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Posted for April 6-8, 2007 ------------------------ UN: World Deforestation "out of control" The report reveals how the destruction of rainforest in poorer countries are "out of control and accelerating". The total area of forest lost in the developing world is directly negating the improvements made by other countries, in particular in Europe, to maintain existing forests or even increase their forest cover. Global forest cover amounts to just under 4 billion hectares, covering about 30% of the world's land area. From 1992 to 2005, the world lost three percent of its total forest area - about 0.2% or over 32 million acres of forest a year. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are at this point in time the regions with the highest losses. In contrast, the forest cover in Asia between 2000 and 2005 actually went up, though the increase in trees was dwarfed by the losses elsewhere in the world. ============= European Bees Also in Major Die Off/GM Crops to blame? Spiegel have just released an article giving more info on this mysterious phenomenon - now hitting Germany’s bees hard - and experts are concerned that GM crops may be the root of the problem. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture. As far back as 2005, Haefeker ended an article he contributed to the journal Der Kritischer Agrarbericht (Critical Agricultural Report) with an Albert Einstein quote: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.” Since last November, the US has seen a decline in bee populations so dramatic that it eclipses all previous incidences of mass mortality. Beekeepers on the east coast of the United States complain that they have lost more than 70 percent of their stock since late last year, while the west coast has seen a decline of up to 60 percent. Given that nearly every bite of food that we eat has a pollinator, the seriousness of this emerging problem could dwarf all previous food disruptions. ================= Dozens of Jewish tombs damaged MORE than 50 Jewish tombs were damaged in a cemetery in the northern French city of Lille. "Fifty-one tombstones were damaged, of which two were broken. The vertical part was separated from the horizontal part or broken," a spokeswoman for the local prefecture said, adding that none of the tombs were broken into. French President Jacques Chirac condemned the attack. The number of anti-Semitic incidents in France jumped sharply in 2006, a Jewish group said in February. A young Jewish man was kidnapped and brutally murdered at the start of that year and the summer war in Lebanon appeared to bring an increase in attacks. ================== Debating The Impact Of GM Crops 10 Years On Is the expansion of genetically modified (GM) crops still seen as risky or will it in fact help with the doubling of the food supply required as Earth's population hits nine billion within the next 40 years? Ten years after the first GM crops were planted, evidence is mounting that the technology can increase crop yields with apparently little environmental impact, particularly in developing countries. In India, for example, GM cotton has increased yields by around 150 per cent, trebled small farmers' profits, and reduced pesticide volumes by 80 per cent. In Australia, GM cotton has also significantly decreased pesticide use while raising farmers' yields. Anti-GM groups, however, argue that in many developing countries, GM crops are now grown mainly for export by big farmers, not for local consumption, and that there are big effects of this monoculture cropping. ***WATCHMAN... There is also NO LONG TERM RESEARCH on the EFFECT to the HUMAN BODY... ================ US said to call up 12,000 Guard soldiers for Iraq The Pentagon will call up 12,000 National Guard soldiers for service in Iraq to fill gaps in the overworked army, a news report said Thursday. The National Guard is a volunteer militia, but they will receive an involuntary call-up to report for duty in Iraq. Guard units are based in each US state. Four states will provide the troops from four brigades, the television network said, citing unnamed Defense Department sources. A US Defense Department spokesman said Monday that some 30,000 additional US troops sent as reinforcements to Iraq will remain in the war-torn country until at least the end of August. The Pentagon would deploy 7,000 troops to replace units on their way out of Iraq, a move that will allow the reinforcements to remain in the country until at least late August, spokesman Bryan Whitman said. =============== Large quake hits off Vanuatu A LARGE earthquake struck off the coast of the remote Pacific island nation of Vanuatu yesterday, geologists said, but there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:02pm local time (9.02pm AEST) 135km south of Isangel, in Vanuatu, at a depth of 10km. No tsunami warning was immediately issued. ======================== Three killed in Tropical cyclone A CYCLONE has killed three people in Madagascar weeks after 80 others died when an earlier storm hit the Indian Ocean island, officials said today. Prime Minister Charles Rabemananjara said Cyclone Jaya struck northern Madagascar on Wednesday, flattening homes and destroying plantations, and he launched a one-month fund raising drive to help the victims. "Half Sambava town was devastated," said one local official. Last week, Madagascar appealed for $242 million to help tens of thousands of residents uprooted by Cyclone Indlala, which killed 80 people when it hit on March 15. ===================== Six US soldiers killed in Iraq SIX more American soldiers have been killed in and outside Baghdad, where Iraqi and US forces are pressing a massive security crackdown into an eighth week, the military said today. Two soldiers were killed and another three wounded when a roadside bomb attack ripped through their combat patrol in a southern part of Baghdad on Wednesday, the military said. Another two soldiers died and a third was wounded in a separate roadside bomb attack north of the Iraqi capital on Wednesday, another statement said. One more soldier died when a patrol was attacked with small-arms fire in an eastern section of Baghdad on the same day. Insurgents also shot dead a sixth soldier during a routine patrol in an eastern district of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday. The latest fatalities brought the military's losses in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 2,361, according to an AFP tally based on Pentagon figures. =================== Quake Hits Afghanistan Leaving Scores Dead In Floods A powerful earthquake hit Afghanistan Tuesday, also jolting Pakistan and India, as the government announced more than 110 people were killed in four days of flooding and avalanches. There were no reports of casualties in the 6.2-magnitude quake, which hit near the Afghan town of Faizabad near the towering Hindu Kush mountain range after 8:00 am (0300 GMT). The quake sent people running into the open in panic across mountainous, quake-prone areas in northeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan and India, all of which have suffered devastating earthquakes in the past few years. The