bashar al-Assad is widely deemed to be facing his gravest internal challenge since he took office in 2000 on the death of his father, Hafiz. On the face of it, Syria shares many of the qualifications which led to the overthrow of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, and which underlie the upheavals in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and elsewhere. Although President Assad has only been in power for a decade, the Baathist system of which he is the scion has been in place since his father, an Air Force commander, staged his Corrective Movement coup in 1970. Like the other threatened Arab regimes, Syria is riddled with high-level corruption and cronyism, linked to political repression enforced by pervasive security services operating unaccountably under draconian state of emergency laws in place for nearly 50 years. It has the additional factor that much power is concentrated in the hands of Mr Assad's minority Alawite sect (an obscure offshoot of Shia Islam), to the resentment of many in the Sunni majority community. CLIP
Yemen parliament imposes state of emergency (23 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12831981
Yemen's parliament has passed sweeping emergency laws following escalating street protests against the 32-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The move gives security forces far-reaching powers to detain suspects and prevent demonstrations. More than 50 people have been killed in the unrest, which Mr Saleh has said risks bringing Yemen into civil war. He has offered to step down within months but the opposition insists he must go immediately. CLIP
Top Yemeni general, Ali Mohsen, backs opposition (21 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12804552
Key Yemeni General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, long close to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, says he is backing the protest movement against the regime. Two other senior army commanders are also reported to have resigned. President Saleh said he was "holding out" and the National Defence Council said it would block any "coup". Tanks were deployed in the capital, Sanaa, apparently to defend key points including the presidential palace, defence ministry and central bank. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says that one by one, the pillars of President Saleh's power are being knocked away. The military commanders who announced their resignations are from President Saleh's Hashid tribe. Sadiq al-Ahmar, head of the Hashid tribal federation, told al-Jazeera that it was time for Mr Saleh to make a "quiet exit". CLIP - Check also Yemen: Beginning of the end?
The Situation in Yemen http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482293
(...) Demonstrators had set up camp at a square near the university in the capital but on 18 March, gunmen opened fire on the square as Friday prayers finished, killing at least 45 people and injuring a further 270. Both the US and France condemned the violence and demanded that the president allow peaceful protest in his country. Denying that his forces were behind what the opposition called a massacre, Mr Saleh declared a state of emergency. A slew of ministers and ambassadors resigned following the shootings and Mr Saleh announced that he was firing the entire cabinet. Yemen is the Arab world's most impoverished nation, where nearly half of the population live on less than $2 a day. Even before the current protests, Yemen was becoming increasingly chaotic. The country remains a global base for al-Qaeda, while a separatist movement is active in the south and a fitful insurgency by Shia Houthi rebels brews in the north.
The situation in Bahrain http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482295
The UN has condemned the use of "shocking" violence by security forces to clear hundreds of anti-government demonstrators from their camp in the capital's Pearl Square in mid-March. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that there had been reports of "arbitrary arrests, killings, beatings of protesters and of medical personnel, and of the takeover of hospitals and medical centres by various security forces". Hundreds of people had been camped out in the square, demanding a more equitable distribution of the Gulf kingdom's wealth. Reports said that at least three people were killed as it was cleared. The violence followed the arrival of some 1,500 Saudi and UAE troops in Bahrain, at the invitation of Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifah family to help restore order in the kingdom. On 18 March, the monument at the centre of the square - the focal point of protests - was torn down. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah has declared a three-month state of emergency, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest citizens.The protests had been going on for a month, despite an offer from the Sunni Muslim monarchy for talks with representatives of the country's disaffected Shia majority. Shia protesters complain of economic hardship, lack of political freedom and discrimination in jobs in favour of Sunnis. Other demands include the release of political prisoners and talks on a new constitution. King Hamad shuffled his cabinet on 26 February, but did not sack Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifah bin Salman al-Khalifah, a member of the ruling family who has been in power for 40 years. That is one of the key demands of protesters.
The situation in Algeria http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482297
Sporadic protests against the rule of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have been continuing since early January. Recent attempts to march through the capital, Algiers, were broken up by huge numbers of riot police. Protest groups united in their opposition to the government include small trade unions and minor political parties. The trigger for the unrest appears to be mainly economic - in particular sharp increases in the price of food. Mr Bouteflika has promised to lift the country's state of emergency - in place since 1992 - in the "near future". And a minister has said the government is studying ways to improve dialogue with the public.Algeria's government has considerable wealth from its oil and gas exports and is trying to tackle social and economic complaints with a huge public spending programme. Mr Bouteflika has been president since 1999. He was re-elected for a third term in April 2009 after winning more than 90% of the vote.
US in no mood to tender apology to Pakistan over 41 civilian drone attack casualties http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-173240.html
Islamabad, Mar 22 : The United States is showing a cold response to Pakistan's efforts in seeking its apology over last week's drone attack that targeted a tribal peace congregation in North Waziristan Agency, in which at least 41 innocent people were killed. (...) Sources expect that Zardari may include the issue ahead of his address, but so far his speech does not include any reference to the US drone strikes that continue to breach Pakistan’s sovereignty and independence.
U.S. doesn't count civilians killed by drones (MARCH 23, 2011) http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/23/pakistan_drones_civilian_casualties/index.html While Obama talks of saving civilians in Libya, information about innocents killed by U.S. drones is kept secret -- The big focus of the Obama administration in the last week has been, in President Obama's words, "to stop the violence against civilians." That's in Libya, of course, where Moammar Gadhafi was threatening to quell a rebellion based in Benghazi. In this context, it's particularly striking to read the news from the ACLU -- which has been waging a legal battle to wring information from the government about American drone strikes -- that the military doesn't even keep a tally of civilian deaths caused by drones:The Department of Defense has confirmed that it does not compile statistics about the total number of civilians that have been killed by its unmanned drone aircraft. (...) That Defense Department letter is here (.pdf). Many significant details about the use of drones by both the military and the CIA are shrouded in secrecy. The CIA, for its part, has entirely refused to respond to the ACLU's request for information about the drone strikes in Pakistan. Now we also know that the Defense Department does not keep a tally of civilians killed by drones. While the Pentagon does apparently have "individual assessment" reports on each drone strike, the government has said those are classified, ACLU attorney Jonathan Manes tells me. Moreover, these attacks typically are in areas -- like Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan -- where it's extremely difficult for reporters to operate safely and on their own. Thanks to the work of independent researchers, we do have some information on civilians killed by drones. CLIP
"I wonder, why was I victimized?" (OCT 14, 2010) http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/14/pakistan_civilian_deaths/index.html
Pakistani victims of U.S. drone strikes speak out in a new report on increasing civilian casualties in the region -- A new report from the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) concludes that innocent civilians in northwest Pakistan are getting hammered by all sides -- the U.S. (drone strikes), the Pakistan military (ground and aerial bombardment) and local militants (terrorist attacks). Christopher Rogers, the Harvard-trained lawyer who authored the report, did some great reporting. He interviewed many family members of slain Pakistani civilians -- voices that are virtually never heard in the U.S. media. Here, for example, is his summary of the first drone strike on President Obama's watch, way back in January 2009: The Obama Administration carried out its first drone strike in Pakistan on January 23, 2009, three days after the President’s inauguration. However, instead of striking a Taliban hideout, the missiles struck the house of Malik Gulistan Khan, a tribal elder and member of a local pro-government peace committee. Five members of his family were killed. “I lost my father, three brothers and my cousin in this attack,” said Adnan, his 18 year-old son. Adnan’s uncle claimed, “We did nothing, have no connection to militants at all. Our family supported the government and in fact … was a member of a local peace committee.”
(...) Estimates of people killed by the 124 U.S. drone strikes over the past two years range from 788 to 1,344, according to the report, And though U.S. officials apparently say (it's not clear in what context) that fewer than 20 civilians have been killed, Rogers concludes that this is certainly an underestimate. In just nine strikes that he investigated, he found more than 30 civilians had been killed. CLIP
North Waziristan tribes declare war against US (March 19, 2011) http://tribune.com.pk/story/134864/north-waziristan-tribes-declare-war-against-us/
A grand jirga of tribal elders from North Waziristan Agency on Friday said that they would wage jihad against America to avenge those killed in drone attacks. A US drone attack killed at least 40 people, most of them tribal elders, in Datta Khel tehsil, North Waziristan on Thursday. Pakistan’s top leadership, including the army chief, have already condemned the attack. Malik Jalal Sarhadi Qatkhel, head of the North Waziristan Peace Committee, told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club that the tribes would wage a jihad against the US as well as Pakistanis who are helping them carry out the Predator drone strikes. He said that they had allowed their youths to carry out suicide attacks against the Americans. The tribal elder claimed that there were no al Qaeda or Taliban members in North Waziristan, or the rest of the tribal areas, and that children, women and the elderly were being massacred instead. CLIP - CHECK ALSO Drone attacks: Altaf demands blood money for victims AND Drone attacks sabotaging US interests AND Pakistan-US Relations Veering Towards Breakdown – Analysis
The situation in Morocco (8 March 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482680
Tens of thousands of Moroccans joined nationwide protests on 20 February to demand that King Mohammed hand over some of his powers to a newly elected government and make the justice system more independent. Some rioting did take place, especially in the north, where five people died at a bank that was set on fire, but there were otherwise few clashes between protesters and the police, who had been ordered to avoid confrontation. Since then, young activists have been using social-networking websites such as Facebook to call for major demonstrations on 20 March "for dignity and large-scale political reforms", including a constitutional monarchy. The main opposition group has warned the "autocracy" will be swept away unless the government responds to the people's demands. On 21 February, King Mohammed announced the creation of a new Social and Economic Council tasked with carrying out reforms. He said he hoped for "total synergy between ourselves and… our faithful people". Morocco has been facing severe economic problems. It has announced an increase in state subsidies to try to counter commodity price rises. Earlier this year, the country's reputation was damaged after Wikileaks revealed allegations corruption involving the royal family and the people close to King Mohammed. The king says the fight against poverty is a priority. Economic liberalisation has attracted foreign investment, and officials point to better basic services in shanty towns and rural areas. But some non-government groups say little has changed, with poverty still widespread and unemployment remaining high. Morocco is dogged by strikes by both private and public. Morocco, like Egypt and Algeria, does allow limited freedom of expression and has so far been able to contain protests. Like Jordan it is a monarchy with strong support among sections of the public.
Thousands Across Morocco Demand Political Reforms (March 20, 2011) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Thousands-Across-Morocco-Demand-Political-Reforms--118325904.html
Thousands of people turned out Sunday across Morocco, answering an appeal by the February 20 Movement to increase demands for political reforms, improved civil rights and an end to corruption. The protests went ahead despite the pledge made earlier this month by King Mohamed to undertake political reforms that include giving more power to parliament.In advance of Sunday's protest, Amnesty International issued an appeal to Moroccan authorities to prevent violence. Last Sunday scores of people were injured when police moved in to break up a protest in Casablanca, the country's largest city. An organization official spoke of the "unnecessary acts of violence" which he said "make a mockery" of the king's pledge of reform.
Several hundred keep up protest pressure in Morocco (March 22, 2011) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE72L03J20110322
RABAT (Reuters) - Several hundred teachers marched through Rabat on Monday for better pay a day after one of Morocco's largest anti-government protests in recent decades against corruption and demanding government change. Monday's protest, which briefly and noisily disrupted traffic in central Rabat, proceeded peacefully, as did wider nationwide protests on Sunday in the North African kingdom. "This is an open sit-in: we will protest every day until we get our rights," said Aziz Benjloud, who was among a group teachers seeking better pay and benefits. "We are about 5,000 teachers in all Morocco. Today we are about 1,500 people protesting in Rabat and tomorrow other teachers will arrive from other regions." The Interior Ministry estimated that 35,000 people from all sectors of life marched on Sunday in the capital Rabat, in the country's largest city Casablanca, and elsewhere. Newspapers and local media gave prominent coverage to the weekend protests in Monday editions, with some concluding that public protest is gaining steam as it has in other countries of North Africa and the Middle East. "The snowball is growing one day after another. The number of protesters is growing. Their maturity is growing," the independent Akhbar Al-Yawm newspaper wrote in an editorial. CLIP
Morocco: 'Arab spring' can quickly end (2011-03-23) http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Morocco-Arab-spring-can-quickly-end-20110323
New York - Morocco's foreign minister warned on Tuesday that the current "Arab spring" can quickly end if the transitions in Egypt and Tunisia don't lead to real democracy. Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi-Fihri said he plans to tell US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a meeting on Wednesday in Washington that the Group of Eight major industrialised countries should launch a new initiative to ensure that democratic principles and institutions are entrenched in Tunisia and Egypt where long-time dictators were recently ousted. In a telephone interview late on Tuesday with The Associated Press, he said Morocco is "very enthusiastic" about the "Arab spring because we demonstrate that the Arab population also (has) some democracies, and there is no Arab exception to universal principles". But he cautioned that the Arab world is not monolithic - that it has a mix of political systems from monarchies to political dictators to one-party systems. While the countries share many challenges including unemployment, a shortage of decent housing and the need to fight corruption, he said the responses will be different. "There are many risks and we are not sure that the Arab spring will succeed to ... Arab summer," Fassi-Fihri said. "We can go directly to a dark winter." He said the world remembers when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, a pro-Western leader, was overthrown in 1979 and replaced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who launched an Islamic revolution.Security in the region "There is a revolution in Tunisia and Egypt," Fassi-Fihri said. "We want to confirm they will not go back to other autocratic (rule) like it's happened in Iran in 1979." CLIP -- More info through Middle East protests: Country by country Following the fall of the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia, unrest has been spreading throughout the region. Could a domino effect sweep more leaders from power?
Fighting in Ivory Coast could drag country into civil war (Mar 24, 2011) http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/fighting-in-ivory-coast-could-drag-country-into-civil-war/
Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Reports from Ivory Coast indicate that the embattled West African nation is on the brink of civil war, with outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo recruiting thousands of young people to fight on his behalf against domestic and international backers of his rival, president-elect Alassane Ouattara. The United Nations said on March 24 that the violence had already claimed 462 lives – 52 of them during the past week alone – and forced 500,000 people from their homes.Church sources in Ivory Coast, who were not identified for security reasons, told Fides news agency that the country's administrative and economic capital Abidjan was engulfed in violence. They said the country was “sliding into civil war,” and that attempts at mediation were running into difficulty. CLIP - Check also UN Official: Ivory Coast Death Toll Up to 462
France Seeks UN Steps to End Ivory Coast Unrest Amid Attacks on Civilians (March 24, 2011) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-24/france-seeks-un-steps-to-end-ivory-coast-unrest-amid-attacks-on-civilians.html
France is seeking increased United Nations pressure on Ivory Coast’s incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to give up his fight for the presidency, and stronger military force to halt his attacks on civilians, diplomats said. France has called for a Security Council meeting tomorrow on the conflict and is circulating a draft resolution that would tell UN peacekeepers to use “all necessary measures, including by seizing heavy weapons,” to protect civilians, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of not being identified because the text hasn’t been made public.Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States asked the UN today to give peacekeepers more power to protect civilians from armed attacks, the group said in a statement handed to reporters in Abuja, Nigeria. The UN has 9,000 soldiers and civilian police in Ivory Coast who have a mandate to protect civilians. The peacekeeping mission reported on March 22 that security forces loyal to Gbagbo are making repairs to an attack helicopter and mounting rocket launchers on it. “The mission strongly warns this camp that it will not tolerate any attempt to use these weapons,” the UN said in a statement, without providing further details.Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, has been divided between a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north since a 2002 uprising of army soldiers. The insurgents back Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner over Gbagbo of the Nov. 28 presidential election. Gbagbo, who has led the West African nation for the past decade, refuses to cede power, alleging voter fraud in parts of the north. CLIP
À voir cet émouvant reportage de Sylvie Langlois, journaliste de Radio-Canada, sur les massacres de civils par les forces de Laurent Gbagbo en Côte d'Ivoire - celui qui a perdu les récentes élections mais qui s'accroche au pouvoir en semant la terreur et la mort dans la capitale et ailleurs dans le pays http://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/2011/CBFT/Telejournal201103212200_3.asx
Voir ICI le 2e de sa série de 3 reportages
How Bradley Manning's Treatment Is Tarnishing the Military Psychiatry Profession (March 17, 2011) http://www.alternet.org/rights/150281/how_bradley_manning%27s_treatment_is_tarnishing_the_military_psychiatry_profession/
My colleague Mike Konczal and others have discussed how the abuse of Bradley Manning delegitimizes our institutions, making a mockery of the justice system and casting a shadow over the state. The press has also been compromised in the failure of reporters to adequately cover the story and speak plainly about the seriousness of Manning’s conditions and the responsibility of those in power to stop it. But at least one other institution is also compromised: the medical profession.Military psychiatrists involved in the treatment of Manning — which amounts to torture — face a dilemma that threatens to tarnish the good name of their profession. To dismiss health care professionals involved in such situations as sadistic instruments of evil does not help us understand their painful position. The questions are not easy. Are military doctors really doctors first, obeying the oath their profession? Or are they soldiers obeying a chain of command? What line must be crossed before one role overtakes the other?To recap: Manning has been placed under a prevention of injury order (POI) that requires him to be isolated in a small cell for 23 hours a day with little exercise and to be checked every five minutes. Recently, the regime included enforced nudity for long periods, an order that seems to have originated with a sarcastic remark made by Manning about the absurdity of his treatment (following a public outcry, he has been give a “smock”). The Guardian has examined official records at Quantico which reveal that military psychiatrists have made at least 16 separate recommendations to military commanders that Manning be taken off the POI restrictions because he was not a danger to himself. But brig officials ignored the recommendations and have taken it upon themselves to continue, and increase, the harsh restrictions. Susan McNamara, a member of the advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights, concluded that Manning’s treatment looked like an extension of the notorious interrogation practices used against terror suspects in Guantanamo.As the Guardian’s Ed Pilkington points out, the Quantico psychiatrists deserve credit for continuing to insist that the treatment regime should be changed. But is that enough?Doctors in the US have been voicing their concern for some months, pointing out that even if military psychiatrists don’t officially sign off on the treatment, they may still be complicit and in violation their duty to protect the health of the patient. Psychologists for Social Responsibility wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates in January, 2010, demonstrating that conditions like those Manning has been subjected to have been known to be traumatic and debilitating to prisoners since 1890. CLIP
Secret Experimental Prisons Subject Inmates to Drastic Isolation (March 16, 2011) http://www.alternet.org/investigations/150280/secret_experimental_prisons_subject_inmates_to_drastic_isolation/?page=entire
Inmates at secret prisons inside the U.S. are prohibited from having virtually any contact with the outside world. (...) During the comments phase, submissions poured in from civil rights groups, current and former CMU inmates, inmates’ families and mental health professionals. One theme was common to many: the communications restrictions (including the inability to touch) were devastating to family integrity. The writers argued that strong connections to family were essential for a variety of reasons, such as mental health, rehabilitation, prison order and safety, staying recidivism and societal reintegration—truths long recognized by psychologists, corrections professionals and the BOP alike.As University of Delaware professor of sociology and criminal justice Christy Visher explains, “The lack of connection to family makes it harder to think of a plan for post-release, and if they have no hope for life after release, then they’re less likely to be making behavior change.” Visher, who has looked at the question of how best to reintegrate released convicts for the National Institute of Justice, says, “Contact visits where you can hold a child on your lap or touch your wife are very important.”
