SPECIAL ADDENDUM TO THE CURRENT MEDITATION FOCUS

Hi!

This is a Special Addendum to the current Meditation Focus #221: Anchoring the Golden Path of Light

Following the enormous earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan this Friday afternoon (local Japan time), let us all join together during our moments of prayer and meditation, and especially during this coming Sunday's global meditation, to send our brothers and sisters there a tsunami of loving support to help them cope emotionally and spiritually with the long challenge ahead to get back on their feet and rebuild their shattered lives and cities. Let us also keep in mind our other brothers and sisters in Libya, in the Ivory Coast and in all other areas caught in the rapid of changes and occasional upheavals at this critical juncture in Earth's history so as to stand in spiritual solidarity with all those brave souls who are facing as best as they can the travails of this era of profound transformations, while holding the vision that a new world of Peace, Love and Harmony for all and with all of Nature is gradually emerging and that the bright Light of a new heaven of Earth is awaiting us at the end of the "tunnel of transition" we are all going through right now.

IMPORTANT NOTE: SEASONAL CHANGE TO THE MEDITATION TIMES

Please note that the local corresponding times for the start of the meditation will have changed this next Sunday in America (except in Saskatchewan) as we will go to Daylight saving time here, while it will change in Europe and in South America on Sunday March 27 - the 4th Sunday of this current Meditation Focus - which means that participants will need to start their meditation one hour later than during the wintertime period (in the northern hemisphere) that now ends. On the other hand, for some locations in the southern hemisphere, participants there will need to begin one hour earlier as they'll enter their own wintertime period. Everyone should check HERE to verify their local meditation time on March 27 while participants in North America may verify HERE that their local starting time this next Sunday will be back to the usual summertime schedule.

This Special Addendum is archived at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/AddendumMedFocus221.htm

INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS SPECIAL ADDENDUM

The Writing on the Wall Series #67: The Spirit of Kokoro
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2011/WritingWall67.htm

Japan's quake toll set to exceed 1,000, world offers help (11 March 2011)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/11/us-japan-quake-idUSTRE72A0SS20110311
A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan looked set to kill at least 1,000 people along the northeastern coast on Friday after a wall of water swept away everything in its path. Thousands of residents were evacuated from an area around a nuclear plant after radiation levels rose in the reactor, but there was no word on whether there had actually been a leak. Underscoring grave concerns about the Fukushima plant some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. air force had delivered coolant to avert a rise in the temperature of the facility's nuclear rods. The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter (33-feet) high tsunami prompted offers of help from dozens of countries. China said rescuers were ready to help with quake relief while President Barack Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan the United State would assist in any way. Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Ships had been flung onto a harbor wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side.
(...) The quake, the most powerful since Japan started keeping records 140 years ago, sparked at least 80 fires in cities and towns along the coast, Kyodo said. Other Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down and one refinery was ablaze. Television footage showed an intense fire in the waterfront area near Sendai. Auto plants, electronics factories and refineries shut, roads buckled and power to millions of homes and businesses was knocked out. Several airports, including Tokyo's Narita, were closed and rail services halted. All ports were shut.
(...) The disaster occurred as the world's third-largest economy had been showing signs of reviving from an economic contraction in the final quarter of last year. The disaster raised the prospect of major disruptions for many key businesses and a massive repair bill running into tens of billions of dollars. The tsunami alerts revived memories of the giant waves which struck Asia in 2004.Warnings were issued for countries to the west of Japan and across the Pacific as far away as Colombia and Peru, but the tsunami dissipated as it sped across the ocean and worst fears in the Americas were not realized. The earthquake was the fifth most powerful to hit the world in the past century. CLIP

Japan begins quake relief mission (11 March 2011)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720489
A mammoth relief mission is swinging into action in north-east Japan, a day after it was struck by a devastating tsunami, claiming hundreds of lives. The disaster was triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the country's most powerful since records began. Japan's military has mobilised thousands of troops, hundreds of planes and dozens of ships. The government has warned there could be a radioactive leak at a nuclear power reactor shut down by the quake. The tremor struck in the afternoon local time on Friday at a depth of about 24km, 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo.It was nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, scientists said.About 300 people are known to have died and more than 500 are missing. Japanese media says the death toll will exceed 1,000.