governor of Badakshan province, which was at the epicenter of the quake estimated at a depth of 200 kilometers (124 miles) underground, said he had not heard of damage or casualties. The earthquake also shook Pakistan, causing panic in areas flattened by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in October 2005 which killed more than 73,000 people. There were no reports of casualties. Indian-administered Kashmir was also jolted, sending residents dashing outdoors amid fears of a repeat of the October 2005 quake that killed 1,000 people in the area. Afghanistan is often hit by earthquakes, especially around the Hindu Kush mountain range that is near the collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, where seismic activity is high. ================= Fiji blown about by intense cyclone Vive Biukoto of the Fiji Meteorological Service said the cyclone peaked about 2pm yesterday when gusts of up to 120km/h hit the northern island Vanua Levu. There were big sea swells. In some places the shores were inundated by the sea. The cyclone today drifted over the Lau group of islands in Fiji's south east, and was expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression as it headed towards Tonga. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for April 5, 2007 ------------------------ 'Very Active' Hurricane Season Predicted The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season should be "very active," with nine hurricanes and a good chance that at least one major hurricane will hit the U.S. coast, a top researcher said. Forecaster William Gray said he expects 17 named storms in all this year, five of them major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. The probability of a major hurricane making landfall on the U.S. coast this year: 74 percent, compared with the average of 52 percent over the past century, he said. "Conditions this year are likely to be more conducive to hurricanes," Klotzbach said Tuesday. In the absence of El Nino, "winds aren't tearing the storm systems apart." The team's forecasts are based on global oceanic and atmospheric conditions. Klotzbach advised coastal residents along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to have hurricane plans and preparedness kits in place, but he added, "You can't let the possibility of a hurricane coming ruin your summer." The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, averages 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. Federal government forecasters plan to release their prediction in late May. ===================== Strong quake strikes off Indonesia A 5.8-MAGNITUDE earthquake hit off Indonesia's northern Sulawesi province today but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The quake struck about 90km northeast of Bitung, the main port in North ulawesi province, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said. Ali Imran from the agency said that the quake struck at a depth of 95km. It was felt moderately in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi just 40km west of Bitung. The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. ========================= Houses float in sea of Tsunami devastation AT least 10 more earthquakes have shaken devastated parts of the Solomon Islands, where thousands of people are homeless and dozens dead following yesterday's deadly tremor and tsunami. At least 25 people had been confirmed dead, including a New Zealand man, the National Disaster Management Office said. But with at least 15 entire villages wiped out, and no way yet to check on the many small islands in the devastated Western and Choiseul provinces, officials have told the nation to brace for a soaring toll. The US Geological Survey overnight and today had recorded at least 10 strong aftershocks - measuring between 5.0 and 6.2 magnitude - following yesterday's 8.0 tremor which sparked the tsunami. Police spokesman Mick Spinks said at least 15 coastal villages had been reported destroyed, confirming earlier official reports that entire communities had been wiped out. "Virtually all the houses have been destroyed in the affected villages," he said. Kevin McCue, the Director of the Australian Seismological Centre, warned more quakes could follow along an undersea trench west of the Solomons. Yesterday's massive quake struck 350km northwest of Honiara and just 40km from Gizo, and sparked a tsunami alert around the Pacific, including in Australia. ==================== Another quake rocks Solomons The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says another earthquake has rocked the Solomon Islands, as relief workers struggle to assess the damage in areas hit by yesterday's tsunami. The quake happened about 9:00am AEST and measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. The bureau says there is no tsunami threat to Australia. Thousands of people in the western Solomon Islands slept on hilltops overnight fearing another deadly quake as aftershocks hit the region, local officials say. =================== 6.2 Magnitude Quake Hits Afghanistan A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit a remote and mountainous area of northeastern Afghanistan Tuesday morning, shaking buildings in the capital, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India. The earthquake in Badakhshan province was about 200 miles northeast of the capital, Kabul, where residents felt shaking buildings and some windows were shattered. There were no immediate casualty reports. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.2-quake was centered 40 miles south of Faizabad and hit at 8:05 a.m. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for April 4, 2007 ------------------------ Human rights for apes? An international movement is growing to grant human rights and "personhood" to apes. In Austria, judges must decide whether a British woman should become legal guardian of a chimpanzee, and in Spain, members of parliament are being urged to grant apes the right to life, freedom and protection from torture. Ian Redmond of the U.N.'s Great Apes Survival Project contends apes are special because they are so closely related to humans – chimpanzees and bonobos, for example, differ by only 1 percent of DNA. ***WATCHMAN... Hmmmmm their LOOKS alone declare more than a 1% DNA DIFFERENCE!!!... Redmond argues the great apes have the human quality of self-awareness and the ability to reason. "Show a gibbon a mirror and the reaction suggests he or she thinks the reflection is another gibbon," he said. "But all the great apes have passed the 'mirror self-recognition' test and soon begin checking their teeth or examining parts of their body they couldn't see without the mirror. This self-awareness surely suggests that they know they exist." ***WATCHMAN...Hmmm Parakeets do that and they are just "BIRD BRAINS" :-) Zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek argues apes have a similar lifespan to humans and form lifelong family bonds in which they display emotions that could be described as love, anxiety, fear, jealousy and trauma. "If I was an alien from Mars and looked at human society and a society of apes then in terms of the emotional life I would see no