Assange: The Internet Could Create a "Totalitarian Spying Regime" (March 15, 2011) http://www.alternet.org/world/150265/assange%3A_the_internet_could_create_a_%22totalitarian_spying_regime%22/
Assange said the web could allow greater government transparency, but also gave authorities their best ever opportunity to monitor and catch dissidents. -- The internet is the "greatest spying machine the world has ever seen" and is not a technology that necessarily favours the freedom of speech, the WikiLeaks co-founder, Julian Assange, has claimed in a rare public appearance.Assange acknowledged that the web could allow greater government transparency and better co-operation between activists, but said it gave authorities their best ever opportunity to monitor and catch dissidents. "While the internet has in some ways an ability to let us know to an unprecedented level what government is doing, and to let us co-operate with each other to hold repressive governments and repressive corporations to account, it is also the greatest spying machine the world has ever seen," he told students at Cambridge University. Hundreds queued for hours to attend.He continued: "It [the web] is not a technology that favours freedom of speech. It is not a technology that favours human rights. It is not a technology that favours civil life. Rather it is a technology that can be used to set up a totalitarian spying regime, the likes of which we have never seen. Or, on the other hand, taken by us, taken by activists, and taken by all those who want a different trajectory for the technological world, it can be something we all hope for."Assange also suggested that Facebook and Twitter played less of a role in the unrest in the Middle East than has previously been argued by social media commentators and politicians. CLIP
No Laws, No Secrets: The Anarchist Creed of Julian Assange (March 22, 2011) http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/no_laws_no_secrets_the_anarchist_creed_of_julian_assange_20110322/?ln
About the only intelligent thing the U.S. government has said to date about Julian Assange is that the man is an “anarchist.” A State Department spokesperson lamented in December that said anarchist is “trying to undermine the collaboration, the cooperation, the system by which we engage with other governments, cooperate with other governments and solve regional challenges.” More precisely, Assange is undermining the system by which we don’t cooperate at all, or pretend to cooperate, or force cooperation by bombing, killing, lying, cheating, smiling and smiling while villainous—all in service of “solving regional challenges,” which is to say in service of the imperial state.For exposing state secrets unfiltered for all people to read, Assange is also called a terrorist and a destroyer. Perhaps he is—in the anarchist tradition of Mikhail Bakunin, who trusted in the “eternal spirit which destroys and annihilates only because it is the unsearchable and eternally creative source of all life. The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.” Also from Bakunin: “Universal peace will be impossible so long as the present centralized states exist. We must desire their destruction in order that, on the ruins of these forced unions ... there may arise free unions organized from below by the free federations of communes into provinces, of provinces into nations. ...” CLIP
Crime Rates Are Plummeting -- And No One Knows Why (March 20, 2011) http://www.alternet.org/world/150307/crime_rates_are_plummeting_--_and_no_one_knows_why/
Could it be that America is actually turning less violent? Or are we as violent as ever — but have simply found different ways of assuaging our urges? -- Los Angeles' violent-crime rates are four times lower now than they were 1992. The interesting thing is, nobody can really explain why.As of December 25, last year, only 293 homicides were reported in LA, along with 781 rapes, 10,734 robberies, and 9,129 aggravated assaults. In 1992, that blood-soaked year of the Rodney King Riots, Los Angeles saw 1,092 murders, 1,861 rapes, 39,222 robberies, and 47,736 aggravated assaults. These figures echo a nationwide trend. "Crime Rate at 20-Year Low Level," reads a February 24 headline in the Frederick, Maryland News Post. "Major Crime at 39-Year Low in Elgin," the Chicago Tribune crowed on February 22. "Fresno's Murder Rate Is Drastically Down in 2011," announced that California's town's ABC-TV affiliate on February 23. Such headlines are typical these days. Crime's down. What's up? Theories abound. Various agencies, such as the office of LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, credit themselves with the shift. But in the din of the applause, some of these theories and claims cancel each other out. Noting that LA in 1992 "was like a war zone," LAPD Sgt. Joe Kuns remembers how, that year, no one in their right mind strolled the downtown intersection of First and Main streets for fun after dark. Drug dealers and their customers ruled that corner, he says. It's a different story now. Brightly lit businesses welcome local residents, who wave happily while walking their dogs. CLIP
Large new oil spill under investigation off Louisiana's coast (March 21, 2011) http://www.southernstudies.org/2011/03/large-new-oil-spill-under-investigation-off-louisianas-coast.html
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a large oil sheen off the Louisiana coast about 20 miles north of the site where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up last April. Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen of the Waterkeeper Alliance first heard reports about the slick on Saturday and flew over the site for a firsthand look. He shot the photo at right, and more images from his flight can be seen here."It was hard to believe I was seeing as much oil in the South Louisiana area again," he wrote on his blog yesterday. "It was even harder to believe that our so called government watchdogs have not closed these fishing grounds!"Wathen says he hasn't seen so much oil in the Gulf since last July. Rocky Kistner of the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that a helicopter pilot sighted the slick on Friday, and a fishing boat captain who sailed through it that same day said it was strong enough to make his eyes burn.According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the first call about the spill came in to the National Response Center at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, with the caller describing a sheen about a half-mile square. A couple of hours later, another caller reported a sheen about 100 miles long originating from the same area and spreading west.The Coast Guard says it collected samples from the slick that showed trace amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons, oil and grease. It speculates that the pollution could be caused "by a tremendous amount of sediment being carried down the Mississippi River due to high water, possibly further agitated by dredging operations." The agency says it does not believe the pollution is coming from the Deepwater Horizon spill site.On Sunday, officials with Louisiana's Jefferson Parish said an oil well south of Grand Isle had released oil for four to six hours before being plugged, the Daily Comet reports.The Coast Guard was also notified yesterday that an "oily substance" was washing ashore on Elmer Isle, Fourchon Beach and Grand Isle on the Louisiana coast. Boom is being laid to protect environmentally sensitive areas. - Check also Potential new deep water oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico-100 mile sheen reported (March 19th, 2011) and Workers dealing with oil on shoreline in Louisiana and Oil Sightings Are Not From BP Spill, Coast Guard Says (March 21, 2011) and Shell wins approval to drill new Gulf of Mexico deepwater wells (!!!)
Arctic faces record ozone loss this spring (March 15, 2011) http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/15447_arctic_faces_record_ozone_loss_this_spring/
Earth’s protective layer down by half, scientists say -- Make sure you slap on lots of sunscreen this spring, because there’s a growing hole in the protective layer which keeps harmful rays of ultraviolet light from reaching the surface of the earth. The ozone layer, which wraps around the planet like a blanket, about 20 kilometres above the surface, filters out these ultraviolet rays. But there’s only about half the ozone there should be above the Arctic, say European scientists. “Our measurements show that at the relevant altitudes about half of the ozone that was present above the Arctic has been destroyed over the past weeks,” said institute researcher Markus Rex, describing the current situation in a March 14 news release from Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute for polar and marine research. “Since the conditions leading to this unusually rapid ozone depletion continue to prevail, we expect further depletion to occur.” With unusually low temperatures in upper atmosphere spurring on the massive depletion of ozone, the Arctic appears to be heading for a record loss of ozone, scientists say. This loss can be damaging to animals and plants because ultraviolet rays are believed to cause skin cancer and cataracts. They can also disrupt the reproduction of some animals and destroy plant life. Research also has determined that whales can suffer from sunburn due to too much exposure to ultraviolet rays. The ozone hole should be shrinking, thanks to the Montreal protocol, signed in 1989.In this agreement, nations said they would to phase out and ban chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, found in old refrigerators, which contribute to ozone destruction.But scientists now point to another connection between ozone loss and global warming. That’s because heat-trapping greenhouse gases — which are still rising — keep warmth next to the earth’s surface. This means the heat can’t rise and warm up the upper atmosphere and creates the extremely cold conditions in the upper atmosphere which are ideal for CFCs to turn into “aggressive, ozone-destroying substances.”
A Deepening Rift Between Germany and Israel (March 7, 2011) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/world/europe/08iht-letter08.html?_r=3&WT.mc_id=IN-PS-E-OB-PS-TXT-TH-ROS-1010-NA&WT.mc_ev=click
BERLIN — On Feb. 18, Germany did something unthinkable. It voted in favor of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal and demanding the immediate halt of all settlement activity. The resolution did not pass — the United States, the only one of the Security Council’s 15 members to vote against it, vetoed it. That did not stop the German vote from opening a serious rift between Germany and Israel. Ruprecht Polenz, a conservative lawmaker and chairman of the German Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said “the vote was highly unusual” given Germany’s practice of abstaining from or voting against any U.N. resolutions criticizing Israel. But Mr. Polenz was adamant that it did not mean that Germany no longer defended the security of Israel. “It means that Chancellor Angela Merkel is trying to explain to the Israeli government that with the extraordinary changes taking place across the Middle East, time is not on its side when it comes to resolving the conflict with the Palestinians,” he said. The German vote was authorized at the highest level. It marks a major change in Mrs. Merkel’s attitude toward Israel, which she had unswervingly supported since she took office more than five years ago.Over the past few months, and particularly since the collapse of the authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, Mrs. Merkel has made it plain to the Israeli government that it cannot expect unqualified support from Berlin if it allows the conflict with Palestinians to drag on. CLIP
German Chancellor escapes chopper crash (March 21, 2011) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/German-Chancellor-escapes-chopper-crash/articleshow/7751562.cms
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel narrowly escaped a helicopter crash while travelling to attend an election rally, a news report has said. The chancellor travelled in a VIP helicopter of the federal police to Oldenburg in the state of Baaden Wuerttemberg to attend an election campaign rally of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party on Wednesday evening. After dropping her in Oldenburg, the helicopter left for Oberschliessheim, near Munich with its three-man crew on board and just a few minutes into the flight and at an altitude of about 1,600 metres, both rotors of the Superpuma 332 chopper broke down. It fell from the sky like a stone and the pilots succeeded in restarting the engines and stabilising the machine only a few hundred metres above the ground, Bild newspaper reported in its Sunday edition. (...) German authorities are not suspecting any attempts of sabotage in the incident. Nevertheless, they are investigating how both rotors of the powerful 21-seat helicopter broke down simultaneously. It was a brand new helicopter taken into the service of the federal police only in December, last year, Bild said. - NOTE from Jean: I received the information in the 2 news articles above in an email entitled "Both rotors of Merkel's helicopter fail shortly after transporting her : Possible Mossad Assassination Attempt on Germany Head of State Angela Merkle for supporting Palestinians as did the Japanese!" which says it all...
Soaring food prices send millions into poverty, hunger (March 18, 2011) ) http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-03-17-food-costs-world-hunger.htm
Corn has soared 52% the past 12 months. Sugar’s up 60%. Soybeans have jumped 41%. And wheat costs 24% more than it did a year ago. For about 44 million people — roughly the population of the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago metropolitan areas combined — the rise in food prices means a descent into extreme poverty and hunger, according to the World Bank. The surge in food prices has many causes. Rising population. Speculators. Soaring oil prices. Trade policies. And, ironically, improved standards of living in emerging nations. By itself, the soaring cost of food didn’t cause the political unrest in the Middle East and elsewhere. Those tensions have been building for a long time. But higher food prices amplify those tensions. You’re paying about 6.8% more for that steak than you did a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fruits and veggies are up about 4.3%.In the U.S., the effect of higher food prices has been modest. U.S. consumers spend about 9% of their income on food, and another 3% for dining out.And raw materials prices are just one facet of many factoring into the cost of our food. The farm value of food — what goes to the farmer — is about 19% of the cost in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The rest goes to labor, packaging, transportation, energy and corporate profits.In many emerging markets, however, 50% or more of a family budget goes toward food — not because food is so expensive, but because income is so low. Kick up the price of wheat or rice or corn, and you’re spelling the difference between having two meals a day or one.
“For many people who spend two-thirds or three-quarters of their income on food, even small price increases disrupt normal routine,” says Hassan Zaman, lead economist for the World Bank in poverty reduction and equity. “They start sacrificing non-food items, such as clothing, and then start eating less.” Hunger and desperationBecause many emerging markets have high unemployment, one result is a large number of unemployed men desperate for ways to feed their families. When Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself in Tunisia in December, it wasn’t because he was yearning to vote. It was because he couldn’t feed his family and police had confiscated the fruits and vegetables he was trying to sell. The World Bank’s food index has soared 29% from its level last January and is just 3% below its 2008 peak. An above-average African harvest and a stable rice market have prevented the current food crisis from exceeding 2008, the World Bank says. You’re paying about 6.8% more for that steak than you did a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fruits and veggies are up about 4.3%. In the U.S., the effect of higher food prices has been modest. U.S. consumers spend about 9% of their income on food, and another 3% for dining out. And raw materials prices are just one facet of many factoring into the cost of our food. The farm value of food — what goes to the farmer — is about 19% of the cost in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The rest goes to labor, packaging, transportation, energy and corporate profits.
In many emerging markets, however, 50% or more of a family budget goes toward food — not because food is so expensive, but because income is so low. Kick up the price of wheat or rice or corn, and you’re spelling the difference between having two meals a day or one. “For many people who spend two-thirds or three-quarters of their income on food, even small price increases disrupt normal routine,” says Hassan Zaman, lead economist for the World Bank in poverty reduction and equity. “They start sacrificing non-food items, such as clothing, and then start eating less.” Hunger and desperation - Because many emerging markets have high unemployment, one result is a large number of unemployed men desperate for ways to feed their families. When Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself in Tunisia in December, it wasn’t because he was yearning to vote. It was because he couldn’t feed his family and police had confiscated the fruits and vegetables he was trying to sell.The World Bank’s food index has soared 29% from its level last January and is just 3% below its 2008 peak. An above-average African harvest and a stable rice market have prevented the current food crisis from exceeding 2008, the World Bank says.
(...) Energy. You need energy to make fertilizer, drive tractors and take food to market. More important, however, a great deal of land is now being planted for corn that will be made into ethanol. “As energy prices go up, so do the incentives to produce ethanol,” says the World Bank’s Zaman. “The past three years, the percentage of the U.S. corn crop that has gone to ethanol has gone from 31% in 2008 to more than 40% projected in the 2010-2011 growing season.” And the more land that goes to corn, the less land there is planted with other crops. The U.S. had 63.2 million acres planted in wheat in 2008, says the Department of Agriculture. That fell to 53.6 million acres in 2010. Corn acreage rose from 86 million acres to 88.2 million in the same period. (...) Aid for hunger relief is unlikely to grow this year, at least from the United States, which is worried about cutting its budget deficit. A Jan. 31 USA TODAY/Gallup poll found that 59% of respondents favored cutting foreign aid, which is just 1% of the U.S. budget. CLIP
From Cambodia to California: the world's top 10 most threatened forests (February 02, 2011) http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0202-hance_toptenforests.html
Growing populations, expanding agriculture, commodities such as palm oil and paper, logging, urban sprawl, mining, and other human impacts have pushed many of the world's great forests to the brink. Yet scientists, environmentalists, and even some policymakers increasingly warn that forests are worth more standing than felled. They argue that by safeguarding vulnerable biodiversity, sequestering carbon, controlling erosion, and providing fresh water, forests provide services to humanity, not to mention the unquantifiable importance of having wild places in an increasingly human-modified world. Still, the decline of the world's forests continues: the FAO estimating that around 10 million hectares of tropical forest are lost every year. Of course, some of these forests are more imperiled than others, and a new analysis by Conservation International (CI) has cataloged the world's 10 most threatened forests. The list catalogs forests that have already lost 90% of their original extent, but are still hotspots for biodiversity, represented by at least 1,500 recorded endemic species of plants in each forest. According to CI, Asian-Pacific forests are the most imperiled in the world with five of the top 10 forests, including the first four. In contrast, Africa has three of the top 10 (when one includes the island of Madagascar), while South American and North America have one each. CLIP
Amazon deforestation flat since last year (March 23, 2011) http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0323-imazon_amazon.html
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is roughly flat for the 7 months ended February 28 relative to the same period last year, reports Imazon, a Brazil-based NGO. Using its the near real-term alert component of its satellite-based deforestation tracking system, Imazon found accumulated deforestation between August 2010 to February 2011 amounted to roughly 925 square kilometers, virtually identical to the 924 square kilometers detected between August 2009-February 2010. But degradation — forest that has been selectively logged, affected by fire, or otherwise damaged — increased by more than 300 percent to 3,836 square kilometers over the year-earlier period. (...) Most analysts had been expecting a rise in Amazon deforestation due to rising commodity prices, although a strengthening real has offset much of the price appreciation. Another factor that could be impacting forest clearing in Brazil is the commitment among major players in the cattle industry to stop buying from ranches involved in deforestation. The restriction was brought about by a Greenpeace campaign and threats by state prosecutors in June 2009. Under its national climate action plan, Brazil has set an ambitious target to reduce its deforestation rate. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon last year was more than 75 percent lower than its last peak in 2004.