Japan earthquake causes fall in insurance shares (11 March 2011)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12709755
Insurance stocks worldwide have fallen in response to a tsunami and earthquake in Japan measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale. Shares in large insurers such as Munich Re fell in anticipation of big payouts to cover the cost of the disaster. Economists said the economic impact could be "considerable", although it was too early to make any judgements. Oil prices were also down, as markets predicted lower demand from Japan, the world's third largest oil importer. CLIP Check also Japan's Earthquake Adds to Investor Worries (March 11, 2011)

Check also...

Several Reuters videos of the tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan

Japan Quake: Flight Of Terror From Tsunami

Japan scrambles to avert radiation crisis at nuclear plant

Japan super quake, tsunami terrify tremor-prone nation

Much more through BBC Quake Special Report


LATEST UPDATES ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN LIBYA AND THE IVORY COAST

Obama cautious on possible U.S. military action in Libya (March 11, 2011)
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/11/us.libya/
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Friday that all options for responding to the crisis in Libya remain on the table, but he added that any military option means that "you've got to balance costs versus benefits, and I don't take that decision lightly."Obama told reporters the desired outcome would be for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to "step down" in the wake of civil war that has erupted in the North African country and Gadhafi's military attacks on his own people.His comments followed a call by European Union leaders earlier Friday for Gadhafi to "relinquish power immediately," and France's embrace of the Libyan opposition leadership. The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday added nine more Libyans, including Gadhafi's wife and several more of his children, to a list that freezes their assets in the United States and restricts their dealings with U.S. entities. Gadhafi and some of his other sons already were on the list.
(...) Both Obama and Clinton have said any U.S. military involvement must be part of an international effort, preferably sanctioned by the United Nations and Arab governments. Obama said Friday that NATO officials will meet next week to consider creating a no-fly zone over Libya. On Thursday, White House National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon said the U.S. government planned to send "purely humanitarian" disaster relief teams into eastern Libya, where rebels battling Gadhafi were losing ground. CLIP

Q&A: Libya’s stalled revolution (11 March 2011)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12719557
For a short while following the Day of Rage announced by opponents of the Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi in mid-February, it seemed that the regime's time was coming to an end and that Libyans would soon follow the examples of Tunisia and Egypt in toppling their long-serving leader. But now there appears to be no rapid end to the conflict in sight. CLIP

Check also...
Libyan Crisis Threatens Regional Food Security
Libya's Opposition Faces Fierce Counter-Offensive from Pro-Gadhafi Forces
UN says reports of child soldiers being recruited in Libya

UN: Nearly Half-Million People Displaced in Ivory Coast (March 11, 2011)
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Nearly-Half-Million-People-Displaced-in-Ivory-Coast-117806334.html
The United Nations refugee agency reports nearly one-half million people in Ivory Coast have fled their homes because of escalating violence. The UNHCR says little attention is being paid to the tragedy unfolding in this West African country because of the focus on events in North Africa. The U.N. refugee agency says it is very concerned by the limited response it has had so far to the crisis in Ivory Coast. It says some 370,000 people now are displaced within the country and nearly 80,000 others have fled to neighboring Liberia seeking asylum. The UNHCR reports it has had an extremely poor response to its latest appeal for $46 million, despite the growing number of homeless people and the growing needs. Spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says the UNHCR only has received $5 million. She says the agency is considering launching another and bigger appeal. She urges international donors to be more responsive to the humanitarian crisis in Ivory Coast."We are seeing a further degrading of the security environment in Abidjan," she said. "New clashes in the Abobo district on March 8 and the Cocody district on March 7 have resulted in reports of 30 people wounded and three deaths. Armed checkpoints are continuing to make travel around the city dangerous, affecting the entire population." Fleming says the UNHCR has identified some 20 sites around Abidjan where large numbers of internally displaced people are concentrated. She says aid workers are updating the numbers of displaced people in some locations and are still assessing their needs. While this process is under way, she notes it is already clear people are in urgent need of food and other relief items, including medicine." Outside Abidjan, the violence in the west appears to be spreading to central and southeastern parts of the country," she said. "People forced to flee are reporting attempts to stop them from moving, and they are also reporting physical abuse, including rape cases. In Liberia this week, for example, our staff spoke to a 21-year-old Ivorian refugee woman who fled with her two-year-old son after rebels beat her for resisting rape." Fleming says more and more refugees fleeing into Liberia are recounting gunfire along the way, sometimes forcing them to hide or sleep in the bush.Fears are growing of a return to civil war, as the disputed presidential elections in Ivory Coast show no sign of being resolved any time soon. In anticipation of a continuing exodus from the country, the UNHCR is preparing to meet the needs of up to 150,000 refugees. That is nearly twice the number of refugees that already have arrived in Liberia.

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