distinct difference, although we live very different lives because of language and technology, "Uhlenbroek said. ***WATCHMAN... Hmmmmmmm You "SEE" no DISTINCT DIFFERENCE??? YOU NEED GLASSES!!! What an IGNORANT statement... Redmond asserts apes need protection, noting, for example, an international trade ban is flouted in Africa and South-East Asia, where mothers are shot and their infants shipped off as pets, circus performers or lab animals. The British woman who wants to adopt a chimpanzee, Paula Stibbe, says the animal was abducted from its family tribe in West Africa 25 years ago. It now lives in an animal sanctuary that is about to close, and she wants to prevent it from being sold to a zoo by persuading a court to grant the same protection as a child. Members of Parliament in Spain are being asked to support legislation endorsed by the international organization Great Ape Project, which advocates a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Great Apes that would confer basic legal rights on great apes. The law would be based on the assertion apes deserve a right to life, freedom and protection from torture. But Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University of London, maintains human rights cannot be imposed on animals. "Where do you stop? It seems to be that being human is unique and nothing to do with biology," he said. "Say that apes share 98 percent of human DNA and therefore should have 98 percent of human rights. Well mice share 90 percent of human DNA. Should they get 90 percent of human rights? And plants have more DNA than humans." Jones argues that bestowing rights based on criteria invented by one group is itself a breach of human rights, similar to what the Nazis did in the Holocaust. "Rights and responsibilities go together and I've yet to see a chimp imprisoned for stealing a banana because they don't have a moral sense of what's right and wrong," he said. "To give them rights is to give them something without asking for anything in return." ***WATCHMAN.... RIGHT!!! At least this is "SANE" SARCASM... ==================== China and US at highest risk of damage from Earth Shattering Asteroids China and the US are the countries most vulnerable to damage from future asteroid impacts, according to preliminary new research. Sweden also ranks surprisingly high in this first attempt at quantifying the risks of impact effects, such as tsunamis, on individual nations. Scientists have been able to simulate the propagation of tsunamis, earthquakes, and debris from virtual asteroid impacts for years. But previously, there has been no software to quantify the human toll on particular countries. Now, researchers have combined impact effects with data on population density and infrastructure location in a computer model to produce the first global ranking of countries based on their vulnerability to impact damage. They considered a range of impact energies corresponding to asteroids between 100 and 500 meters across, striking with typical solar system speeds of about 20 kilometers per second. The team focused on smaller asteroids because they hit the Earth more frequently. An asteroid a few hundred meters across hits the planet about once every 10,000 years, on average, while those larger than 1 kilometer hit only every 100,000 years or so. Small asteroids are also harder to spot. "We're more likely to be hit by one without much warning," Bailey told New Scientist. ***WATCHMAN... FALSE STATEMENT!!! --- "IF" the earth was that old there could not possibly be records back 10,000 years ago. AND that's a NO BRAINER like HUMAN RIGHTS FOR APES!!!??? The US faced the worst potential losses, perhaps not surprisingly, since it has a lot of infrastructure on coastlines facing two different oceans. China was second, followed by Sweden, Canada, and Japan. Smaller impacts Sweden’s third highest rank is somewhat of a surprise. Bailey notes that its well developed infrastructure is more vulnerable to tsunamis than that of other European countries like Germany, since it has a long coastline. ===================== Slavery campaign closes gaps among U.S. evangelicals U.S. evangelical Christians are united behind a new campaign to end modern slavery around the world. The campaign, "The Amazing Change," was set up by the makers of "Amazing Grace," a movie about the efforts of William Wilberforce, himself an evangelical, to end British participation in the slave trade 200 years ago. "Most people you ask don't know that there are slaves today," said Pamela Livingston, vice president of the Washington-based International Justice Mission, a Christian-based organization that campaigns to free slaves overseas with a network of lawyers and social workers. Its work has led to the freeing of 78 slaves from a south Asian brick kiln where they were forced to labor to work off unpayable debts. From 2004 to 2006, the efforts of its staff in Thailand led to the rescue of 129 trafficking victims in Malaysia and Thailand. During the same period in Cambodia, 183 victims of trafficking were released. "There is one list for money derived from domestic crimes which is long. The one for foreign crimes is very short," said Baker, author of 'Capitalism's Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free-Market System.' Not included in the list of money knowingly derived from overseas illicit activities are crimes such as slavery, environmental crimes and trafficking in women. ======================= Children massacred, Shiites executed in Iraq bloodshed A suicide bomber killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a toddler in the northern oil city of Kirkuk as suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shiite workers. The bomber blew up his truck full of flour and explosives near a girls' primary school and police station in Kirkuk, killing 12 people, including the nine children, a hospital doctor said. Another 178 people were wounded in the blast that caused extensive damage and happened as US troops were visiting the police station, Kirkuk district police commander Major General Torhan Yussef Abdul Rahman said. Many of the wounded were pupils at the nearby school and local residents. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for April 3, 2007 ------------------------ Coming Soon, The Next Great Earthquake The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and resulting tsunami are now infamous for the damage they caused, but at the time many scientists believed this area was unlikely to create a quake of such magnitude. On Dec. 26, 2004, the earth beneath the Indian Ocean buckled and ruptured, unleashing one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history. Shockwaves from the magnitude 9.2 (M9) quake created a wall of rushing water that devastated communities up to 1,000 miles away. M9 earthquakes typically occur at a specific type of tectonic boundary called a subduction zone, where one plate is gently slipping underneath another plate, which causes friction, cracking, and lifting of the plates. An M9 earthquake can be created by only 20 meters of slip between two converging plates - less then the length of an 18-wheeler truck - but its effects can be global in their impact. ================ Flowers and fruit crops facing disaster as disease kills off bees Honeybee colonies in Britain have been wiped out this winter - Honeybees account for 80pc of all pollination The losses are the result of either Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a disease that has already decimated bee populations in the US and parts of Europe, or a new, resistant form of Varroa destructor, a parasite that attacks bees. Experts fear that, because honeybees are responsible for 80 per cent of all pollination as they collect nectar for the hive, there could be severe ecological problems with flowers, fruit and crops failing to grow. Bee-keepers in Poland, Greece, Croatia, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal have also reported heavy losses. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for April 2, 2007 ------------------------ THE END TIMES - THE LAST DAYS - ARE UPON THE EARTH! MATTHEW 24:21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." THIS IS NO GAME! - THIS IS THE REAL THING! - DO NOT WAIT! JESUS IS COMING! CLICK HERE to see an animated graphic illustration what it will be like for the unsaved and for a prayer of salvation! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Bite: April 6 Sneak Attack by US Forces Against Iran Planned Russian Military Sources Warns The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 AM on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly “Argumenty Nedeli.” Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account. The attack is slated to last for twelve hours, according to Uglanov, lasting from 4 AM until 4 PM local time. Friday is a holiday in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories. The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russian engineers are working, is supposed to be spared from destruction. The US attack plan reportedly calls for the Iranian air defense system to be degraded, for numerous Iranian warships to be sunk in the Persian Gulf, and the for the most important headquarters of the Iranian armed forces to be wiped out. The attacks will be mounted from a number of bases, including the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is currently home to B-52 bombers equipped with standoff missiles. Also participating in the air strikes will be US naval aviation from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, as well as from those of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Additional cruise missiles will be fired from submarines in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of the Arabian peninsula. The goal is allegedly to set back Iran’s nuclear program by several years, writes Uglanov, whose article was re-issued by RIA-Novosti in various languages, but apparently not English, several days ago. The story is the top item on numerous Italian and German blogs, but so far appears to have been ignored by US websites. Ivashov attributed decisive importance to the decision of the Democratic leadership of the US House of Representatives to remove language from the just-passed Iraq supplemental military appropriations bill which would have demanded that Bush come to Congress before launching an attack on Iran. Ivashov pointed out that the language was eliminated under pressure from AIPAC, the lobbing group representing the Israeli extreme right, and of Israeli Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni. Most probably there will be no ground attack, but rather massive air attacks with the goal of annihilating Iran’s capacity for military resistance, the centers of administration, the key economic assets, and quite possibly the Iranian political leadership, or at least part of it,” he continued. =================== World Oil prices shoot to 6 month high OIL prices rallied in Asian trading touching a six-month high in a market tense over Iran's nuclear intentions and the country's detention of 15 British naval personnel. US military exercises in the Gulf involving two US aircraft carriers also unsettled the market, they said. At 1.39pm, New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, was up 89 cents at $US63.82 a barrel from $US62.93 in late US trades. Brent North Sea crude for May was up 92 cents at $US65.52. "The overriding factor today is still the Iranian situation. It's a lot of "just in case" buying at this stage," said Daiwa Securities analyst Mark Pervan in Melbourne. =================== ***WATCHMAN... No this is not 666? BUT I often put things her when there is no other place fore it... Md. dog does Heimlich on owner, saves her from choking Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life. Debbie Parkhurst, 45, of Calvert said she was eating an apple at her home when a piece lodged in her throat. She attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver on herself but it didn't work. After she began beating on her chest, she said Toby noticed and got involved. "The next think I know, Toby's up on his hind feet and he's got his front paws on my shoulders," she recalled. "He pushed me to the ground, and once I was on my back, he began jumping up and down on my chest." That's when the apple dislodged and Toby started licking her face to keep her from passing out, she said. "I literally have pawprint-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm OK," Parkhurst said. "The doctor said I probably wouldnt be here without Toby," said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. "I keep looking at him and saying 'You're amazing."' The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 30 - April 1, 2007 ------------------------ German neo Nazi crime rate sets new high Crimes committed by neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists in Germany reached their highest level last year since reunification in 1990. The crime rate rose by 14 percent to more than 18,000 extremist offences. Of the 18,000 offences, 1,100 were acts of violence -- an 8 percent rise from the previous year, it said, citing federal police figures. In September, the National Democratic Party (NPD), a far-right group the government has compared to Hitler's Nazis, won six of the 71 regional parliamentary seats in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in an election there. The government plans to pump millions of euros (dollars) this year into projects to enhance tolerance and diversity, but it has also cut funding for several existing programs aimed at combating racist attacks. ================ Deadly Jellyfish Plague invades Australia Coast A deadly species of jellyfish, translucent and the size of a thumbnail, is spreading along Australia’s coastline as a result of global warming, scientists warned. Irukandji jellyfish are among the world’s most toxic creatures – all but impossible to detect in the water but packing a potentially lethal punch belying their tiny size. Until recently it was thought that they were confined to Australia’s northern tropical waters, but marine biologists have now found them off Queensland’s Fraser Island — a popular tourist spot about 400 miles south of their previously assumed range. You can’t now say the waters around Fraser Island are jellyfish safe. I mean, these