India government: forest target 'unrealistic' (March 20, 2011) http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0320-hance_india_forests.html
Not long ago much of India was covered in vast and varied forests. Today just over one-fifth (21%) of the nation remains under forest cover, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) but an ambitious plan hopes to bring the forest cover percentage to 33%, or one third of the country. However that goal has been dubbed 'unrealistic' by India's influential Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, as reported by The Hindu. The goal is "unrealistic in a country like India where the population is 1.2 billion and set to become 1.6 billion by 2040. With the population and development pressure in our country, to expect India to suddenly grow a green cover from the present 21% to 33% is totally unrealistic,” Ramesh said at a Green Landscape Summit. India is currently the world's second most populous nation after China. However, even the 21% forest cover is a misnomer, since 15% of those forests are plantations. Ramesh further pointed out that nearly half of India's forests are degraded. India recently announced a $10 billion plan to expand forests and improve tree cover in degraded forests.
What is the current status of REDD+? (March 23, 2011) http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0323-niles_redd_interview.html
The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) mechanism is supposed to be the great hope for saving the world's forests. Advocates say REDD — now known as REDD+ — could finally create financial incentives for keeping forests standing instead of chopping them down for timber, pulp and paper, cattle, palm oil, and rubber. At the same time, REDD could generate benefits for the rural poor, while safeguarding biodiversity and other ecosystem services. But the devil is in the details. Ensuring that REDD is properly designed, funded, and implemented means that progress has been slower than some supporters have hoped. A poorly designed REDD may be worse than no REDD at all. So where does that leave REDD now? Mongabay asked John-O Niles, the Director of the Tropical Forest Group, a Lecturer at the University of California at San Diego in Terrestrial Carbon Science and Policy, and an occasional contributor to Mongabay on climate change policy, for his thoughts on the current status of REDD policy. The Tropical Forest Group recently wrote a report, Justification and Recommendations for a New UNFCCC REDD+ Mechanism. The new report bluntly challenges the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to rapidly create a formal REDD+ Mechanism.
(...) mongabay.com: REDD+ should be a huge opportunity for forest dependent people--yet they seem to be among its staunchest critics. What went wrong?
John-O Niles: Many forest dependent communities have seen the most egregious impacts of markets. Land stolen, governments corrupted, lives lost, whole cultures punished. And from the beginning, a key aspect of REDD+ has been to access carbon markets. The Kyoto Protocol fundamentally centers on carbon markets and was reached through a strident effort at global consensus building. So carbon markets are essential to the Kyoto Protocol and are considered essential to REDD+. But after Copenhagen's setbacks, there is serious doubt as to if there will be an international carbon market any time soon. There are still concerns that REDD+ could be another example of globalization destroying local ways of life. I personally think REDD+ has forced very hard conversations about local peoples' rights, land tenure, governance and equity. But there are vocal groups in the UNFCCC process that simply do not like markets. Full stop. These groups have done a good job of highlighting all the risks of REDD+. They tend to ignore the positive things REDD+ has done and can do. For REDD+ to work there has to be an absolute commitment to the transparency of the policy process, of national REDD+ programs, and of finance. Otherwise there will be continued distrust of REDD+ and its market orientation. Most forest dependent communities, at least the ones I've visited, when presented with the full range of potential risks and benefits associated with REDD+, are keen to explore financial payments to maintain their forests. I'm sure others would rather steer clear of anything to do with carbon. Ultimately, these are choices each community, government and donor must make. The key thing is that communities should have a choice and that choice should be based on as much information as possible.
mongabay.com: What's your outlook for REDD+? Is it still possible to correct course?
John-O Niles: The concept of REDD+ will be the dominant paradigm for this generation in terms of global cooperation to stem tropical deforestation. Whether the UNFCCC will be relevant to this paradigm is uncertain. I think it's time to consider alternative ways to organize REDD+ in the name of better cooperation, better safeguards, benefit sharing, and coordinated technical work. CLIP - CHECK ALSO Involving communities in forest governance boosts biodiversity, local income AND Climate change caused by deforestation triggers species migration
Top forest policies recognized (March 23, 2011) http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0323-forest_policies.html
19 forest policies have been nominated for an award by the World Future Council, a global think tank. The policies come from 16 countries: Bhutan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Norway, Rwanda, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America and Vietnam. Nominations were made by various international organizations, including UN agencies. The contest aims to raise awareness of the policies and accelerate policy action. "Winners will represent the most inspiring, innovative and influential forest policies which contribute to the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations," said the World Future Council in a statement. The awards will be announced September 21.
Compteur Hydro Québec - micro-ondes - Four - Danger http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdbvca_compteur-hydro-quebec-micro-ondes-d_news
HYDRO-QUÉBEC PRÉVOIT INSTALLER PLUS DE 4 MILLIONS DE COMPTEURS UTILISANT DES MICRO-ONDES. Micro-ondes émises constamment 24h/24 et 7jrs/7. Ces mesures sont comparées à celles émises par un four-à-micro-ondes. Mesures: compteur d'Hydro-Québec = plus de 1500 uw/m2, celle du four = plus de 2000uw/m2*. Le rapport BIOINITIATIVE recommande un seuil d'exposition maximal de 1000 uw/m2 afin d'être protégé des effets néfastes des micro-ondes.*(densité de puissance maximum que peut mesurer notre appareil de lecture. VOIR AUSSI Micro-ondes émis par des routeurs internet - Pour en savoir plus visiter le http://www.dangersemo.com/semo_020.htm
Multiple Sclerosis & Dirty Electricity - by Dr Magda Havas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdtIPb3Veuw
Symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) resemble those of electrohypersensitivity (EHS), which may result in, an initially, flawed diagnosis. Some individuals with MS may also have EHS and, in this case, improving electromagnetic hygiene in the home and work place may reduce severity of the neurological symptoms, as shown in this video.
EMF-Omega-News 19. March 2011 http://www.buergerwelle.de/cms/content/view/565/95/
Environmental Impact Assessment for Base Stations and Antennas - Modification of clinically important neurotransmitters under the influence of modulated high-frequency fields - NEW Studies Reveal Alarming Hidden Cause of Breast Cancer - Cell Phone Brain Tumors Lawsuit - Phone users' exposure to radiation injurious, say experts - Continue to care for the sparrow - Mobile Phone Masts Are Dangerous - Cell Phones Not Safe? - Residents Oppose Cell Tower at Britannia; BZA Puts Off Decision - Locals hit back in university mast row - Angry Carlisle residents protest over phone mast plan - Hinckley and Burbage residents uniting in a fight over mast plans - There is plenty of evidence that smart meters make people sick - Irish Electromagnetic Radiation Victims Network (IERVN)
"You Get 3,500,000 the Normal Dose. You Call That Safe? And What Media Have Reported This? None!"
What They're Covering Up at Fukushima
By HIROSE TAKASHI
Introduced by Douglas Lummis
Hirose Takashi has written a whole shelf full of books, mostly on the nuclear power industry and the military-industrial complex. Probably his best known book is Nuclear Power Plants for Tokyo in which he took the logic of the nuke promoters to its logical conclusion: if you are so sure that they're safe, why not build them in the center of the city, instead of hundreds of miles away where you lose half the electricity in the wires?
He did the TV interview that is partly translated below somewhat against his present impulses. I talked to him on the telephone today (March 22 , 2011) and he told me that while it made sense to oppose nuclear power back then, now that the disaster has begun he would just as soon remain silent, but the lies they are telling on the radio and TV are so gross that he cannot remain silent.
I have translated only about the first third of the interview (you can see the whole thing in Japanese on you-tube), the part that pertains particularly to what is happening at the Fukushima plants. In the latter part he talked about how dangerous radiation is in general, and also about the continuing danger of earthquakes.
After reading his account, you will wonder, why do they keep on sprinkling water on the reactors, rather than accept the sarcophagus solution [ie., entombing the reactors in concrete. Editors.] I think there are a couple of answers. One, those reactors were expensive, and they just can't bear the idea of that huge a financial loss. But more importantly, accepting the sarcophagus solution means admitting that they were wrong, and that they couldn't fix the things. On the one hand that's too much guilt for a human being to bear. On the other, it means the defeat of the nuclear energy idea, an idea they hold to with almost religious devotion. And it means not just the loss of those six (or ten) reactors, it means shutting down all the others as well, a financial catastrophe. If they can only get them cooled down and running again they can say, See, nuclear power isn't so dangerous after all. Fukushima is a drama with the whole world watching, that can end in the defeat or (in their frail, I think groundless, hope) victory for the nuclear industry. Hirose's account can help us to understand what the drama is about. Douglas Lummis
Hirose Takashi: The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident and the State of the Media
Broadcast by Asahi NewStar, 17 March, 20:00
Interviewers: Yoh Sen'ei and Maeda Mari
Yoh: Today many people saw water being sprayed on the reactors from the air and from the ground, but is this effective?
Hirose: . . . If you want to cool a reactor down with water, you have to circulate the water inside and carry the heat away, otherwise it has no meaning. So the only solution is to reconnect the electricity. Otherwise it’s like pouring water on lava.
Yoh: Reconnect the electricity – that’s to restart the cooling system?
Hirose: Yes. The accident was caused by the fact that the tsunami flooded the emergency generators and carried away their fuel tanks. If that isn’t fixed, there’s no way to recover from this accident.
Yoh: Tepco [Tokyo Electric Power Company, owner/operator of the nuclear plants] says they expect to bring in a high voltage line this evening.
Hirose: Yes, there’s a little bit of hope there. But what’s worrisome is that a nuclear reactor is not like what the schematic pictures show (shows a graphic picture of a reactor, like those used on TV). This is just a cartoon. Here’s what it looks like underneath a reactor container (shows a photograph). This is the butt end of the reactor. Take a look. It’s a forest of switch levers and wires and pipes. On television these pseudo-scholars come on and give us simple explanations, but they know nothing, those college professors. Only the engineers know. This is where water has been poured in. This maze of pipes is enough to make you dizzy. Its structure is too wildly complex for us to understand. For a week now they have been pouring water through there. And it’s salt water, right? You pour salt water on a hot kiln and what do you think happens? You get salt. The salt will get into all these valves and cause them to freeze. They won’t move. This will be happening everywhere. So I can’t believe that it’s just a simple matter of you reconnecting the electricity and the water will begin to circulate. I think any engineer with a little imagination can understand this. You take a system as unbelievably complex as this and then actually dump water on it from a helicopter – maybe they have some idea of how this could work, but I can’t understand it.
Yoh: It will take 1300 tons of water to fill the pools that contain the spent fuel rods in reactors 3 and 4. This morning 30 tons. Then the Self Defense Forces are to hose in another 30 tons from five trucks. That’s nowhere near enough, they have to keep it up. Is this squirting of water from hoses going to change the situation?
Hirose: In principle, it can’t. Because even when a reactor is in good shape, it requires constant control to keep the temperature down to where it is barely safe. Now it’s a complete mess inside, and when I think of the 50 remaining operators, it brings tears to my eyes. I assume they have been exposed to very large amounts of radiation, and that they have accepted that they face death by staying there. And how long can they last? I mean, physically. That’s what the situation has come to now. When I see these accounts on television, I want to tell them, “If that’s what you say, then go there and do it yourself!” Really, they talk this nonsense, trying to reassure everyone, trying to avoid panic. What we need now is a proper panic. Because the situation has come to the point where the danger is real.
If I were Prime Minister Kan, I would order them to do what the Soviet Union did when the Chernobyl reactor blew up, the sarcophagus solution, bury the whole thing under cement, put every cement company in Japan to work, and dump cement over it from the sky. Because you have to assume the worst case. Why? Because in Fukushima there is the Daiichi Plant with six reactors and the Daini Plant with four for a total of ten reactors. If even one of them develops the worst case, then the workers there must either evacuate the site or stay on and collapse. So if, for example, one of the reactors at Daiichi goes down, the other five are only a matter of time. We can’t know in what order they will go, but certainly all of them will go. And if that happens, Daini isn’t so far away, so probably the reactors there will also go down. Because I assume that workers will not be able to stay there.
I’m speaking of the worst case, but the probability is not low. This is the danger that the world is watching. Only in Japan is it being hidden. As you know, of the six reactors at Daiichi, four are in a crisis state. So even if at one everything goes well and water circulation is restored, the other three could still go down. Four are in crisis, and for all four to be 100 per cent repaired, I hate to say it, but I am pessimistic. If so, then to save the people, we have to think about some way to reduce the radiation leakage to the lowest level possible. Not by spraying water from hoses, like sprinkling water on a desert. We have to think of all six going down, and the possibility of that happening is not low. Everyone knows how long it takes a typhoon to pass over Japan; it generally takes about a week. That is, with a wind speed of two meters per second, it could take about five days for all of Japan to be covered with radiation. We’re not talking about distances of 20 kilometers or 30 kilometers or 100 kilometers. It means of course Tokyo, Osaka. That’s how fast a radioactive cloud could spread. Of course it would depend on the weather; we can’t know in advance how the radiation would be distributed. It would be nice if the wind would blow toward the sea, but it doesn’t always do that. Two days ago, on the 15th, it was blowing toward Tokyo. That’s how it is. . . .
Yoh: Every day the local government is measuring the radioactivity. All the television stations are saying that while radiation is rising, it is still not high enough to be a danger to health. They compare it to a stomach x-ray, or if it goes up, to a CT scan. What is the truth of the matter?
Hirose: For example, yesterday. Around Fukushima Daiichi Station they measured 400 millisieverts – that’s per hour. With this measurement (Chief Cabinet Secretary) Edano admitted for the first time that there was a danger to health, but he didn’t explain what this means. All of the information media are at fault here I think. They are saying stupid things like, why, we are exposed to radiation all the time in our daily life, we get radiation from outer space. But that’s one millisievert per year. A year has 365 days, a day has 24 hours; multiply 365 by 24, you get 8760. Multiply the 400 millisieverts by that, you get 3,500,000 the normal dose. You call that safe? And what media have reported this? None. They compare it to a CT scan, which is over in an instant; that has nothing to do with it. The reason radioactivity can be measured is that radioactive material is escaping. What is dangerous is when that material enters your body and irradiates it from inside. These industry-mouthpiece scholars come on TV and what to they say? They say as you move away the radiation is reduced in inverse ratio to the square of the distance. I want to say the reverse. Internal irradiation happens when radioactive material is ingested into the body. What happens? Say there is a nuclear particle one meter away from you. You breathe it in, it sticks inside your body; the distance between you and it is now at the micron level. One meter is 1000 millimeters, one micron is one thousandth of a millimeter. That’s a thousand times a thousand: a thousand squared. That’s the real meaning of “inverse ratio of the square of the distance.” Radiation exposure is increased by a factor of a trillion. Inhaling even the tiniest particle, that’s the danger.
Yoh: So making comparisons with X-rays and CT scans has no meaning. Because you can breathe in radioactive material.
Hirose: That’s right. When it enters your body, there’s no telling where it will go. The biggest danger is women, especially pregnant women, and little children. Now they’re talking about iodine and cesium, but that’s only part of it, they’re not using the proper detection instruments. What they call monitoring means only measuring the amount of radiation in the air. Their instruments don’t eat. What they measure has no connection with the amount of radioactive material. . . .
Yoh: So damage from radioactive rays and damage from radioactive material are not the same.
Hirose: If you ask, are any radioactive rays from the Fukushima Nuclear Station here in this studio, the answer will be no. But radioactive particles are carried here by the air. When the core begins to melt down, elements inside like iodine turn to gas. It rises to the top, so if there is any crevice it escapes outside.
Yoh: Is there any way to detect this?
Hirose: I was told by a newspaper reporter that now Tepco is not in shape even to do regular monitoring. They just take an occasional measurement, and that becomes the basis of Edano’s statements. You have to take constant measurements, but they are not able to do that. And you need to investigate just what is escaping, and how much. That requires very sophisticated measuring instruments. You can’t do it just by keeping a monitoring post. It’s no good just to measure the level of radiation in the air. Whiz in by car, take a measurement, it’s high, it’s low – that’s not the point. We need to know what kind of radioactive materials are escaping, and where they are going – they don’t have a system in place for doing that now.