animals have the potential to kill you. The ones we were catching weren’t any bigger than your thumbnail. They’ve got tentacles that are probably a half to three quarters of a meter long, and pretty much transparent. So unless you really know what you’re looking for, you’re not going to see them in the water.” ================ Invasive Beetle Found in Staten Island An invasive type of beetle has been found for the first time on Staten Island, where it could kill hardwood trees and threaten the local ecosystem, parks officials said Tuesday. A silver maple tree infested by Asian long-horned beetles was found on a private lot in the Bloomfield section of the island, Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe said. "It could wipe out, if it's not checked, half of the trees of Staten Island, which would completely change the character of the island," Benepe said. The discovery last Thursday followed the finding this month of at least 37 infested trees on nearby Pralls Island, an uninhabited bird sanctuary closed to all but a few researchers, Benepe said. In response to the larger infestation, city and state workers are destroying all the trees in the sanctuary that are at risk. The adult Asian long-horned beetle's body is an inch or two long and is glistening black. Bright white dots are scattered across its back and on its long antennae. The beetles bore into maple, birch, poplar, willow and elm trees, among others. They feed on the trunks and ultimately kill the trees. Experts believe the beetle hitchhiked to the United States on wooden packing material from China. "Effects on the neighboring states could be devastating," he said. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 28, 2007 -------------------------------- Sheriff: Slain Student Burned on Grill A 19-year-old Texas A&M University student was killed by her ex-boyfriend, who then dismembered and burned her body on a patio grill, authorities said. We have determined through this investigation that the defendant dismembered Tynesha Stewart and . . . he burned the body parts," Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas said. "There are no remaining body parts." Authorities did not give any more details about how they believe the slaying occurred, but said nothing remains of Stewart. Although human remains generally require extremely high temperatures to destroy, Thomas would not discuss how he believed the body could be burned to nothing ================== Monster cane toad found in Australia A huge cane toad the size of a small dog has been captured in the Australian tropical city of Darwin, startling environmentalists who are fighting to stop the poisonous reptiles from spreading across the country. "It's a monster toad," said Paul Cowdy from FrogWatch which captured the cane toad. "We've never seen a cane toad this big," he said. "It's a male and normally females are bigger." The cane toad, regarded as a major pest in Australia, was one of 39 caught by a group from FrogWatch near Lee Point in Darwin. It measures 20.5 cm (8 inches) in length and weighs 840 grams (1.8 pounds) -- twice the normal weight. Cane toads are one of Australia's worst environmental mistakes. The spread of the toads, whose skin is poisonous, has led to dramatic declines in populations of native snakes, goanna lizards and quolls, which are cat-sized marsupials. "We capture them, put them in plastic bags, freeze them and turn them into liquid fertiliser," Cowdy said of the cane toads. Cane toads were introduced from Hawaii in 1935 in a failed bid to control native cane beetles. There are now more than 200 million. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 27, 2007 -------------------------------- It's sudden death in Vermont for assisted suicide proposal Plan would have allowed physicians to give patients deadly dose of drugs Members of the Vermont House of Representatives have decided against moving forward with a plan that would have allowed physicians to give patients who ask enough drugs to kill themselves, voting 82-63 against the idea. Only one state in the union so far has given that practice legal status, Oregon, but it's a recurring issue across the nation, where citizen groups are regularly coming up against such plans. Vermont's plan was euphemistically called the "Patient Choice and Control at End of Life" legislation, but state Rep. Harvey Otterman said that it would have gone "too far in enforcing one group's preferences on the traditional values of others." A report said Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas opposed the idea, because while death with dignity is one issue, hastening that death is another. "We need to make it dignified, we need to make it pain-free," Douglas said prior to the debates. "But to empower physicians – who take an oath to alleviate pain and do no harm – to hasten death is a step in the wrong direction." "We know Vermont has a lot to do to increase access to hospice and palliative care, but we believe there are better ways to do it than the bill that was proposed," said Deborah Lisi-Baker, who heads the Vermont Center for Independent Living. Alex Schadenberg, who directs the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, called it "an incredible victory for the good of our culture." "Many people of goodwill got involved and went all out by contacting politicians, financing, and supporting the campaign in other ways. Thanks to Vermont, we can now be sure that through a common effort that it is possible to defeat the assisted suicide push everywhere," he said. Dr. Robert Orr, who is a member of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, said Vermont law already allowed people with terminal illnesses to decline to accept further treatment. "I think we should be using our efforts and energy to help people during the dying process – to treat their pain and their shortness of breath and their social and psychological and spiritual concerns," he sad. "We should be helping them through the dying process, not helping them to die," he said. ***WATCHMAN... AMEN!... Orr expressed the concern of many: that there would be too much potential for abuse. He cited the experiences in the Netherlands, where euthanasia has been legal for two decades. There doctors have admitted killing more than 20 newborns, and routinely say they make such decisions on their interpretation of a patient's quality of life or life expectancy. Now those physicians are asking for even more freedom in choosing which patients should live – or die, he noted. "Experts in palliative care tell us that there is no need for people to die a miserable death," he said, "because we can treat the pain. We can treat the shortness of breath, we can treat the bowel and bladder symptoms, the vomiting, and many symptoms that occur." A University of Vermont study showed that two-thirds of all states have laws specifically criminalizing such actions, while other states have laws that do not have clear direction. The study noted Oregon's Death with Dignity Act of 1997 legalizes doctors to give lethal drugs to patients, but does not allow anyone other than the patient to administer those drugs. During 1998, the first full year of operation, the Oregon Health Division reported that 23 people received prescriptions for lethal medications, 15 of them died after taking them, six died from their underlying illness, and the others remained alive at the time of the 2001 report. A report from the National Right to Life committee noted that the plan has been suggested repeatedly in Vermont. The group said Vermont already is known as a "breeding ground" for radical ideas, and it is small, making it easier and less expensive for pro-euthanasia organizations to pour tons of money into advertising and lobbying. "A win in this small state will lay the groundwork for the big win: the state of California," the committee said. ================== Pet owners file class action suit over tainted food More than 95 pet owners have joined a class-action lawsuit against Menu Foods Inc., saying it produced and distributed pet food that might be dangerous, and possibly deadly, to animals. Jacqueline Johnson of Madison, Wisconsin, filed the suit Tuesday. The complaint contends her gray tabby, Gumbie, became ill after eating food from an Iams Select Bites pouch in early February. Gumbie became lethargic, refused food and lost weight, she said, and a veterinarian diagnosed acute renal failure. The cat was "pet-hospitalized" and prescribed intravenous fluids. Johnson said she considers herself lucky. "Thankfully we got her to the vet in time. My cat was very ill, but there are lots of people around the country whose pets have died or been euthanized." Since coming home, Gumbie has required a great deal of care. "It is stressful to have to stick a needle in the cat every day," said Johnson, who has had to administer daily subcutaneous fluid-and-drip injections since bringing Gumbie home. Gumbie is likely to require medical tests and monitoring every few months, and Johnson expects this will increase her expenses considerably. She said she already has paid more than $3,000 in veterinary bills. Johnson's attorney, Frank Jablonski of Progressive Law Group, said more than 95 people have joined the suit since it was filed, and he expects many more. "We have all the clients we need," he said. "We wouldn't bring a lawsuit that we are not confident we will win." The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. Courts will have to certify the class and what venue will hear the case. Menu Foods spokesperson Sam Bornstein declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the company has received tens of thousands of consumer inquiries and is doing its best to respond to them. "Our hearts go out to many thousands of pet owners, some of them for their losses and some for their worry," he said. Menu Foods announced the precautionary recall on March 16. The recall affects dog and cat food manufactured between December 3 and March 6, and is limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches produced at its plants in Kansas and New Jersey. The food is packaged under a wide variety of brand names. Both the Food and Drug Administration and Menu Foods have been unable to identify the root cause of the problem, but the FDA said Tuesday that officials were focusing on a recent supply of wheat gluten as the likely culprit. Recalled cat foods Americas Choice, Preferred Pets; Authority; Best Choice; Companion; Compliments; Demoulas Market Basket; Eukanuba; Fine Feline Cat; Food Lion; Foodtown; Giant Companion; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Iams; Laura Lynn; Li'l Red; Loving Meals; Meijer's Main Choice; Nutriplan; Nutro Max Gourmet Classics; Nutro Natural Choice; Paws; Pet Pride; Presidents Choice; Price Chopper; Priority US; Save-A-Lot Special Blend; Schnucks; Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans; Sophistacat; Special Kitty Canada; Special Kitty US; Springfield Prize; Sprout; Stop & Shop Companion; Tops Companion; Wegmans; Weis Total Pet; Western Family US; White Rose; and Winn Dixie. Recalled dog foods America's Choice, Preferred Pets; Authority; Award; Best Choice; Big Bet; Big Red; Bloom; Cadillac; Companion; Demoulas Market Basket; Eukanuba; Food Lion; Giant Companion; Great Choice; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Iams; Laura Lynn; Loving Meals; Meijer's Main Choice; Mighty Dog Pouch; Mixables; Nutriplan; Nutro Max; Nutro Natural Choice; Nutro Ultra; Nutro; Ol'Roy Canada; Ol'Roy US; Paws; Pet Essentials; Pet Pride - Good n Meaty; Presidents Choice; Price Chopper; Priority Canada; Priority US; Publix; Roche Brothers; Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels; Schnucks; Springfield Prize; Sprout; Stater Brothers; Stop & Shop Companion; Tops Companion; Wegmans Bruiser; Weis Total Pet; Western Family US; White Rose; Winn Dixie; and Your Pet. More details on the products involved in the recall is available online at www.menufoods.com/recall or by calling 866-895-2708. ***WATCHMAN... Could this be TERRORISM related???... ================= The World is banning common light bulbs Environmental concerns cited in growing global crackdown They're unwanted in Cuba, Hugo Chavez is trying to kick them out of Venezuela, Australia and Canada are on timetables to get rid of them, the European Union says they soon simply won't be available and now the U.S. is considering new rules that effectively would ban the incandescent light bulb. It's a global sweep so far, triggered by worries that the invention of Thomas Edison uses too much energy or generates too much heat for the earth to tolerate, despite the reports that a member of a congressional committee is challenging the "facts" used by Al Gore in his "An Inconvenient Truth" movie, saying science just doesn't validate concerns that such factors are significant environmentally. Now the avalanche of new bans may be hard to slow down. In a report officials said directives from the European Union soon will force manufacturers to produce more efficient bulbs in greater numbers. In North Carolina, Rep. Pricey Harrison has suggested a statewide ban starting in 2016 on the sale of incandescent bulbs. Even local governments are getting into the act. In New York state, a Westchester County plan would ban all incandescents from being used in county facilities at the end of this year, and ban the sale of such bulbs countywide at the end of 2009. "This legislation is an important step toward making every home, business and public building in America more energy efficient," U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., said in announcing her proposed national ban. "Most of us still use the same glass and filament bulbs that Thomas Edison invented 128 years ago. When it comes to illumination, we still live in a cave." Her plan technically would ban the sale of any light bulb that fails to meet the standards set by current fluorescent bulbs, but the opinion is nearly unanimous that those targeted would be incandescent bulbs. It also creates an increasingly higher standard of lumens per watt of illumination for coming years. Harman, who serves on the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy & Air Quality, said ordinary incandescent light bulbs now generate about 12-15 lumens per watt, but her plan would require all bulbs sold to generate at least 60 lumens per watt, which she said is about the level of output for today's fluorescent bulbs. By 2016 that level would be raised to 90 lumens per watt, and by 2020, the minimum would be set at 120 lumens, she said. Among the plans being developed, too, there is no mention of how to handle the mercury from old fluorescent bulbs. Mercury, a highly persistent and toxic chemical, can build up to dangerous concentrations in fish, wildlife, and human beings. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 23-25, 2007 -------------------------------- Forecaster sees active Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season will be exceptionally active this year, according to a British forecasting group, raising the possibility that killer storms like Hurricane Katrina could again threaten the United States. London-based forecaster Tropical Storm Risk said the six-month season, which begins on June 1, was expected to bring 17 tropical storms, of which nine will strengthen into hurricanes with winds of at least 74 miles (119 km) per hour. Four of those are expected to become more destructive "intense" hurricanes, TSR said. The long-term average for the Atlantic is for 10 storms to form during the hurricane season and for six of those to reach hurricane strength. TSR said current and projected climate signals indicate that Atlantic basin and U.S. land falling hurricane activity will be 75 percent above the 1950-2006 average in 2007. TSR had predicted in December that Atlantic basin and U.S. land falling hurricane activity would be just 60 percent above average this year. It raised the projected activity level because of the sudden dissipation in February of last year's El Nino weather phenomenon. An unusual warming of the eastern Pacific waters, El Nino events tend to suppress Atlantic storm activity. Other experts, including hurricane forecast pioneer Dr. William Gray and his team at Colorado State University, have also warned that the 2007 hurricane season is likely to be busier-than-average. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 22, 2007 -------------------------------- Sex slavery widespread in England There is evidence of thousands of children working in the UK sex trade Young women tricked into coming to England, often by boyfriends, are being sold off in auctions at airport coffee shops as soon as they arrive. They are among the thousands of women brought into the UK to be sex slaves, usually with no idea of their fate. The trade was one of the findings of a BBC News website investigation into slavery in 21st Century England. As the UK marks 200 years since the Parliamentary Act to abolish the slave trade, slavery goes on in another form. Modern day victims of slavery are often young women from eastern Europe, thinking they are coming to England to work as cleaners or au pairs, only to be forced into prostitution. The Home Office estimated in 2003 that 4,000 women were trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation. It is thought the figure may have grown since. Child protection organizations and human rights groups also believe there are thousands of child sex slaves in the UK. And he said there were also many cases of English women, from backgrounds of poverty, being sold from town to town to work as prostitutes. Operation Pentameter, a Home Office initiative aimed at rescuing sex workers held against their will carried out between January and July 2006, saw 84 trafficked women rescued, including 12 aged 14 to 17. ========================= Texas dolphin die off puzzles scientists The stranding deaths of about 60 bottlenose dolphins on Texas beaches over the past three weeks has puzzled researchers and i a cause for concern during the calving season, a senior scientist said. Over the last few weeks we have had about 3 to 4 times the usual mortality. Most of the carcasses were in an advanced state of decomposition, suggesting that they were carried to Texas beaches from areas further off or up the shore. Suspected causes include parasites, an outbreak of infectious diseases or red tide, an algal bloom prompted by fertilizers or other excess nutrients. Most of the dolphins have been too decomposed for a necropsy -- the animal version of an autopsy -- and so volunteers have been burying them on the beaches. Several of the dolphins which have washed up on shore have young with umbilical cords still attached. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 21, 2007 -------------------------------- Killer frogs stalk San Francisco San Francisco poised to checkmate amphibious African predators of Golden Gate Park It's like something out of an animal horror movie -- killer frogs take over peaceful pond, then after terrorizing and eating everything alive, start eating each other. Only it's no movie. It's really happening in Golden Gate Park's Lily Pond, near the California Academy of Sciences. And after watching the frogs chew through everything in sight over the past several years, the city finally wants to do something about it. No one knows for sure when the African clawed frogs got into the pond or who put them there. But there they are, and the Toad Warriors have pretty much taken care of the native turtles, frogs and fish. "They've eaten everything they can get their mouths around, and now they're eating each other," said Eric Mills of the animal rights group Action for Animals. Mills worries that the fiendish amphibians -- which grow to 5 inches in length and have claws on the toes of their oversize hind feet -- may jump the pond and spread their reign of terror across other Bay Area waterways, although so far, none has popped up elsewhere. "They are cute, but tough," Mills said. "I saw a heron swoop down and grab one. He had it in his bill for a while, tried to eat it, then just gave up and spit it out." In fact, about the only thing known to eat the frogs are crocodiles -- but that solution is probably out. The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 20, 2007 -------------------------------- College drug use, binge drinking rise A young man takes a puff of a pot joint in Washington, D.C. Marijuana use rose from 27.9 percent in '93 to 33.3 percent in '05. 'HIGHER' EDUCATION?