2.
Alleged UFO's intervention to mitigate the scope of the radiation level from Japan's damaged nuclear plants
Note from Jean: Suzy Ward sent me a correspondence she had on March 18 with Hannah Beaconsfield in which Suzy wrote:
"Three nights ago I had a call from Gen, the Japanese translator (of Matthew's books), thanking me for Matthew's message and asking if he had any more recent information. Matthew said "they" had heard that some ETs would land and help reduce the radiation situation but that information hadn't been verified. The next day was crazy so it was very late when I asked God if he knew what Matthew had told me. He said yes, and he could verify it. A small ship had landed about a mile from the nuclear facility and the crew was using their technological equipment in conjunction with more extensive equipment in ships overhead; no one at the facility would know the crew was on the ground. I relayed that to Gen and this morning he wrote: Somehow the radiation leakage from those reactors has been suppressed miraculously under critical level. I believe ETs' efforts are being manifested. There have also been video reports showing small UFOs flying at the sites."
The following question from Suzy and answer from the Pleiadians, as channeled by Hannah were also included:
Suzy's question: Has a small group of ETs landed in Japan to help?
We are the Pleiadian Light. We greet you with peace and joy.
Our perception on the assistance being given by ETs is that it is a multi-level force — a sort of intergalactic Peace Corps. There are several planetary groups contributing.
Remember, you live in a reflective universe. On your living planet there are many sources of help being sent to Japan: financial help, food and goods for survival, as well as people with specialized training to assist in finding survivors, tending the injured, and those who direct and coordinate all of the above.
Now, if you translate all that to ET assistance, you can imagine that the different planetary groups are providing a wide variety of help. And this includes some actual visitors to Earth.
God forbid we should contradict God (we know he has a sense of humor) and we're not. We just wish to put things in a larger perspective. The on-Earth assistants are acting primarily as grounding agents for the intergalactic energies.
They are not running around with clipboards, carrying blue prints designed to correct the malfunctions of the nuclear plants. Then again, they might look exactly like that, but their true mission is to ground the alien energy, like lightning rods, to hold it on Earth. This allows ETs to send countermeasures from within their own technologies to alter the situations. The ETs are also downloading information and ideas into receptive Earth minds of those who are working valiantly to save their people and their country.
We wouldn't characterize these visitors as a major landing party. There have been many visits like this throughout your history in both creative, as well as, destructive events on Earth. Our sense is that the visitors are Pleiadian and some Sirius individuals dating from the periods in their development that resonate with the next step, the ascension period, in yours. They hold in their cultures the patterns you need to learn to proceed with your growth.
All is unfolding with more ease and grace than you presently perceive. As fears fade your perceptions will clear and you'll see more Light. Be at Peace. We are with you.
NOTE: To find out more about Suzy Ward and how she receives her channeled messages. go at www.matthewbooks.com
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Related evidence:
Massive UFO activity in Japan prior to Earthquake http://www.allnewsweb.com/page1199999510.php
It began with a report three weeks ago of a UFO fleet being seen by witnesses as it moved over Japan's Mount Fuji before the individual craft fanned out across the area. This event was reported in all seriousness by no less than China's main government news agency, Xinhua (see their article here and our article here). Western Media steadfastly refused to report the event. The US based "UFO industry" also chose to completely ignore or suppress any information regarding this event, seemingly regarding it as unimportant: This publication was the sole English language news outlet that ran a story on this occurrence. Shortly after, we covered further sightings in Japan (see articles here and here). There was no doubt about it, UFO activity in Japan was unprecedented and something was happening in the area. For two weeks now our website's front page headline has stated "Asia awash with UFO and alien events". In a subsequent article we asked: "The question now on the minds of many Japanese citizens is, if indeed these craft are of extraterrestrial origin, what do they want from Japan?" Numerous UFO sightings in Japan continue to be made, right up to this moment, and are still being ignored by the West. We just received a second witness's footage of the UFO fleet seen a week ago and close-up footage of what appears to be one of the craft originally seen above Mt Fuji. UFOs have now been spotted in the aftermath of the Earthquake, even during media broadcasts (see bottom two videos and take a look at this video from the BBC and note the object seen at around 1:59). The connection between UFOs and earthquakes has been made by hundreds of researchers. Academics such as professor Michael Persinger of Ontario's Laurentian University have written about the topic extensively. I myself received dozens of emails from UFO enthusiasts telling me that all of this activity alludes to an upcoming earthquake. Can this really be co-incidence? As I write, reports are filtering through announcing that one of Indonesia's major volcanoes has erupted and is spewing lava, forcing locals to evacuate. Indonesia's first crop circle was reported only weeks ago. The question now being asked by many is: If indeed these UFOs are under benevolent alien control and these beings were aware of the coming disaster why didn't they warn us? Perhaps they did, but we weren't listening. It is time the connection between UFOs and earthquakes is taken seriously. If it is being taken seriously, the public deserves to know.
Massive UFO event in Russia: Crashed flying saucer?
By Michael Cohen - 17 March 2011
A UFO event of Roswell proportions has taken place in Russia and is being ignored by Western media. On March 1 in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, a huge object, glowing pink and blue according to some accounts, was seen by thousands of locals as it hurtled towards Earth. An enormous explosion was then heard over a wide area. Curious and frightened residents inundated various police and rescue departments with phone calls. The military soon confirmed that it had not been doing any exercises in the area and therefore cannot be responsible for any reports of UFOs.
One villager, Mr Sergei Ivanov, described what he saw: "It did not look like an aircraft, more like a UFO or some other unexplained object".
Soon a large array of officials inundated the area: Army chiefs, Air Defense personnel, Ministry of Defense officials, heads of police, Emergency Ministry staff, geophysicists, avionics experts and members of the secret service.
These officials made their way towards site of the alleged crash, declared the event classified and announced to the media that the specific area of impact would not be revealed.
Meanwhile a sizable number of journalists arrived in the region and fanned out to the area's various settlements in search of witnesses: And they found them in the hundreds. Some locals blamed the event on a alien UFO base said to exist beneath Lake Baikal. Others talked of intense UFO activity leading up up the event.
The head of a primary school in the town of Vasilevka recounted how she saw a giant pyramid shaped UFO in the skies above the area in June 2010. The mayor of the village of Bayanday, Anatoly Tabinaev, talked of a giant flying saucer that shot a ray of light onto the ground near his house. Another group of residents talked about an odd object that "crashed" near the village leaving behind only mysterious footprints.
Only hours prior to this event, air-traffic controllers in Yakutks, Siberia claim to have picked up a UFO on radar travelling at 6000 mph at a height of 65000. When they tried to speak with the crew of that craft they heard bizarre cat noises being uttered to them. Are these two events connected? Was this the craft that crashed later that day? And finally: Did the craft actually crash at all or was this just a noisy landing?
The video below shows some footage taken of the event.
NOTE from Jean: I had forwarded this article above to Suzy Ward with a suggestion to check this out with Matthew but she consulted instead with Hatonn, who according to what is posted at http://www.matthewbooks.com/mm/anmviewer.asp?a=47 is "director of communications between Earth and all points elsewhere during the era of Earth changes" and also "commander of an intergalactic fleet":
Hatonn, do you know anything about this?
Yes, it was an eight-person reconnaissance craft with crew members from different civilizations, and it was struck head-on by a scalar beam. Larger ships can avoid those but the small ones are vulnerable.
I'm sorry, Hatonn.
So are all of us. I don't know if this will change plans in any way, though.
You mean landing plans?
No, I mean if there's retaliation. We'd need authorization, and it couldn't be a matter of quid pro quo, it would be based on taking out those facilities run by your mad scientists so they can't turn that weaponry against you.
Who would authorize that action?
God. It would come to us through the highest council in the universe, the same ones who designed the Golden Age master plan.
Scientist: Japan earthquake, nuke “accident” are tectonic nuclear warfare
By Alfred Lambremont Webre -- March 21st, 2011
Independent scientist Leuren Moret, whose 2004 landmark article in the Japan Times unmasked lies and distortions by government and company officials that led to the construction of nuclear power plants in seismically dangerous areas, has declared in an exclusive 65-minute video interview with Alfred Lambremont Webre that the “Japan earthquake and “accidents” at the Fukushima’s 6 nuclear power plant units starting March 11, 2011 are in fact deliberate acts of tectonic nuclear warfare, carried out against the populations ecology of Japan and the nations of the Northern Hemisphere, including the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
In her May 23, 2004 Japan Times article, Japan's deadly game of nuclear roulette, Ms. Leuren predicted, “It is not a question of whether or not a nuclear disaster will occur in Japan; it is a question of when it will occur. Like the former Soviet Union after Chernobyl, Japan will become a country suffering from radiation sickness destroying future generations, and widespread contamination of agricultural areas will ensure a public-health disaster. Its economy may never recover.”
Japan earthquake triggered by HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails plasma weapon, to cause nuclear radiation mega leaks
Among the various aspects of the Japan earthquake discussed by Ms. Moret that fit the profile of a HAARP-triggered earthquake system are:
- The earthquake intensity and characteristics; the deliberate confusion by the U.S. around the scale of the earthquake;
- The foreshadowing sale of Japan Westinghouse (controlled by Rockefeller interests) in 2006 to Hitachi and other interests;
- The use of the Stuxnet virus in the Fukushima plant to cause the malfunctions of the cooling pumps and valves, thereby creating the dangerous radiation releases;
- The creation of HAARP-related vortex clouds over the San Francisco, CA Bay Area on March 18, 2011 to trigger a heavy rain out of the radiation from the first Fukushima plant explosion onto the population, food and ecology of the Bay area.
Watch interview with independent scientist Leuren Moret demonstrating Japan earthquake, nuke “accident” are tectonic nuclear warfare
Readers can watch the interview with Leuren Moret embedded in the article above or at the URL below:
[NOTE from Jean: Leuren Moret makes extremely alarming claims in this video interview above which, frankly, I have a hard time believing - or perhaps it is just that I cannot bring myself to believe the situation is that bad... Listen for yourself. And if you wish to check the actual level of radioactivity in San Francisco, which according to her would normally be extreme, go HERE and you'll see that - unless these are false numbers - up to March 22, there was no cause for concern... Yet if you read Nuclear Apocalypse in Japan: Lifting the Veil of Nuclear Catastrophe and cover-up you will find cause for extreme alarm...]
Ms. Moret indicated that a new cybervirus was found in Japan. The Stuxnet virus is designed to attack off-line servers via USB memory sticks
The Stuxnet virus was designed to cause malfunction in the Siemens controllers that are used in some nuke plants. Fukushima had the same Siemens controllers that Stuxnet was designed for. The Stuxnet virus was also used by Israeli intelligence – Mossad - to destroy the Bushar nuclear-related centrifuges in Iran.
Ms. Moret stated, “The trouble after the earthquake was that the pumps and valves and controllers malfunctioned so the workers could not get the pumps working. This just adds to the HAARP earthquake and much more evidence that it was a false flag HAARP event.”
Energy released by Japan HAARP earthquake equals 1 million nuclear bombs
During the interview, radiation expert Leuren Moret, who was an expert witness with the Tokyo International Tribunal for War Crimes in Afghanistan, reveals the calculations of a former Manhattan scientist that the Japan earthquake – a HAARP weapon of mass destruction – released approximately the energy equivalent to one million nuclear bombs.
Exposed spent rods in cooling ponds releasing radiation equivalent to 92,000 bombs per unit (total 4 units)
In the interview, radiation expert Leuren Moret also reveals calculations she developed regarding the amount of radiation being released by spent fuel rods that were being stored in cooling pools above each of the 6 reactors of the Fukushima plant. Spent fuel rods from each unit of the Fukushima plant are releasing the equivalent of 92,000 nuclear bombs, Ms. Moret calculates. Each unit has 400 assemblies of spent fuel rods, with 60 spent fuel rod for each assembly. Each individual rod holds 72 pounds uranium, as opposed to a 20-pound uranium payload for a nuclear bomb.
This radiation from 4 units time 92,000 nuclear bombs is now being released into the troposphere, and traveling at below 300 feet altitude over Japan and the western United States.
HAARP-triggered rainout of Bay Area, California on March 18, 2011
During her interview, HAARP expert Leuren Moret notes the strange vortex clouds that appeared over the Bay Area, California the night of March 18, 2011, bringing large scale rains that night and continual predicted rains the week of March 21.
These HAARP-induced rains, Ms. Moret indicated, are for the purpose of intentionally causing the rainout of the first batch of serious radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant explosions upon the people, food crops, and ecology of the Bay Area.
Japan HAARP earthquake of future Diablo Canyon HAARP quake/nuke event may be FEMA 3rd "predicted event"
Ms. Moret notes that on September 10, 2001, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) "predicted" 3 future catastrophes on the U.S. continent, two of which (the false flag operations of 9/11 and hurrican Katrina) have occured and have been HAARP-related events.
One source notes, "In 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked the most likely and deadly disasters that could befall the United States. The top three were a terrorist attack on New York, an earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane in New Orleans. The list was announced at a FEMA conference on Sept. 10. The next day was 9/11."
"This news is so incredible that we need to stop right here, so we can accurately understand what we have just been told. On September 10, 2001, FEMA accurately "predicted" three" most likely and deadly disasters that could befall the United States". These deadly disasters foretold were:
"1) Terrorist attack on New York - The HAARP-directed false flag operation of 9/11
"2) A hurricane in New Orleans - The HAARP-enhanced and steered Katrina hurricane
"3) An earthquake in San Francisco - This HAARP-triggered event has yet to occur."
Ms. Moret notes that the false flag events of 9/11 and Hurrican Katrina have occured and have both been HAARP-triggered events. She states that the Japan HAARP earthquake, with its nuclear warfare targeted on the west coat of the U.S., could be the 3rd FEMA "predicted" false flag operation. A HAARP earthquake around the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon nuclear plants in California could also be foreshadowed by the Japan HAARP earthquake, and be the 3rd event that the intelligent behind HAARP has in store for the population and ecology of the U.S.
Japan HAARP earthquake congruent with Leuren Moret findings on China, Haiti, Chile earthquakes
These findings on the Japan HAARP earthquake/nuke tectonic attack are congruent with Leuren Moret findings on the May 2008 China, January 2010 Haiti, and February 2010 Chile earthquakes, all of which have been found to be tectonic attacks with covert political and financial agendas.
For a series of science-based interviews and articles demonstrating that each of the above earthquakes are in fact HAARP-triggered tectonic warfare attacks, please visit http://www.peaceinspace.org
Japan HAARP earthquake congruent with the Clifford Carnicom findings on HAARP/aerosol-chemtrails tectonic weapons system application
Likewise, findings on the Japan HAARP earthquake/nuke tectonic attack are congruent with the Clifford Carnicom findings on HAARP/aerosol-chemtrails tectonic weapons attacks.
Clifford E. Carnicom, an acknowledged expert since 1999 on the global covert spraying of aerosols into the atmosphere operation (also known as “Chemtrails”), stated in an exclusive ExopoliticsTV interview with Alfred Lambremont Webre released March 1, 2011 that the covert aerosol-spraying operation had transformed the Earth’s atmosphere into a plasma for carrying out weaponized applications such as bio-warfare (including Morgellons disease), electromagnetic operations such as HAARP, weather warfare, tectonic (earthquake) warfare, mind control, advanced surveillance technology, and detection of advanced propulsion technology including UFOs.
The over-all purpose of this covert operation of spraying aerosols into the atmosphere and converting it into plasma was to achieve “absolute control” over the global human population. This total control is accomplished using the combined effects of seven weapons-like applications that use the plasma-like atmosphere with weaponized effects on the environment, the biosphere and the human population.
Although Mr. Carnicom prefers to use the term “aerosols”, the global covert operation spraying of aerosols into the atmosphere is also known as the “chemtrails program”.
In a Jan. 10, 2011 assessment of the current impact of the global aerosol-spraying program, Mr. Carnicom stated, “The vitality and viability of human existence and life on this planet, as it has been known to exist, is under threat.”
In his Exopolitics TV interview, Mr. Carnicom details seven weapons applications of the covert global sprayed aerosols program that are being used to carry out over-all the goal of “absolute control” over the global human population.
These seven weapons applications of the sprayed aerosols include tectonic (earthquake) warfare, and are the following:
1. Biological operations, including the use of apparent bio-warfare, such as Morgellons disease, in the sprayed aerosols, constituting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Geneva conventions.
2. Military Operations, such as advanced radar applications, anti-missile Star Wars applications.
3. Electromagnetic Operations, including HAARP directed energy scalar weapons and mind control weapons applications, constituting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Geneva conventions.
4. Environmental modification and weather wars. Mr. Carnicom stated he has concluded that the covert aerosol-spraying program has transformed the atmosphere of the planet into plasma capable of sustaining weaponized applications since its acceleration in 1999. This constitutes a violation of the 1978 Treaty against Modification of the Environment.
5. Geophysical operations, including tectonic (earthquake) warfare, constituting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Geneva conventions.