The percentage of college students saying they took potentially dangerous drugs during the previous year is up: Any illicit drug • 1993: 30.6 • 2005: 36.6 Marijuana • 1993: 27.9 • 2005: 33.3 Hallucinogens • 1993: 6.0 • 2005: 5.0 Inhalants • 1993: 3.8 • 2005: 1.8 Cocaine • 1993: 2.7 • 2005: 5.7 Heroin • 1993: 0.1 • 2005: 0.3 Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University Nearly half of America's 5.4 million full-time college students abuse drugs or drink alcohol on binges at least once a month, according to a new study that portrays substance and alcohol abuse as an increasingly urgent problem on campuses across the nation. Alcohol remains the favored substance of abuse on college campuses by far, but the abuse of prescription drugs and marijuana has increased dramatically since the mid-1990s, according to the study released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Today's report — the center's second on the subject — involved a survey of 2,000 student and 400 administrators as well as analyses of six national studies. The center found that "the situation on America's campuses has deteriorated" since 1993, The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted for March 19, 2007 -------------------------------- French Jews flee Muslim extremists Thousands move to South Florida: 'We're not going to wait until it's too late' Rod Kukurudz decided to uproot his family from a comfortable life in France to Surfside when his then 16-year-old daughter, Audrey, came home one night in 2005 -- upset and fearful. ''Dad,'' she told him, ''now even if it's hot I have to wear a scarf to hide my Star of David,'' while riding the Paris Metro. French Jews living in South Florida told The Miami Herald that hostility from Islamic militants in France after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States spurred them to leave. Departures surged after last year's abduction and death of Ilan Halimi in France. The 23-year-old Halimi, a French Jew of Moroccan parents, was kidnapped Jan. 21, 2006, by a gang of youths calling themselves the ``Barbarians.'' ''The atmosphere created by that episode, plus other incidents and the general hostility of Muslims in France toward Jews, is what's behind my decision to leave,'' said Kukurudz, who now lives with his wife and their three daughters, including Audrey, in Surfside. Vanessa Elmaleh is among a growing number of South Florida immigration attorneys helping French Jews secure U.S. visas -- but not necessarily asylum. ''Asking for asylum can be risky,'' said Elmaleh, a French Jew herself. ``If they deny your petition, they can deport you.'' Immigration court figures show a slight uptick in the number of asylum applications from French nationals starting in 2003 -- but those figures do not specify whether applicants were French Jews. South Florida immigration attorneys say the majority of French Jews are arriving on immigrant, investor and business visas. Kukurudz, for example, obtained an investor visa with Elmaleh's help and now runs Citizen Events, organizing events for companies and organizations. Pascal Cohen left his family behind in France and arrived in Aventura a few weeks ago on a business visa to open a South Florida subsidiary of a high-end chocolate brand called Cote de France. His wife and two young daughters plan to leave France and join him later this year. There are no official U.S. government figures on the number of French Jews here, but officials in U.S. Jewish organizations said it could be anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 in South Florida -- mostly Miami-Dade. ''I would say they're in the thousands now,'' said Mendy Levy, a rabbi at The Shul synagogue in Surfside. ''There is no question of an increase in the number of French Jews in South Florida, and there's an expectation that that rate of increase will accelerate,'' said Jacob Solomon, executive vice president of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. 'French Jews see the handwriting on the wall and say, `We're not going to wait until it's too late.' '' None of the French Jews interviewed was attacked in France, but all expressed fears the Halimi incident was a preview of more militant violence to come. The latest State Department human rights report, issued last week, cited more anti-Semitic incidents in France during the first nine months of 2006 than during the same period in 2005 -- but fewer than in the first nine months of 2004. French officials have condemned attacks on members of the Jewish community. ''France is not an anti-Semitic country,'' Philippe Vinogradoff, France's consul general in Miami, told The Miami Herald on Thursday. ``France is doing a lot of efforts in its jurisdiction, in its education system, to eradicate definitively any trace of anti-Semitism.'' France's Jewish population has been variously estimated at between 500,000 and 700,000 and its Muslim population at five million to six million. But French Jews here say the community has been depleted by frequent departures, the majority to Israel. Jewish Agency figures show that almost 14,000 French Jews have resettled in Israel since 2001. Vinogradoff said 12,000 French nationals are registered with his consulate, which covers Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and some Caribbean countries. Vinogradoff said it's impossible to tell how many are French Jews because the consulate is prohibited by French law from asking about religion or national origin. He noted that while the French expatriate community here has been growing steadily, there has been no sharp hike in numbers in the past five years. But Elmaleh, who specializes in French Jewish immigration, said figures are much higher than those officially acknowledged -- with perhaps more than 50,000 French Jews moving or actively planning to move to Israel and more than 10,000 in South Florida. Portions of some neighborhoods in north Miami-Dade have turned into pockets of French Jewish culture -- particularly in Surfside, Bal Harbour and Aventura where synagogues have seen significant additions of French Jews to congregations and new businesses cater to an expanding French-speaking clientele. ''I have seen an increase in my practice relating to wealthy French nationals who are also Jewish, exploring options to use the United States as a safe haven, anticipating problems relating to their Jewish heritage,'' Linda Osberg-Braun said. Other immigration attorneys like Roger Bernstein and David Berger also said they see more French Jewish clients. In their hearts, many of the French Jews arriving in South Florida feel they are refugees, and there's a movement to press the U.S. government for such status. A group has posted a petition on the Internet urging the U.S. Congress to approve a refugee program for French Jews. Both Cohen and Kukurudz miss life in France, but they have no regrets about leaving. They did it for their children. ''So they can have a future,'' Cohen said. =========================== Earthquake Shakes Ohio A rare northeast Ohio earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 3.6, was felt near the epicenter but caused no major damage. The quake was recorded at 7:18 p.m. outside Twinsburg, which is about 16 miles southeast of Cleveland. Most reports from people who felt the quake came from Twinsburg and nearby Stow and Aurora, said Michael Hansen, coordinator of the Ohio Seismic Network. ``This isn't an area where we commonly have earthquakes,'' he said. Other than a television knocked off its stand, there were no reports of damage. Ohio's largest recorded earthquake registered 5.4 in 1937 in Shelby County, a rural area between Toledo and Dayton. ===================== Scientists Explain Source Of Mysterious Tremors Emanating From Fault Zones These violent mega-thrusts occur every 100 to 600 years, depending on the location. Recent studies suggest that giant quakes, which form at relatively shallow depths, are preceded by a series of much deeper events called slow (or silent) earthquakes, which displace the ground without shaking it. A slow earthquake can last days, months or years without being felt at the surface. Tiny |
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