6. An advanced surveillance system capable of covert surveillance of the entire human population.
The 3-article series on the HAARP/Aerosol-chemtrails weapons system by Alfred Lambremont Webre can be found at:
Leuren Moret provides some home and diet remedies for combatting nuclear radiation
Toward the end of the interview, Leuren Moret also provides home and diet remedies that individuals and families can use in combatting nuclear radiation, including chlorella (chlorophyll), Miso soup, seaweed, greens, and dark vegetables.
Banning HAARP and Chemtrails: The use of the law to protect the population, food supply and ecology of the planet
Radiation and HAARP expert Leuren Moret notes that there was one prior attempt to ban the HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapon of mass destruction. That was in a bill H.R. 2977, introduced into the U.S. Congress in October 2001 by U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), and withdrawn by Kucinich himself for no just reason almost immediately after introduction, thereby undercutting any efforts to legislate a ban on HAARP and aerosol/chemtrails for the past decade 2001-2011.
H.R. 2977 was a bill banning space-based weapons, and as soon as Rep. Kucinich's office discovered that H.R. 2977 also banned the HAARP-chemtrails weapons system (which technically are a space-based weapons system of mass destruction), he ordered his staff to withdraw H.R. 2977 and to submit a substitute bill that did not mention HAARP and Chemtrails. The HAARP-chemtrails weapons system had intentionally been included by this reporter Alfred Lambremont Webre, who drafted the original HR 2977 as introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich ordered H.R. 2977 to be withdrawn, despite the fact that the HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapons system is a space-based weapons system one of whose principal applications is space warfare. There was no consultation with this reporter or with any of the anti-HAARP or anti-aerosol/chemtrail constituency behind H.R. 2977. Rep. Dennis Kucinich acted apparently upon some other factor that commitment to ban the HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapon of mass destruction in gutting HR 2977. To date, Rep. Kucinich has reportedly even refused to meet with anti-HAARP and anti-aerosol/chemtrails activists seeking a legislative ban of the HAARP Chemtrails weapons system, thus gatekeeping and blocking any legistative ban on this weapons system.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich's actions in destroying the HR 2977 bill banning the HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapons system left open the HAARP system to carry out significant destruction of populations and infrastructure in the 2005 Katrina Hurricane, the 2008 Myanmr Cyclone, the 2008 China Earthquake, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, the 2010 Chile Earthquake, and now the 2011 Japan HAARP quake/nuke false flag attack.
With Rep. Dennis Kucinich's killing of a bill explicitly banning the HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapons system just a month after its use on the World Trade Center in New York City at the false flag operation of September 11, 2001, that move effectively has shut out any legislation to ban HAARP and/or aerosols/chemtrails since 2001, as many anti-HAARP and anti-aerosol/chemtrail activists can testify.
Treaty to ban HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapons system
Aerosol/chemtrails expert Clifford Carnicom and HAARP-aerosols/chemtrails expert Leuren Moret have publcly expressed their support for a Treaty banning the HAARP-aerosol/chemtrails weapons system worldwide. This weapons system is carrying out war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity on a scale that is beyond the conventional human imagination.
Dr. Bernard Eastlund is the scientist whose name is most associated with the creation and development of HAARP. His revealing website at this link provides reliable information on his involvement with the project. A 1987 patent issued to Dr. Eastlund, which can be viewed at this link, is titled "Method and apparatus for altering a region in the earth's atmosphere, ionosphere, and/or magnetosphere." In this patent, which sets the stage for HAARP, Dr. Eastlund makes a number of fascinating statements which clearly contradict that the claim that HAARP is only being used for research and not for military purposes or such purposes as altering the weather. Here are a few of key statements taken verbatim from the patent:
- The temperature of the ionosphere has been raised by hundreds of degrees in these experiments.
- A means and method is provided to cause interference with or even total disruption of communications over a very large portion of the earth. This invention could be employed to disrupt not only land based communications, both civilian and military, but also airborne communications and sea communications. This would have significant military implications.
- It is possible ... to take advantage of one or more such beams to carry out a communications network even though the rest of the world's communications are disrupted.
- This invention can be used to an advantage for positive communication and eavesdropping purposes.
- Exceedingly large amounts of power can be very efficiently produced and transmitted.
This invention has a phenomenal variety of ... potential future developments. Large regions of the atmosphere could be lifted to an unexpectedly high altitude so that missiles encounter unexpected and unplanned drag forces with resultant destruction or deflection. Weather modification is possible by, for example, altering upper atmosphere wind patterns or altering solar absorption patterns by constructing one or more plumes of atmospheric particles which will act as a lens or focusing device. Ozone, nitrogen, etc. concentrations in the atmosphere could be artificially increased.
Electromagnetic pulse defenses are also possible. The earth's magnetic field could be decreased or disrupted at appropriate altitudes to modify or eliminate the magnetic field.
For those with any background in science, you might find it quite revealing to explore this patent in more detail. And remember that since the time of this patent, in which Alaska is mentioned several times as the ideal location, the government fully acknowledges that it has built a massive array of antennas in Alaska with the capability of disturbing the ionosphere exactly as described in Eastlund's patent.
Thanks for spreading the news, Jean. Together, we are making a big difference!
I also found the following relevant article and video:
Energy Weapon strange quakes near Nuke Plant in Burma (March 24, 2011) ) http://beforeitsnews.com/story/506/941/Energy_Weapon_strange_quakes_near_Nuke_Plant_in_Burma.html
2 days before the massive 9.0 quake that devastated Japan hit, the United States blasted a secret Chinese energy weapons laboratory with a space based energy weapon. China has been working on a Neutrino weapon platform that is a generational jump in weapons technology. (...) 'The researchers suggest sending a neutrino beam with an energy of 1000 TeV through the Earth to wherever the nuclear weapon was located. The beam would produce neutrons in a ‘hadron shower’ and would cause fission reactions in the plutonium or uranium in the bomb. These reactions would either melt or vaporize the bomb' Let this reality set in. China is very close to being able to neutralize almost all the Nuclear Weapons arsenal of the United States and be able to launch a First Strike WMD attack. Incidently Russia's older nuclear weapon technology has some very important shielding in place to prevent energy based attacks or neutralizations. The US designs are very sophisticated and overly rely on electronics to go through the various transitional phases of nuclear reaction. In essense the US design is very fast, precise and autonomous but also wide open the neutrino attack.
(...) After the Second World War, though certain military technologies did become known to the wider world, what is not readily acknowledged is that there were some that were never officially disclosed. And this is because it was possible to keep them by and large under wraps. The secret weapons technology thus remained secret. At least to the extent that nothing ‘major’ leaked out. That being said however, quite a number of serious researchers who have looked into the matter very carefully in the years following the end of the war, have uncovered a significant body of evidence pointing to the fact that a whole new branch of physical science was explored during this period, quite apart from that considered to be ‘mainstream’. And that as a consequence of this, a set of almost fantastic military-technological breakthroughs were made that actively led to new weapons systems. They include: - A means of causing artificial earthquakes- The development of particle beam weapons- Power systems that could tap almost unlimited energy from the Vacuum- The ability to generate nuclear explosions and willfully transmit them through space and time to any desired location- Development of a means of propulsion involving anti-gravity methods based upon electricity and magnetism In considering the list as given, of what would appear to be almost extraordinary capabilities, it would be well to know that none other than Nikola Tesla himself pioneered most of these fields. Officially, in terms of what physical-technological advancements made it into mainstream from Tesla’s work, only those things which were ‘none threatening’ to the establishment were allowed out. Thus was alternating current – developed by Tesla – considered ‘acceptable’ to the powers that be, who allowed it onto the world stage. However, Tesla’s work on ‘free energy’ systems and of tapping the almost inexhaustible reservoir of energy from the vacuum was not. It is well recorded that through his experiments Tesla almost caused buildings to collapse through applied resonance to their structures. His theories in this regard explained how earthquake-force events could be artificially generated as a means to cause destruction. In addition, through his work in high-frequency high-voltage electrical currents, he was able to lay out the principles of particle beam weapons, and offered even to build one for the US military, dubbed the Tesla ‘death ray’ by the newspaper men of the day. CLIP - Check also Two 7.0 Magnitude Quakes Rock Myanmar/Thai Border, Felt In Bangkok (24 March 2011)
Illuminati's Depopulation Plan Exposed by Japan's Princess Nakamaru and Italian Prince Zagami (March 24, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/user/danielofdoriaa#p/u/0/ieXrsUDD4LE
Watch the first 1 min 30 sec and then jump at 6:40 in the video to see they evidence they have about HAARP being a contributing cause of the earthquake. To continue check also PART 8 of this video and watch also PART 6
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Related articles:
Japan's deadly game of nuclear roulette By LEUREN MORET (May 23, 2004) MUST READ! - Note from Jean: Leuren Moret's warnings have been fully vindicated by the nuclear disaster in Japan and precious little time is left to decommission or, when feasible, convert ALL existing nuclear plants before the irremediable happens... http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20040523x2.html
The Japanese archipelago is located on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, a large active volcanic and tectonic zone ringing North and South America, Asia and island arcs in Southeast Asia. The major earthquakes and active volcanoes occurring there are caused by the westward movement of the Pacific tectonic plate and other plates leading to subduction under Asia.Japan sits on top of four tectonic plates, at the edge of the subduction zone, and is in one of the most tectonically active regions of the world. It was extreme pressures and temperatures, resulting from the violent plate movements beneath the seafloor, that created the beautiful islands and volcanoes of Japan.Nonetheless, like many countries around the world -- where General Electric and Westinghouse designs are used in 85 percent of all commercial reactors -- Japan has turned to nuclear power as a major energy source. In fact the three top nuclear-energy countries are the United States, where the existence of 118 reactors was acknowledged by the Department of Energy in 2000, France with 72 and Japan, where 52 active reactors were cited in a December 2003 Cabinet White Paper. The 52 reactors in Japan -- which generate a little over 30 percent of its electricity -- are located in an area the size of California, many within 150 km of each other and almost all built along the coast where seawater is available to cool them. However, many of those reactors have been negligently sited on active faults, particularly in the subduction zone along the Pacific coast, where major earthquakes of magnitude 7-8 or more on the Richter scale occur frequently. The periodicity of major earthquakes in Japan is less than 10 years. There is almost no geologic setting in the world more dangerous for nuclear power than Japan -- the third-ranked country in the world for nuclear reactors."I think the situation right now is very scary," says Katsuhiko Ishibashi, a seismologist and professor at Kobe University. "It's like a kamikaze terrorist wrapped in bombs just waiting to explode."
(...) After visiting the center a few kilometers from Hamaoka, I realized that Japan has no real nuclear-disaster plan in the event that an earthquake damaged a reactor's water-cooling system and triggered a reactor meltdown. Additionally, but not even mentioned by ERC officials, there is an extreme danger of an earthquake causing a loss of water coolant in the pools where spent fuel rods are kept. As reported last year in the journal Science and Global Security, based on a 2001 study by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, if the heat-removing function of those pools is seriously compromised -- by, for example, the water in them draining out -- and the fuel rods heat up enough to combust, the radiation inside them will then be released into the atmosphere. This may create a nuclear disaster even greater than Chernobyl.
(...) Last year, James Lee Witt, former director of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, was hired by New York citizens to assess the U.S. government's emergency-response plan for a nuclear power plant disaster. Citizens were shocked to learn that there was no government plan adequate to respond to a disaster at the Indian Point nuclear reactor, just 80 km from New York City. The Japanese government is no better prepared, because there is no adequate response possible to contain or deal with such a disaster. Prevention is really the only effective measure to consider.
(...) The Radiation and Public Health Project, a group of independent U.S. scientists, has collected 4,000 baby teeth from children living around nuclear power plants. These teeth were then tested to determine their level of Strontium-90, a radioactive fission product that escapes in nuclear power plant emissions.Unborn children may be exposed to Strontium-90 through drinking water and the diet of the mother. Anyone living near nuclear power plants is internally exposed to chronically low levels of radiation contaminating food and drinking water. Increased rates of cancer, infant mortality and low birth weights leading to cognitive impairment have been linked to radiation exposure for decades.However, a recent independent report on low-level radiation by the European Committee on Radiation Risk, released for the European Parliament in January 2003, established that the ongoing U.S. Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Studies conducted in Japan by the U.S. government since 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors underestimated the risk of radiation exposure as much as 1,000 times. Additionally, on March 26 this year -- the eve of the 25th anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster in U.S. history, at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania -- the Radiation and Public Health Project released new data on the effects of that event. This showed rises in infant deaths up to 53 percent, and in thyroid cancer of more than 70 percent in downwind counties -- data which, like all that concerning both the short- and long-term health effects, has never been forthcoming from the U.S. government.
It is not a question of whether or not a nuclear disaster will occur in Japan; it is a question of when it will occur. Like the former Soviet Union after Chernobyl, Japan will become a country suffering from radiation sickness destroying future generations, and widespread contamination of agricultural areas will ensure a public-health disaster. Its economy may never recover. Considering the extreme danger of major earthquakes, the many serious safety and waste-disposal issues, it is timely and urgent -- with about half its reactors currently shut down -- for Japan to convert nuclear power plants to fossil fuels such as natural gas. This process is less expensive than building new power plants and, with political and other hurdles overcome, natural gas from the huge Siberian reserves could be piped in at relatively low cost. Several U.S. nuclear plants have been converted to natural gas after citizen pressure forced energy companies to make changeovers. Commenting on this way out of the nuclear trap, Ernest Sternglass, a renowned U.S. scientist who helped to stop atmospheric testing in America, notes that, 'Most recently the Fort St. Vrain reactor in Colorado was converted to fossil fuel, actually natural gas, after repeated problems with the reactor. An earlier reactor was the Zimmer Power Plant in Cincinnati, which was originally designed as a nuclear plant but it was converted to natural gas before it began operating. This conversion can be done on any plant at a small fraction [20-30 percent] of the cost of building a new plant. Existing turbines, transmission facilities and land can be used."After converting to natural gas, the Fort St. Vrain plant produced twice as much electricity much more efficiently and cheaply than from nuclear energy -- with no nuclear hazard at all, of course. It is time to make the changeover from nuclear fuel to fossil fuels in order to save future generations and the economy of Japan.
The Next Nagasaki - Nuclear Fears Stalk The World - Threat to the American Public (March 19, 2011) http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23788
(...) The partial meltdowns at Fukushima 1 are putting Washington into a quandary. Had these radiation releases occurred in North Korea or Iran, Washington could have summoned UN Security Council sessions, demanded IAEA inspections and imposed tough sanctions and possibly military intervention. The meltdowns, however, are from American-designed reactors operating under protocols created by the US. The Obama administration has, therefore, downplayed the seriousness of the current nuclear drama shaking its security ally Japan. In an unconvincing defensive tone, the American president has backed nuclear energy as part of "the energy mix" supporting the US economy. His pro-nuclear stance is irrational and irresponsible, when smaller allied countries including Britain, the Netherlands and Germany are making massive investments in offshore wind farms in the North Sea to end their dependency on nuclear and fossil fuels. The international community is well aware of the double standard in policy. The US quietly applauded Israeli air strikes against Saddam Hussein's Osirak nuclear-energy plant in 1981 and has since demanded ever-stricter sanctions against Tehran and Pyongyang. Yet Washington refuses to lead by example, shrugging off the anti-nuclear movement's pleas to stop plans for new reactors and shunning calls from the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for total nuclear disarmament. America's campaign for an atomic monopoly, or at least nuclear dominance, is driving smaller powers toward obtaining a deterrence capability. These nations aren't some "axis of evil"; they're just playing the survival game by the rules - not the words - set by Washington.In the days and months ahead, America's own citizens will be cringing from the dreaded arrival of radioactive fallout. Terrorism is now practically forgotten when a much wider threat may soon blanket American skies from "sea to shining sea." Unless Washington moves rapidly toward repudiation of its own nuclear addiction, the specter of another Nagasaki will overshadow the land of the free and home of the brave.
Officials Are "Underestimating the Seriousness of the Problem" with Japan's Nuclear Reactors (March 18, 2011) http://www.alternet.org/environment/150300/officials_are_%22underestimating_the_seriousness_of_the_problem%22_with_japan%27s_nuclear_reactors/?page=entire
Japan raised the nuclear alert level from a four to a five, on par with Three Mile Island. This decision has shocked many nuclear experts who thought it should be higher. -- The Japanese nuclear crisis continues to worsen as authorities race to find a way to cool the overheating reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Earlier today, Japan raised the nuclear alert level at the crippled plant from a four to a five, which is on par with Three Mile Island. Japan’s prime minister, Naoto Kan, described the situation as, quote, "still very grave." Japan is continuing to dump water on the reactors, while attempting to fix a power cable that could help restart the water pumps needed to cool the overheating nuclear fuel rods. But Gregory Jaczko, the chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Thursday that it could take weeks for the crisis to be brought under control.Meanwhile, the number of dead and missing from last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami has now topped 16,000. It is the deadliest natural disaster to hit Japan in nearly a century. Twenty-two hundred emergency shelters are operating in the disaster zone, but many are running out of food, fuel, water and medicine. The organization Save the Children estimates 100,000 children have been left homeless.
(...) I think, from my point of view, the most important aspect of the U.S. government recommendation of a 50-mile evacuation zone applies not just to the situation here in Japan right now, but to potential future situations in the United States. The primary danger to American citizens at the moment is not from radiation emanating from the plant in Japan; it’s the potential future release of radiation if we have an accident like this in the United States. And, for example, the nuclear plant in the U.S. which has been said to be most vulnerable to earthquake activity is not, as I had expected, in California; it’s Indian Point, 27 miles north of New York City. If there were to be the kind of release at Indian Point that we are seeing now at Fukushima, a 50-mile evacuation zone involves the entire New York metropolitan area. And I’m not sure quite how we would evacuate the 20 million people who live in that metropolitan area or where we would put them. CLIP
Fukusima Radiation Levels Being Covered Up (March 21, 2011) http://www.prisonplanet.com/fukusima-radiation-levels-being-covered-up.html
Radiation levels observed in food and milk grown and produced significant distances from the stricken nuclear power plant in Fukushima do not correlate with readings supposedly found in the immediate vicinity,suggesting that the real levels are being withheld from the public. While the government is still playing down the danger of the situation, spinach with radioactive iodine 27 times more than the government-regulated limit has been found in the city of Hitachi in Ibaraki Prefecture, which is located over 100 kilometers away from the nuclear plant in Fukushima. Under Japanese food sanitation laws, there is a 2,000 becquerel safety limit. Kyodo news reports that Ibaraki authorities found one kilogram of spinach grown in open air in the city containing 54,000 becquerels of iodine. Unsafe levels of cesium were also found in the spinach. The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed the higher levels of radiation in food and milk, while the World Health Organization has urged Japan to halt food sales and shipments. The Japanese government has done so, but only in limited amounts from Fukushima and three other surrounding prefectures, stressing it is only a precautionary measure. Peter Cordingley, WHO's Western Pacific spokesman, said: "Quite clearly, it is not what we thought in the early stages. It is more serious. However, a government spokesman urged the public not to panic, stating "Eating food with (radioactive levels) exceeding provisional limits isn't going to affect your health." Yukio Edano, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, said: "Even if you eat and drink them several times it will not be a health hazard. So I would like you to act calmly without reacting." Asked if he would be happy to give spinach and milk to his family, he said: "Of course."China and South Korea have announced that they will test all food imports from Japan, which now pose more of a risk than airborne radiation, which can dissipate.
(...) The Japanese government is still not releasing official information on radiation levels in the vicinity of the plant, stating that they are "still under survey". Other levels further away from the plant keep being revised downward and retroactively altered, CLIP
Japan's nuclear explosions 'are a catastrophe' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtX0asibYic
The University of Ulster's Professor Christopher Busby says the Fukushimi nuclear plant explosions are comparable with Chernobyl.
Low Level Toxicity - Blog of Dr. Mark Sircus http://blog.imva.info/world-affairs/flying-blind
“Increasingly desperate” expresses the situation as humanity faces its darkest side—the use of nuclear energy and other toxic materials. “This is a slow-moving nightmare,” said Dr. Thomas Neff, a physicist and uranium-industry analyst at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nuclear safety officials in France said they were "pessimistic" about whether engineers could prevent a meltdown at the Fukushima power plant after a pool containing spent fuel rods overheated and boiled dry. Last night radiation levels were "extremely high" in the stricken building, which was breached by an earlier explosion, meaning that radiation could now escape into the atmosphere.
There should be a deep concern in this country regarding President Obama’s plans to build new nuclear power plants, especially in light of the recent earthquake, tsunami and resulting catastrophes that have taken place in Japan and the damaging effects to its nuclear power infrastructure. The Obama Administration’s plan includes a proposed tripling of funding for nuclear energy to the tune of $54 billion in loan guarantees.
On Tuesday 15 February, President Obama announced $8 billion in loan guarantees for the building of a new nuclear power plant in Burke, Georgia; the first plan for new construction of a nuclear power plant in the United States in over thirty years.
According to the White House and the President the new plant in Georgia is, “expected to cut carbon pollution by 16 million tons each year. ‘That’s like taking 3.5 million cars off the road’.”
The waste, which has a half-life of 24,000 years, cannot be disposed of safely. Therefore, over the course of those years, which will inevitably out last any nation state and its ability to safeguard it, the problem will remain a persistent threat to life on the planet. According to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation:
“The rate of decay of a radioactive isotope is called its half-life, the time in which half the initial amount of atoms present takes to decay. The half-life of Plutonium-239, one particularly lethal component of nuclear waste, is 24,000 years. The hazardous life of a radioactive element (the length of time that must elapse before the material is considered safe) is at least 10 half-lives. Therefore, Plutonium-239 will remain hazardous for at least 240,000 years.”
A major point of concern is the proper storage and safety of this nuclear waste. An illustration of this danger is the disaster that occurred post Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which basically turned the city into a toxic waste dump as reported by the Independent and delineated in this EPA report by destroying the containment units of toxic waste that then contaminated the water that flooded 80% of the city. It is likely, based on pervasive flooding and nuclear facility damage, that the flood waters in Japan will similarly contaminate the surrounding areas with radioactive waste.
In the wake of this disaster, Japan has declared a state of emergency at five power plants and is monitoring troubles in others. There have reportedly been explosions and the potential of meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant as well as at least two others. As for the subsequent elevated radiation levels, reported by the Guardian, “a Japanese nuclear safety panel said radiation levels were 1,000 times higher than normal in a control room and eight times higher than normal just outside the plant.” The radiation levels have since increased and are so high that it has prompted U.S. military vessels stationed 100 miles out to sea to relocate. These levels are difficult to gauge accurately and experts suggest that the levels may well be much higher elsewhere. The threat continues to grow as nuclear containment units are threatened by explosions and breaching of the units by flood waters.
Commentators are expressing consternation as to why the Japanese Nuclear plants are not behaving exactly as designed and predicted, which generates further cause for concern. Given the highly sophisticated operation and monitoring at the Japanese plants, perhaps the best in the world, and their anticipation of such threats from earthquakes it likely makes theirs the best possible scenario in case of disaster. The outcome has not been good and threatens to become far worse.
The response from the nuclear industry in the U.S., as expressed in the mainstream media, that a similar disaster could not happen in the United States and radiation levels are not extremely threatening, is patently false according to experts. There is reason to believe that there will be immediate and long-term detrimental public health threats in Japan associated with vast amounts of leaked radiation due to malfunctions. It is also critical to acknowledge that many of the Japanese reactors are identical to, and made by the same companies, as nuclear power plants here in the United States.
Moreover, significant safety concerns have arisen associated with the design of the reactors in the new nuclear plant to be built in Georgia as outlined by Mother Jones. According to the article:
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rejected the proposal after determining that the shield design would not protect the reactor from earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and airplane crashes. Michael Johnson, director of the NRC’s Office of New Reactors, noted that the agency had ‘consistently laid out our questions’ to Westinghouse about the design, which did not yet meet ‘fundamental engineering standards’.”
Obviously these concerns are highlighted by the recent events in Japan.
An even more perplexing aspect of the investment of U.S. taxpayer funds in Nuclear Power is its total lack of economic viability. Nuclear power is not an economically viable source of energy without huge state intervention in the form of subsidies, overrun costs passed on to consumers and low interest loans – a strange form of energy to be pursued by the constant free-market, small-government touting Republicans and now President Obama. Ralph Nader spells out many of the economic ills of nuclear energy here and here, which include a 50% chance of loan default, over run costs, bankruptcy and frequent plant construction abandonment.
The current administration has continued to put resources into energy intensive, polluting and unpopular energy sources, such as natural gas hydro-fracking, nuclear energy and deep water drilling, claiming that they are effective answers to the dependency of the United States on foreign oil. An appropriate energy policy calls for the bolstering of clean, renewable energy sources with government subsidies and tax breaks for solar, wind, tidal and thermal energy, to name a few, while eliminating the same for fossil and nuclear fuels.
However, the obvious reason why the administration continues to operate in this manner is the result of corporate lobbying by wealthy fossil fuel and nuclear energy firms and the entrenched power that they wield.
Not surprisingly President Obama received huge campaign contributions from Exelon, an Illinois based Nuclear Power Company, as well as Southern Company, a Georgia based Nuclear Power Company and the recent recipient of an $8 billion loan guarantee to build a new nuclear power plant in Georgia despite its previously mentioned design flaws.
“The company [Exelon], based in the president’s home state of Illinois, has funded Obama campaigns since his Senate run, when employees contributed more than $48,000, according to CQ Moneyline, and Exelon’s political action committee gave the maximum of $10,000. Exelon employees gave Obama nearly $210,000 for his presidential campaign, according to CQ Moneyline.
Exelon’s management includes two Obama bundlers who are friends of the president. One, director John W. Rogers, helped direct Obama’s Illinois fundraising during his presidential race and helped plan the inauguration. The other, Frank M. Clark, has lobbied on nuclear issues for the company.”
For a mere several hundred thousand dollars in campaign contributions the Obama administration is handing out $54 billion in loan guarantees. Not a bad return on investment for the nuclear power industry.
This is a strong indictment of the electoral process in the United States and raises questions of impropriety that the Obama Administration’s own Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, raised (seen here) during the 2008 election campaign. “Sen. Obama has some questions to answer about his dealings with one of his largest contributors Exelon, a big nuclear power company; apparently he cut some deals behind closed doors to protect them from full disclosure of the nuclear industry,” she said.
So while President Obama fulfills his quid pro quo with the nuclear energy industry, for campaign contributions received, the cost and danger of nuclear energy to the citizens of the United States is ignored.
And now for some good news out of Africa. Poverty rates throughout the continent have been falling steadily and much faster than previously thought, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. The death rate of children under five years of age is dropping, with "clear evidence of accelerating rates of decline," according to The Lancet. Perhaps most encouragingly, Africa is "among the world's most rapidly growing economic regions," according to the McKinsey Quarterly.
Yet US journalism continues to portray a continent of unending horrors. Last June, for example, Time magazine publishedgraphic pictures of a naked woman from Sierra Leone dying in childbirth. Not long after, CNN did a story about two young Kenyan boys whose family is so poor they are forced to work delivering goats to a slaughterhouse for less than a penny per goat. Reinforcing the sense of economic misery, between May and September 2010 the ten most-read US newspapers and magazines carried 245 articles mentioning poverty in Africa, but only five mentioning gross domestic product growth.
Reporters‚ attraction to certain kinds of Africa stories has a lot to do with the frames of reference they arrive with. Nineteenth century New York Herald correspondent Henry M. Stanley wrote that he was prepared to find Zanzibar "populated by ignorant blacks, with great thick lips, whose general appearance might be compared to Du Chaillu's gorillas." Since the Biafran War, a cause célèbre in the West, helped give rise in the late 1960s to the new field of human rights, Western reporters have closely tracked issues like traditional female circumcision. In the 1980s, a famine in Ethiopia that, in fact, had as much to do with politics as with drought, set a pattern of stories about "starving Africans" that not only hasn't been abandoned, but continues to grow: according to a 2004 study done by Steven S. Ross, then a Columbia journalism professor, between 1998 and 2002 the number of stories about famine in Africa tripled. In Kenya, where I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 1960s and where I returned to live four years ago, The New York Times description of post-election violence in 2007 as a manifestation of "atavistic" tribalism carried echoes of Stanley and other early Western visitors.
But the main reason for the continued dominance of such negative stereotypes, I have come to believe, may well be the influence of Western-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international aid groups like United Nations agencies. These organizations understandably tend to focus not on what has been accomplished but on convincing people how much remains to be done. As a practical matter, they also need to attract funding. Together, these pressures create incentives to present as gloomy a picture of Africa as possible in order to keep attention and money flowing, and to enlist journalists in disseminating that picture.
Africans themselves readily concede that there continues to be terrible conflict and human suffering on the continent. But what's lacking, say media observers like Sunny Bindra, a Kenyan management consultant, is context and breadth of coverage so that outsiders can see the continent whole˜its potential and successes along with its very real challenges. "There are famines; they‚re not made up," Bindra says. "There are arrogant leaders. But most of the journalism that's done doesn't challenge anyone's thinking."
Over the past thirty years, NGOs have come to play an increasingly important role in aid to Africa. A major reason is that Western donors, worried about government corruption, have channelled more funds through them. In the mid-1970s, less than half a dozen NGOs (like the Red Cross or CARE) might operate in a typical African country, according to Nicolas van de Walle, a professor of government at Cornell, but now the same country will likely have 250.
This explosive NGO growth means increasing competition for funds. And according to the head of a large US-based NGO in Nairobi, "When you‚re fundraising you have to prove there is a need. Children starving, mothers dying. If you‚re not negative enough, you won't get funding." So fierce is the competition that many NGOs don't want to hear good news. An official of an organization that provides data on Somalia's food situation says that after reporting a bumper harvest last year, "I was told by several NGOs and UN agencies that the report was too positive."
Rasna Warah, a Kenyan who worked for UN-Habitat before leaving to pursue a writing career, says that exaggerations of need were not uncommon among aid officials she encountered. "They wanted journalists to say ‘Wow.’ They want them to quote your report," she says. "That means more money for the next report. It's really as cynical as that."
Western journalists, for their part, tend to be far too trusting of aid officials, according to veteran Dutch correspondent Linda Polman. In her book The Crisis Caravan, she cites as one example the willingness of journalists to be guided around NGO-run refugee camps without asking tough questions about possible corruption or the need for such facilities. She writes, "Aid organizations are businesses dressed up like Mother Teresa, but that's not how reporters see them."
The consequences of skewed or incomplete reporting on Africa are not just a disservice to readers but also have the potential to influence policy. "The welfare model [of Africa] is still dominant on the Hill and in Hillary Clinton's world," according to van de Walle. Among corporate officials, says Catherine Duggan, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, the perception is still that "Africa is where you put your money once you've made it somewhere else."
Moreover, such reporting is demoralizing to Africans working for change. Martin Dawes, a unicef regional chief of communication for West and Central Africa, says that when there is a disaster, journalists "come to us as aid workers but often don't talk to the government, which is often what we're working through. It means that the chances for Africans to show an engaged response is limited. They are written out of their own story."
Even with shrinking resources, journalists can do better than this. For a start, they can stop depending so heavily, and uncritically, on aid organizations for statistics, subjects, stories, and sources. They can also educate themselves on how to find and interpret data available from independent sources. And they can actively seek out stories that deviate from existing story lines.
But in the end, it will probably take sustained economic progress to break the current mold. Sunny Bindra, the Kenyan management consultant, recalls that in the 1980s' "Japan got attention because it was whacking the US. It's the same with India and China now." Until that happens, a sick African woman in labor will continue to be treated as poverty porn, and most Africans will have to starve in order to make it onto the evening news.
UN Resolutions enforced against Libya but never against Israel
by Rafic Soormally -- March 20, 2011
The West European-controlled United Nations are quick to act against Dictator Muammar Gadhafi of Libya, recently their staunch ally armed by them in suppressing its people in order to benefit form the Libyan oil resources. The recent BP deal with Gadhafi can only confirm this.
As revolutions are sweeping the Arab world to get rid of the dictators put in place by West Europeans in their former colonies, Western countries saw Libya too great a prize to lose. Contrary to their approach towards Iran when they continued to support the beleaguered Shah Reza Pahlavi when the revolution took place in 1979, they decided to support the Libyan revolutionaries with the view to install another government which will continue to allow them to plunder Libyan oil exactly as they have been doing under a pro-Western and corrupt Gadhafi.
But, in order not to be seen as a further attack on a Muslim country by Christian forces, the European West pulled in the 12 members of the powerless Arab League which governments they control themselves anyway and which dictators they have been arming for decades to suppress and kill their own people. Among them are Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, and soon. Although Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen are in a state of revolution too, they still do not have an independent governments as those countries are still controlled and armed by the west. With the help of the dictators in the Arab league, which proved to be totally useless against the European-Israeli crimes against Palestinians and their stealing of Arab lands, the European West secured on Friday 18 March 2011 the UN Resolution 1973 which allows them :
(1) « to establish a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians », that is, to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, and
(2) to take « all necessary measures … to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory ».
West European attack on Libya
President Nicholas Sarkozy of France, whose campaign was said to have been financed by Muammar Gadhafi before their relationship turned sour, and who spearheaded this resolution, swiftly ordered, on 19th March 2011, his jet fighters to penetrate Libyan airspace to attack Gadhafi’s armoured vehicles just outside Benghazi. But Ghadafi’s fighter jets never took off. In fact, Gadhafi’s forces shot down a jet flown by the revolutionary civilians the UN Resolution 1973 was designed to ‘protect’. Further arial bombardments followed during the night by other West European forces from bases in Sicily, South Cyprus, from warships and US submarines sent to Mediterranean, aimed not at any hostile Libyan aircrafts to be used against Libyan civilians but against the Libyan air defences and other terrestrial targets, killing scores of civilians in the process. This is how, in their usual manner, the European West manipulates UN Resolutions to achieve their sinister aims.
Killings of civilians
The US blocked 9 UN Resolutions against Israel and its murders against Palestinians and its stealing of Arab lands. Many other UN Resolutions against Israel have ever been enforced as the slaughter of Palestinians continues. No-fly zones have never been sought against Israel. The Arab League has always been complicit in the killing of Palestinians. The US, British and other European forces are killing civilians, including children and babies, almost on a daily basis in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. If not, they are arming tyrants and mercenaries (Blackater Xe) to do it for them. The UN are clearly complicit in those crimes. But, when it suits them, they are very quick to act against Libya (for oil) under the cover of protecting ‘civilians’. Iraq was invaded because of WMD it never had. Why are they not taking the same measures to protect civilians in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria which is doing nothing to recover the Golan Heights from the murderous European occupiers? When will the UN return the Chagos (Diego Garcia) to Mauritius and protect the Chagossians?
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Related article:
France tries four over Israel boycott (March 19, 2011) http://theuglytruth.wordpress.com:80/2011/03/19/france-tries-four-over-israel-boycott/
Four French pro-Palestinian activists have stood trial over their call for a boycott of all Israeli products manufactured in the occupied Palestinian territories. The trials are the latest measure taken against those who dare criticize Israel, including members of the long-running Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel. The anti-Israel campaign is in retaliation against Tel Aviv’s treatment of Palestinians, a Press TV correspondent reported from Paris on Friday. The four defendants are facing the charge of inciting anti-Semitism. They must wait until October when judges will pronounce their verdicts. An adverse verdict against the accused is expected to raise numerous questions in France, where the government considers itself as a trailblazer for freedom of expression.
(...) Pro-Israel organizations have filed a series of complaints and lawsuits against French citizens for participating in campaigns to boycott Israeli products. Ten cases have so far been heard in French courts.
8.
Note from Jean: Read this and you'll better understand why the fight for collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin is so important. This should be read by all American subscribers on this list as it compellingly depicts how dire the domination of the moneyed elite has become in all spheres of social life. It is a strident call for rebellion - as in the Arab world - against the capitalistic strangulation of the vast majority of people now gasping for freedom and duped by their political elite and by the impotent savior they thought they had elected at the highest office. Likewise, Canadians ought to pay attention to what's happening south of their border as the same machiavellian duplicity and complete wage slavery of its population is playing out across Canada and will only get worst UNLESS they finally find the courage to elect to power, in the now likely national elections in May, the only political party that is not betrothed to the same power-hungry elite as in the US, namely the NDP, the social democratic party led by Jack Layton. Quebecers in particular should for once refrain from their nationalistic knee-jerk voting for the Bloc Québécois and give a fighting chance to the NDP by massively voting for them. This would change the face of this country and open a whole new era of social justice and greater accountability of our elected representatives.
The liberal class is discovering what happens when you tolerate the intolerant. Let hate speech pollute the airways. Let corporations buy up your courts and state and federal legislative bodies. Let the Christian religion be manipulated by charlatans to demonize Muslims, gays and intellectuals, discredit science and become a source of personal enrichment. Let unions wither under corporate assault. Let social services and public education be stripped of funding. Let Wall Street loot the national treasury with impunity. Let sleazy con artists use lies and deception to carry out unethical sting operations on tottering liberal institutions, and you roll out the welcome mat for fascism.
The liberal class has busied itself with the toothless pursuits of inclusiveness, multiculturalism, identity politics and tolerance—a word Martin Luther King never used—and forgotten about justice. It naively sought to placate ideological and corporate forces bent on the destruction of the democratic state. The liberal class, like the misguided democrats in the former Yugoslavia or the hapless aristocrats in the Weimar Republic, invited the wolf into the henhouse. The liberal class forgot that, as Karl Popper wrote in “The Open Society and Its Enemies,” “If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”
Workers in this country paid for their rights by suffering brutal beatings, mass expulsions from company housing and jobs, crippling strikes, targeted assassinations of union leaders and armed battles with hired gun thugs and state militias. The Rockefellers, the Mellons, the Carnegies and the Morgans—the Koch Brothers Industries, Goldman Sachs and Wal-Mart of their day—never gave a damn about workers. All they cared about was profit. The eight-hour workday, the minimum wage, Social Security, pensions, job safety, paid vacations, retirement benefits and health insurance were achieved because hundreds of thousands of workers physically fought a system of capitalist exploitation. They rallied around radicals such as “Mother” Jones, United Mine Workers’ President John L. Lewis and “Big” Bill Haywood and his Wobblies as well as the socialist presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs.
Lewis said, “I have pleaded your case from the pulpit and from the public platform—not in the quavering tones of a feeble mendicant asking alms, but in the thundering voice of the captain of a mighty host, demanding the rights to which free men are entitled.”
Those who fought to achieve these rights endured tremendous suffering, pain and deprivation. It is they who made possible our middle class and opened up our democracy. The elite hired goons and criminal militias to evict striking miners from company houses, infiltrate fledgling union organizations and murder suspected union leaders and sympathizers. Federal marshals, state militias, sheriff’s deputies and at times Army troops, along with the courts and legislative bodies, were repeatedly used to crush and stymie worker revolts. Striking sugar cane workers were gunned down in Thibodaux, La., in 1887. Steel workers were shot to death in 1892 in Homestead, Pa. Railroad workers in the Pullman strike of 1894 were murdered. Coal miners at Ludlow, Colo., in 1914 and at Matewan, W.Va., in 1920 were massacred. Our freedoms and rights were paid for with their courage and blood.
American democracy arose because those consciously locked out of the system put their bodies on the line and demanded justice. The exclusion of the poor and the working class from the systems of power in this country was deliberate. The Founding Fathers deeply feared popular democracy. They rigged the system to favor the elite from the start, something that has been largely whitewashed in public schools and by a corporate media that has effectively substituted myth for history. Europe’s poor, fleeing to America from squalid slums and workhouses in the 17th and 18th centuries, were viewed by the privileged as commodities to exploit. Slaves, Native Americans, indentured servants, women, and men without property were not represented at the Constitutional Conventions. And American history, as Howard Zinn illustrated in “The People’s History of the United States,” is one long fight by the marginalized and disenfranchised for dignity and freedom. Those who fought understood the innate cruelty of capitalism.
“When you sell your product, you retain your person,” said a tract published in the 1880s during the Lowell, Mass., mill strikes. “But when you sell your labour, you sell yourself, losing the rights of free men and becoming vassals of mammoth establishments of a monied aristocracy that threatens annihilation to anyone who questions their right to enslave and oppress. Those who work in the mills ought to own them, not have the status of machines ruled by private despots who are entrenching monarchic principles on democratic soil as they drive downwards freedom and rights, civilization, health, morals and intellectuality in the new commercial feudalism.”
As Noam Chomsky points out, the sentiment expressed by the Lowell millworkers predated Marxism.
“At one time in the U.S. in the mid-nineteenth century, a hundred and fifty years ago, working for wage labor was considered not very different from chattel slavery,” Chomsky told David Barsamian. “That was not an unusual position. That was the slogan of the Republican Party, the banner under which Northern workers went to fight in the Civil War. We’re against chattel slavery and wage slavery. Free people do not rent themselves to others. Maybe you’re forced to do it temporarily, but that’s only on the way to becoming a free person, a free man, to put it in the rhetoric of the day. You become a free man when you’re not compelled to take orders from others. That’s an Enlightenment ideal. Incidentally, this was not coming from European radicalism. There were workers in Lowell, Mass., a couple of miles from where we are. You could even read editorials in the New York Times saying this around that time. It took a long time to drive into people’s heads the idea that it is legitimate to rent yourself. Now that’s unfortunately pretty much accepted. So that’s internalizing oppression. Anyone who thinks it’s legitimate to be a wage laborer is internalizing oppression in a way which would have seemed intolerable to people in the mills, let’s say, a hundred and fifty years ago. … [I]t’s an [unfortunate] achievement [of indoctrination in our culture].”
Our consumer society and celebrity culture foster a frightening historical amnesia. We chatter mindlessly about something called the “American Dream.” And now that the oligarchic elite have regained control of all levers of power, and that dream is being exposed as a cruel hoax, we are being shoved back into the cage. There will be hell to pay to get back to where we were.
Slick public relations campaigns, the collapse of public education—nearly a third of the country is illiterate or semiliterate—and the rise of amoral politicians such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who posed as liberals while they sold their souls for corporate money, have left us largely defenseless. The last vestiges of unionized workers in the public sector are reduced to protesting in Wisconsin for collective bargaining—in short, the ability to ask employers for decent working conditions. That shows how far the country has deteriorated. And it looks as though even this basic right to ask, as well as raise money through union dues, has been successfully revoked in Madison. The only hope now is more concerted and militant disruptions of the systems of power.
The public debate, dominated by corporate-controlled systems of information, ignores the steady impoverishment of the working class and absence of legal and regulatory mechanisms to prevent mounting corporate fraud and abuse. The airwaves are saturated with corporate apologists. They ask us why public-sector employees have benefits—sneeringly called “entitlements”—which nonunionized working- and middle-class people are denied. This argument is ingenious. It pits worker against worker in a mad scramble for scraps. And until we again speak in the language of open class warfare, grasping, as those who went before us did, that the rich will always protect themselves at our expense, we are doomed to a 21st century serfdom.
The pillars of the liberal establishment, which once made incremental and piecemeal reform possible, have collapsed. The liberal church forgot that heretics exist. It forgot that the scum of society—look at the new Newt Gingrich—always wrap themselves in the flag and clutch the Christian cross to promote programs that mock the core teachings of Jesus Christ. And, for all their years of seminary training and Bible study, these liberal clergy have stood by mutely as televangelists betrayed and exploited the Gospel to promote bigotry, hatred and greed. What was the point, I wonder, of ordination? Did they think the radical message of the Gospel was something they would never have to fight for? Schools and universities, on their knees for corporate dollars and their boards dominated by hedge fund and investment managers, have deformed education into the acquisition of narrow vocational skills that serve specialized corporate interests and create classes of drone-like systems managers. They make little attempt to equip students to make moral choices, stand up for civic virtues and seek a life of meaning. These moral and ethical questions are never even asked. Humanities departments are vanishing as swiftly as the ocean’s fish stocks.
The electronic and much of the print press has become a shameless mouthpiece for the powerful and a magnet for corporate advertising. It makes little effort to give a platform to those who without them cannot be heard, instead diverting us with celebrity meltdowns, lavish lifestyle reports and gossip. Legitimate news organizations, such as NPR and The New York Times, are left cringing and apologizing before the beast—right-wing groups that hate “liberal” news organizations not because of any bias, but because they center public discussion on verifiable fact. And verifiable fact is not convenient to ideologues whose goal is the harnessing of inchoate rage and hatred.
Artists, who once had something to say, have retreated into elite enclaves, preoccupied themselves with abstract, self-referential garbage, frivolous entertainment and spectacle. Celebrities, working for advertising agencies and publicists, provide our daily mini-dramas and flood the airwaves with lies on behalf of corporate sponsors. The Democratic Party has sold out working men and women for corporate money. It has permitted the state apparatus to be turned over to corporate interests. There is no liberal institution left—the press, labor, culture, public education, the church or the Democratic Party—that makes any effort to hold back the corporate juggernaut. It is up to us.
We have tolerated the intolerant—from propaganda outlets such as Fox News to Christian fascists to lunatics in the Republican Party to Wall Street and corporations—and we are paying the price. The only place left for us is on the street. We must occupy state and federal offices. We must foment general strikes. The powerful, with no check left on their greed and criminality, are gorging on money while they busily foreclose our homes, bust the last of our unions, drive up our health care costs and cement into place a permanent underclass of the broken and the poor. They are slashing our most essential and basic services—including budgets for schools, firefighters and assistance programs for children and the elderly—so we can pay for the fraud they committed when they wiped out $14 trillion of housing wealth, wages and retirement savings. All we have left is the capacity to say “no.” And if enough of us say “no,” if enough of us refuse to cooperate, the despots are in trouble.
“Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reforms,” Frederick Douglass said in 1857. “The whole history of the progress of human history shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of struggle. ... If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. ...”
Chris Hedges’ column appears every Monday at Truthdig. Hedges, a fellow at The Nation Institute and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is the author of “Death of the Liberal Class.”
Check the numerous comments HERE (below the article)
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Related article:
A sleeping giant awakes in Wisconsin (22 March 2011) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/22/wisconsin-us-unions
First the protest, now a court ruling is blocking Scott Walker's assault on collective bargaining rights. Whatever it takes -- Ramrod democracy was working so well until it hit Wisconsin. The news from that state just keeps on coming and growing in significance.The latest chapter in a month-long struggle came Friday, when Dane County circuit judge Maryann Sumi issued a restraining order on Governor Scott Walker's hotly-debated anti-union bill – citing possible violation of the state's open meetings law. Now implementation of the bill which, among other things, limits collective bargaining to issues of wages (capped in any case to inflation-only increases), will be put on hold, indefinitely, pending a full investigation of state senate Republicans' heavyhanded tactics. Walker's critics have good reason to relish in the Governor's Mubarak moment. Despite all those precious dollars lavished on securing Republican majorities in the last election, despite that flood of anti-union messages on state media, some righteous public workers, their unions, some thousands of determined protesters and, now, a Republican-appointed judge managed to stop the state steamroller. Where's the palace guard when you need them? At the Left Forum, an annual gathering of independent lefties in New York last weekend, news of the judge's stay was greeted with glee. People power worked, they say, and here was people power in action. Judge Sumi's decision puts paid to all those who say progress is achieved through any one set of tactics: voting or protest, law or disobedience. Wisconsinites stopped the Walker steamroller through a combination of them all: direct action, legislative action, protest, and finally a lawsuit filed by the Dane County district attorney.Sleeping giant seems to be the phrase of the day – as in, "Governor Walker's bill has awakened a sleeping giant." That's what state senator Lena Taylor of Milwaukee said, on her return to her home state after three weeks away, to prevent a senate vote on the measure. CLIP
As Corporations Rise and Political Discourse Falls, Nader Battles On
ROSS BARKAN -- MARCH 23, 2011
Like always, Ralph Nader is mad as hell and doesn’t want you to take it anymore.
Nader, 77, did not mince words at a lecture last night at Stony Brook University, proving that he is as passionate, outspoken, and pugnacious as ever.
“We do not grow up civic,” the four-time presidential candidate told a rapt audience of college students and community members. “We grow up corporate.”
Nader’s speech, despite the buzz in the crowd, was not a warm-up for a 2012 run at the Oval Office, though he had no problem calling the campus crowd’s darling President Barack Obama a “Wall Street concessionaire.”
Launching his powerful voice from an animated, stoop-shouldered body, Nader decried the state of American affairs on all political, social, and economic fronts.
“This is a decaying society,” he said. “Nobody dies in Europe because they don’t have health insurance. Corporate serfdom exists because your expectation levels are so low.”
Nader’s familiar attacks on corporations in America which “have no national allegiance” were filled with urgent exhortations to fight back against their dominance. After arguing that corporations regulate American lives more than the government does, he said that citizens must push to “inject more humane values into the corporate machine.” The fight begins, in Nader’s estimation, with a wake-up call to reality.
“Serfs didn’t know they were serfs until the history books told them so,” Nader said. “Right now we’re paralyzed. The first step toward changing all of this is having a higher estimation of your own significance. You must learn what your predecessor students did to create change.”
When asked in an earlier interview session with Stony Brook’s Think Magazine about what chance people have of overcoming the seemingly unbeatable influence of corporate power in America, Nader bristled, then smiled, and spoke of the “fire in the belly” and “emotional intelligence” that every citizen needs to act. He said that universities should focus on creating civics skills courses that teach strategies in organization and activism.
Alarming facts, like that the real wage of the American worker once adjusted for inflation was at its highest in 1973, or that $80 billion dollars in military spending are used to defend “prosperous countries” like Japan, England, and Sweden “against non-existent enemies” while millions of Americans cannot earn a living wage any longer, or even that “a relentless decline in standard of living” has meant that one of three American workers earns “Wal-Mart wages” while the CEO of Wal-Mart himself, Mike Duke, earns “$10,000 per hour,” did not consume Nader’s speech.
He took a short break to play John Lennon’s 1970 song “Working Class Hero,” an indictment of capitalism’s effect on the working class that underscored many of his themes that night.
Nader’s speech, like the corporate powers he lambasted, was wide-ranging. He lashed out against Generation Y crown jewels like Facebook and cell-phones, painting them as purveyors of trivia and distraction. He said that “90 percent of radio and television are advertisements and cheap entertainment” and asked the audience if they owned their own network and radio station and why no citizens’ network existed. Following his dictum that “shame is a much better motivator than guilt,” he asked how many members of the audience had eaten at a McDonald’s and how many had attended a town hall meeting of any kind or witnessed a court proceeding. Predictably, all hands shot up for McDonald’s and very few for town halls or court proceedings.
Nader turned his critical eye to environmental issues and nuclear power, calling the lack of an evacuation plan for the Indian Point nuclear power plant, located only 38 miles from New York City, “technological insanity.” Solar and wind energy have not become prevalent yet, Nader said, because they would displace the gas, coal, and oil utilities, and thus upset the highly-influential lobbies that are attached to those utilities.
“Yours is the last generation that has so much to gain and so little to lose in gaining it,” he said.
I have watched mothers and fathers keening in grief over the frail corpses of their children in hospitals in Gaza and rural villages in El Salvador, Bosnia and Kosovo. The faces of these dead children, their bodies ripped apart by iron fragments or bullets tumbling end over end through their small, delicate frames, appear to me almost daily like faint and sadly familiar ghosts. The frailty and innocence of my own children make these images difficult to bear.
A child a day dies in war-related violence in Afghanistan. Children die in roadside explosions. They die in airstrikes. They die after militants lure them to carry suicide bombs, usually without their knowledge. They die in firefights. They are executed by the Taliban after being accused, sometimes correctly, of spying for the Afghan National Army. They are tiny pawns in a futile and endless war. They are robbed of their childhood. They live in fear and surrounded by the terror of indiscriminate violence. The United Nations, whose most recent report on children in Afghanistan covered a two-year period from Sept. 1, 2008, to Aug. 30, 2010, estimates that in the first half of last year at least 176 children were killed and 389 more wounded. But the real number is probably much, much higher. There are big parts of the country where research can no longer be carried out.
We will not stop the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, we will not end this slaughter of innocents, unless we are willing to rise up as have state workers in Wisconsin and citizens on the streets of Arab capitals. Repeated and sustained acts of civil disobedience are the only weapons that remain to us. Our political system is as broken and dysfunctional as that once presided over in Egypt by Hosni Mubarak. We must be willing to accept personal discomfort, to put our bodies in the way of the machine, if we hope to expose the lies of war and blunt the abuse by corporate profiteers. To do nothing, to refuse to act, to be passive, is to be an agent of injustice and to be complicit in murder. The U.N. report estimates that during the two-year period it studied almost 1,800 children were killed or injured in conflict-related violence, but numbers can never transmit the reality of such suffering.
It does not matter if this protest or any other does not work. It does not matter if we are 500, as we were in December, or 50. It does not matter if the event is covered in the press or ignored. It matters only that those of us who believe in the rule of law, who find the organized sadism of war and militarism repugnant and who seek to protect the sanctity of life rise up. If we do not defend these virtues they will be extinguished. No one in power will defend them for us. Protests are rending the fabric of the U.S.-backed dictatorships in Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt and Libya. They are flickering to life in the U.S. in states like Wisconsin. And they are beginning to convulse Iraq. Iraqis, for whom eight years of war and occupation have brought nothing but misery and death, are surrounding government buildings to denounce their puppet government. They are rising up to demand jobs, basic services including electricity, a reining in of our mercenary killers, some of whom have been used to quell restless crowds, and a right to determine their own future. These protesters are our true allies, not the hired thugs we pay to repress them.
We are wasting $700 million a day to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while our teachers, firefighters and police lose their jobs, while we slash basic assistance programs for the poor, children and the elderly, while we turn our backs on the some 3 million people being pushed from their homes by foreclosures and bank repossessions and while we do nothing to help the one in six American workers who cannot find work. These wars have taken hundreds of thousands of lives. They have pushed millions into refugee or displacement camps. They have left young men and women severely crippled and maimed. They have turned our nation into an isolated pariah, fueling the very terrorism we seek to defeat. And they cannot be won. The sooner we leave Iraq and Afghanistan the sooner we will save others and finally save ourselves.
There will be veterans in the park who carry with them physical and emotional wounds of great magnitude, who remain crippled by the dead hand of war, who never sleep well, who struggle in the black pit of depression and with post-traumatic stress disorder, and who will bear the cross that war inflicted upon them until the end of their days. They will have surmounted tremendous psychic and physical pain to make it to Lafayette Park, to defy what they know must be defied. And if they can walk their trail of tears to the White House so can you. They are our wounded healers, our disregarded prophets.
Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot who while flying saw the killings of unarmed Vietnamese civilians in what later became known as the My Lai massacre, landed in the village during the slaughter. He spotted a group of about 10 civilians, including children, running toward a homemade bomb shelter. Soldiers from the 2nd Platoon, C Company, were chasing the civilians. Thompson, dismounting from the cockpit, put himself between the civilians and the soldiers. He ordered his gunner to open fire on the Americans if they began to shoot the villagers or him. Later, Thompson, who crusaded for justice after then-Maj. Colin Powell led the official whitewash of My Lai, received death threats. Mutilated animals were tossed on his doorstep. He was unsung for decades and forgotten until shortly before his death in 2006. He exhibited real courage, moral courage, the kind of courage the state detests, the kind of courage for which they do not mint medals.
Bradley Manning, who allegedly downloaded thousands of documents and videos that confirmed war crimes by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and passed them on to WikiLeaks, is being held in a military brig in Quantico, Va. He has been kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and denied exercise, a pillow or sheets for the last nine months. His prolonged isolation is designed to break him physically and psychologically. There will be a protest outside Quantico on March 20 in support of Manning, another soldier from another war whom Thompson would have understood.
The documents published by WikiLeaks detailed for the world the widespread use of torture by Iraqi and Afghan security forces and the silent complicity of Washington. They confirmed that civilians, including children, are routinely murdered by occupation forces and that the killings are not investigated. The documents lifted the veil on our undeclared, black war in Pakistan, including drone strikes that have killed more than 900 civilians in Pakistan since Barack Obama took office. They shed light on the gross corruption, drug trafficking and crimes committed by the Afghan president as well as the reign of terror carried out by the Afghan National Army. These documents confirm that huge numbers of Iraqi civilians have been killed by U.S. troops at checkpoints, and that since the invasion tens of thousands of civilians have died as a result of the war. These documents illustrate in page after page that our government makes no effort to protect liberty, democracy or human rights, but instead prefers crude and brutal mechanisms of power.
The Obama administration, which has proved as efficient in serving the war machine and the corporate state as the Bush administration did, is attempting to destroy not only Manning but WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The state seeks to silence anyone who practices moral courage. It does not want the truth heard. It does not want the reality seen. If these forces of war and greed triumph, and we do not, there will be darkness. But if on March 19 there is at least one person willing to defy the state, to demand justice at the cost of his or her freedom, there will be a flame held to light the way for us all.
The Uncommon Valor of Bradley Manning Blocked at Quantico Brig - MUST WATCH!! ENTIRELY!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KKtwufKg9E
What do you do when you are sent off to war for a lie, and come to realize that it's a whole bunch of lies, and people are dying and you are sitting on a whole bunch of documents that might change some things? If you are an American Patriot, you do all in your power to right the wrongs. Bradley Manning is accused of doing just that, he supposedly provided thousands of US Government messages for distribution to the press via the Wikileaks internet site http://213.251.145.96/. He is incarcerated in the Marine Corp Brig at Quantico, Virginia under what is described as Guantanamo like conditions. And if found guilty, condemned to life in prison or death. So what better way to honor this American hero then to lay flowers at the base of a monument dedicated to American Heroes who would readily give their own freedom so others could have freedom. But the authorities at Quantico would have no part is allowing flowers to be laid at the base of the replica to the Iwo Jima monument in honor of someone they considered a traitor, instead the flowers were put, not at the monument base, next to the quote "Uncommon Valor Was a Common Virtue" but in the gutter. Which then sparked a civil disorder. Authorities responded with shock and awe. And if you came for that you can skip the speeches and go right to minute 6:00
Voices for Peace Raised at March 19th White House Rally (Part 1) Part 2 HERE - Part 3 HERE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8QtsEK8_SQ
On Saturday, March 19, 2011, the Veterans for Peace, along with a broad coalition of antiwar activists, led a rally and then a march on the White House. Seven activists: David Swanson, Jodie Evans, David Barrows, Malachy Kilbride, Joy First, Gael Murphy and Ellen Barfield, shared their views with me about the rally and the need to end to all U.S. wars, now. Organizers report 113 activists at the rally were arrested in an action of nonviolent public civil resistance. To learn more, go to: http://www.stopthesewars.org/
Anti-War Protests Grow As Deaths, Debt Pile Up (March 21, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tcfedYyLds
As the US launches another military attack in Libya, America is getting war weary. The war Afghanistan is now grinding into its 10th year and Iraq casualties continue even as the US draws down. Disapproval polls keep creeping up and the Washington Post poll reported on March 16, 2011 that 64% of the public feel the Afghanistan war is, "Not worth it." It's no wonder then, that anti-war marches such as the one that happened this Saturday in St. Paul are attracting more and more people. About a thousand peace activists marched two miles down University Avenue to the State Capitol, making it the largest such gathering for several years. Several dozen peace, anti-war and other civic groups participated. The crowd was exuberant and noisy, but very well behaved. Organizers of the march invited marchers to bring old kitchen pots or pans, and spoons. They shouted about money going for war but not for health care or education. This protest was one of many held across the nation as part of a national day of protest against war. Coincidentally the protest happened the same day the US started launching missiles into Libya.
March 19 2011 Anti-War Rally and March San Francisco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbUFtLooSSg
Now with the attack on Libya anti-war protests are more important than ever, the US is now engaged in THREE wars. Please support the next protest in Dolores Park April 10.
Jeremy Scahill on America’s Covert War in Yemen http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/jeremy_scahill_on_americas_covert_war_in_yemen_20110322/
“Democracy Now!” correspondent Jeremy Scahill says that the “Obama administration has really escalated the covert war inside of Yemen” and “it could get much worse if Ali Abdullah Saleh decides to unleash the U.S.-trained counterterrorist units on his own population.” A COMMENT posted there: "It continues to be very disturbing that the empires response to the Wikileaks revelations of misconduct is to double down on that bad conduct. Not a single apology or amendment of such bad behavior has come of it, only further entrenchment by the corrupt power structure is observed."
Conversation with Chris Hedges- Media Roots TV (March 3, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TVmYsfB9J2g
Media Roots sits down for a short conversation with Chris Hedges, an American journalist, author, and war correspondent. Hedges gives Media Roots a sobering take on American culture, relaying a grim yet powerful perspective on the current political and societal state of the US. In case it wasn’t clear from his columns, Chris Hedges is not optimistic about the state of American media and chagrined by the future of a culture in which “people don’t read anymore,” as he notes in this interview with Media Roots. Hedges doesn’t spare the Internet in this critique, either, pegging online news as a “big game of telephone” that ignores the journalistic standards of reporting and vetting set, if not always followed, by “old” media.
Scientists' research warns humanity may be facing 'vortex of death'
by Terrence Aym -- March 22, 2011
Professor Raymond Wheeler, from the University of Kansas, at first almost stumbled into the frightening data. The connection was initially discovered by noted Russian scientist Alexander Chizhevsky during 1915: solar storms trigger conflict, wars and death. A vortex of death.
Chizhevsky found after intense research that the rise and fall of solar activity—interacting with the earth's magnetic field—causes mass changes in human's perspective's, moods, emotions and behavioral patterns. All are affected by sunspots and solar flares.
Building upon the Russian scholar's research, Wheeler applied a numerically weighted ranking system during the 1930s to separate wars and even individual battles assessing them on length and severity.
He then correlated the impressive data he'd amassed with the 11-year sunspot cycle.
The results were revealing…and horrifying.
When the 11-year solar cycle peaked, so did human unrest, uprisings, rebellions, revolutions and all-out wars between nations. It was almost as if the intense magnetic upswing directly affected the human brain and drove Mankind into deadly emotional tantrums and frenzied killing sprees.
Assaults skyrocket. Murders increase. And bloody wars and rebellions erupt with a fury across the face of the globe.
Wheeler's research revealed the pattern spanned human history as far back as 2,500 years.
Solar cycle 22
During 1990 the solar maximum fever pitch initiated skirmishes around the world culminating with Iraq invading Kuwait and the U.S. battling back against Saddam Hussein's army.
Then, 11 years later, the 9-11 attacks against New York and Washington, D.C were followed by two wars in quick succession: Afghanistan and again Iraq.
According to the 11-year solar cycle, as the sun entered its next active peak during late 2010 the disruptions in the earth's magnetic field could be predicted to cause unrest, instability, uprisings, outbreaks of war, destruction and mass death once again.
Like clockwork it occurred.
Suddenly the news was filled with rising dissent rearing up in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It spread to Syria, Libya, Iran and China. Europe was not immune: general unrest arose in the UK and France, Greece had extended riots, Spain felt under pressure, and even the U.S. saw angry mobs rise up in the state of Wisconsin.
Magnetic madness
As the flares increase and the sun becomes more violent, expect greater violence on earth as some go mad.
The pattern is unmistakable. At key points during the solar cycle—from minimum to maximum activity—the geomagnetic field begins to intensify as it comes under bombardment. The triggers are when the activity is accelerating towards the peak, or dropping down towards the minimum.
Much research during the following 70 years has shown that the magnetic field interaction with human's electrochemically driven brains also affects deep-rooted psychological mechanisms including creating anomalous hormonal swings and even significantly mutated brain wave activity.
The magnetic monster initiates a general mass hysteria and a degree of uncontrollable psychosis.
In other words, the world goes mad.
Solar cycle number 24: Worst possible
Solar Cycle 24 has begun. NASA and other space agencies worldwide have been warning about it. The cycle is predicted to be violent, unpredictable, and may even affect the fragile 21st earth technology.
Expected to surge as much as 50 more than the record-breaking solar cycle 23—that saw X-flares larger than ever witnesses by humans—this monster cycle is calculated to reach maximum intensity from 2011 through 2012.
It's the worst possible solar cycle at the worst possible time. Expect more wars, more deaths, more countries toppled and populations displaced.
Ad to that grim scenario that fact that much research also has revealed that increased magnetic storms couples with the magnetic pole shift and changing core of the earth will likely lead to natural disasters such as the catastrophe that hit Japan during March 2011, and it's a veritable witches' brew of madness, mayhem and mass death.
The disturbing findings of Becker and Freedman
The year was 1963 when another piece of the terrifying puzzle snapped snugly into place. The picture that was forming might as well have been from the depths of hell.
Dr. Robert Becker and his colleague, Dr. Freedman, made an important—if unsettling—discovery. They determined that intense solar activity leads directly to psychotic outbreaks and mass insanity.
Who is Becker? Some far out crackpot?
No.
Dr. Robert Becker was a pioneering researcher and leading expert in the field of biological electricity. Twice nominated for the Nobel Prize, Becker was also a full professor at the State University of New York, and a noted author.
Becker died in 2008 with a warning to the world about the approaching years of 2010 to 2012.
Few listened.
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Related articles:
Scientists warn superstorms could destroy California (January 19, 2011) http://www.helium.com/items/2069935-scientists-warn-superstorms-could-destroy-california
California will sink into the ocean, so past rumors have begun. Scientists say that may not be too far from the truth. There have not been extremely devastating storms in California since 1861 and 1862. The storms were so bad then that Governor Leland Stanford row boated his way to his own inauguration. Scientists believe that a superstorm could destroy California. They believe that a storm is inevitable considering the changes in the earth's atmosphere, giving way to higher temperatures. If scientists are correct, the storms could give solid proof on the hot debate about global warming. Scientists say that the superstorm could last more than forty days and dump and shocking ten feet of water on the state. Winds would reach approximately 125 miles per hour and landslides would be inevitable. A storm of this nature would cause billions of dollars in damage and cost hundreds of lives. Proper planning in the State of California could help alleviate the risk to human life.Australia and Brazil have seen their share of flooding disaster in the early months of 2011. Both countries face major clean up efforts as a result. Queensland, Australia is in the process of their clean up and reconstruction efforts now. Brazil faces a much tougher effort as they were ill prepared for the disaster that recently struck. Brazil also suffered from major landslides after flooding occurred. Australian flooding left approximately 23 dead. Brazil flooding claimed the lives of more than 600 people. The United States, scientists say, could be looking at the same type of flooding. If California looks at the situation from they eyes of those who have gone through the flooding recently, they may be able to divert a great deal of tragedy.More than 100 scientists have been looking at this possibility. They agree that this type of storm would bring on damage five times worse than a major earthquake would. Storms of this nature happen about every one to two hundred years in this area. This is the same time span given to earthquakes there. Since it has been 150 years since the last such storm, the likelihood is very high of occurrence. This is yet a hypothetical situation. There is no indication that the storms are looming ahead in the next few days. It is important to heed the damage done in other countries and define a plan now rather than waiting until it is too late. If there were to occur, would California and the United States be prepared or would it be another New Orleans?
NEW FAULT DISCOVERED NEAR DIABLO CANYON (March 16, 2011) http://beforeitsnews.com/story/506/447/New_Fault_Found_Near_Nuclear_Plant_CA..html
An unknown seismic fault has been detected on the ocean floor a half-mile from Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, and a company report on the discovery says the plant could safely withstand a magnitude- 6.5 earthquake on the fault. The fault zone was detected more than two years ago by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey working with the utility, and was promptly reported to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but its existence did not become widely known until Tuesday. CLIP
7000 Micro-tremors along New Madrid fault (18 March 2011) http://quinetiam.com/?p=315
The New Madrid fault is experiencing waves of microtremors but the USGS is not listening. The USGS disconnect 90% of it’s low frequency refraction micronometers that can pick up and record waveform reading from thousands of mini quakes that have a tell tale signature in the build up for bigger quakes. Presently only three universities are monitoring the situation with very old and rudimentary equipment. Remote viewing teacher Major Ed Dames discussed his previous prediction of a major quake in Japan, and shared insights into forthcoming quakes, the solar ‘Kill Shot,’ and safe places to live. In a 2003 show with Art Bell, he predicted a massive earthquake would hit Japan and damage a nuclear reactor. (He was off on the year, which he told Art would be in late Spring, 2005.) He also shared this prediction with Japanese TV (related video clip). Dames and his team have remote viewed what he calls the “next, mass human death-causing earthquake,”– something akin to what we just witnessed in Japan. Though he couldn’t name a date, the site of this will be the New Madrid Fault and the Wabash Valley seismic zone (see map below), and St. Louis, Missouri will be particularly hard hit with the most deaths, he declared, adding that we might even see the Mississippi River change its course. The solar ‘Kill Shot,’ which will cause the collapse of Earth’s magnetic field and lead to huge power outages, will begin within the next couple of months, with dangerous activity from the sun continuing through late 2012, he outlined. According to Dames, the safest places in North America to deal with the disastrous upcoming earth changes include Alberta, Saskatchewan, parts of Manitoba, parts of east Oregon, Arizona, parts of New Mexico, the southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains, and an area west of the Great Lakes. CLIP
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