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Archive for July, 2011

‘Spectacular’ Double Meteor Shower This Week

07/26/2011 Leave a comment

By Andrew Fazekas – “A celestial traffic jam may be on tap this week as two meteor showers combine forces to put on a brilliant sky show.

One of the best shooting star events of the year is the annual August Perseid meteor shower.  However this year’s peak, on August 12, happens to coincide with a bright full moon—drastically cutting down the number of meteors visible to the naked eye.

Yet while the main event might be blocked out by the blinding moonlight, the opening act promises to be much better.

This year the lesser known Delta Aquarid meteor shower is expected to peak on Friday night, when the Delta Aquarids’ more productive Perseid cousin is just starting to ramp up.

Together the showers will produce anywhere between 15 and 30 shooting stars per hour under clear, dark skies.

‘While the moon is set to be an unpleasant guest for the Perseid peak, skywatchers are not out of luck as the Delta Aquarids could be one of the best meteor showers of the year,’ said Raminder Singh Samra, astronomer at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, Canada.

‘The new moon during the peak of the Delta Aquarids may actually allow for a much more spectacular display.'” Read more.

Categories: Cosmic Craziness

Sun News Host Exposes Liberal Media Bias of the Oslo Coverage and Their Not-So-Hidden Agenda

07/25/2011 Leave a comment

Sun News host Ezra Levant provides us with an excellent dissection of the liberal media’s bias and why they’re ‘licking their chops’ in the aftermath of the Oslo massacre … 

Ezra Levant: “[Anders Behring Breivik] hadn’t been to church since he was a teenager.  I did a word search through his entire 770,000 word manifesto for words like ‘church’, ‘Jesus’, ‘Christian’, ‘prayer’ etc.  He talked a lot about the Crusades and about the treatment of Christian minorities under Islam, but he himself wasn’t religious at all, let alone a ‘Christian fundamentalist’ like the CBC says he is …

Here’s where Breivik’s crimes have been transformed from a local tragedy — from a terrible mass murder and from the ravings of a lunatic — into the greatest political opportunity that liberals have had in years… Left-wing opportunists now have their ‘poster boy’, a ‘non-Muslim terrorist’, a ‘Christian fundamentalist’ in the words of the CBC that they can now use as a counter example whenever anyone is concerned about the war on terror, about 9/11, about al Qaida, about the PLO, about the Taliban, about the 10,000 or more Muslim terrorist attacks in the past 10 years, from the London subways to Bali to Beslan, Russia. They now have their ‘talking point’ to undermine the war on Islamic terror.  But that’s not even the main goal of the CBC and their kind.  They want to discredit some of the ideas that Breivik footnoted in his 770,000 word ramble.  Like I say, he quoted from Liberals like Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins, and environmentalists like the ‘Unabomber.’  But his main thesis was his worry about radical Islam in the West, and that’s what the CBC and their friends want to do.  They want to associate being concerned about radical Islam and the treatment of women in Islam, and the treatment of gays in Islam, with this mass-murderer.  They want to delegitimize peaceful, reasonable, liberal discussions of these matters by tainting them with this murderer.  You can feel it in the daily press coverage already …”

Israel Palestinian Conflict: The Truth About the West Bank

07/25/2011 Leave a comment

Danny Ayalon: “Often on the news we hear the terms ‘Occupied Territories’, ’67 Borders’ and ‘Illegal Settlements.’  And the story we usually hear sounds very simple: During the Six-Day War Israel captured the West Bank from the Palestinians, refused the United Nation’s demand to retreat, and illegally built settlements.  But is that really the case?  Let’s try to understand the situation a little bit better …”

New Zealand: Birds Feared Killed in Tens of Thousands, ‘We’ve Never Had Anything Like This Before’

07/25/2011 Leave a comment

By Laurel Stowell- “The number of prions that perished on the west coast of the North Island in last week’s stormy weather could be in the tens of thousands.

Though the species was not endangered, the birds might have ‘taken quite a good hit’, said Manawatu/Wanganui Bird Rescue co-ordinator Dawne Morton.

She was kept busy with the birds from Tuesday to Friday last week. They were picked up dead and alive along the length of the coast, from Wellington to North Cape.

More than 600 birds were being nursed back to health at Massey University, others by the Conservation Department in New Plymouth and Wellington Zoo.

At Massey the birds were put in warm water ponds, fed and re-waterproofed. Badly hurt birds were euthanised.

The prions’ small size put them at particular risk.

‘These guys lose 20g and they’ve had it,’ Ms Morton said.” Read more.

Australia: Mysterious Illness Killing Off Sea Turtles

07/25/2011 Leave a comment

By Natalie Poyhonen – “The coastline of north Queensland is usually picture perfect in winter, but there is a problem in the shallows.

Over the past few months sick, lethargic and sometimes dead sea turtles have been washing up onto the region’s beaches.

Experts are trying to find out what is killing off the animals, but they suspect years of extreme weather may be playing a role and events like Cyclone Yasi have destroyed large tracts of essential seagrass.

Dead and dying turtles washing up on shore is becoming a regular sight for Barbara Gibbs, who lives on Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville.

‘My daughter and I were so excited seeing this large number of turtles in close, but they just kept hanging in close,’ she said.

‘When we were over our first initial excitement, my daughter remembered that a marine biologist had told her the night before about this problem and them hanging in close like that, because they were right up to our feet, that that meant that they were dying.’

Ms Gibbs says she has come across 20 turtles suffering in the same way over the past two months.” Read more.

Categories: Mass Animal Deaths

Japan’s Food-Chain Threat Multiplies as Fukushima Radiation Spreads

07/25/2011 1 comment

By Aya Takada – “Radiation fallout from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant poses a growing threat to Japan’s food chain as unsafe levels of cesium found in beef on supermarket shelves were also detected in more vegetables and the ocean.

More than 2,600 cattle have been contaminated, Kyodo News reported July 23, after the Miyagi local government said 1,183 cattle at 58 farms were fed hay containing radioactive cesium before being shipped to meat markets.

Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano has said officials didn’t foresee that farmers might ship contaminated hay to cattle ranchers. That highlights the government’s inability to think ahead and to act, said Mariko Sano, secretary general for Shufuren, a housewives organization in Tokyo.

‘The government is so slow to move,’ Sano said. ‘They’ve done little to ensure food safety.’

Aeon Co., Japan’s biggest supermarket chain, said today 4,108 kilograms (9,056 pounds) of beef suspected of being contaminated was inadvertantly put on sale at 174 stores across Japan.” Read more.

Japan to Buy Australian Beef on Nuclear Radiation Concern – “Japanese demand for Australian beef may increase after radiation was found in domestic meat and amid concern that cesium leaks from the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant may spread further, according to Australian Agricultural Co. Ltd. ‘We’re expecting to see better demand out of Japan as they move away from their own herds,’ chief executive officer David Farley said on a conference call today. That follows a boost in demand for beef after radiation was detected in Japan’s seafood in March, he said.” Read more.

Children in Fukushima to Have Medical Checks for Thyroid Cancer Throughout Lifetime – “Children living in Fukushima Prefecture, the area hardest hit by the nuclear crisis in Japan, will receive medical checks for thyroid cancer for the rest of their lives. The local government of Fukushima says around 3-hundred-60 thousand children will start to have thyroid cancer checks from December this year.” Read more.

Norway: Terrorist Proclaimed Himself ‘Darwinian,’ Not ‘Christian’, Also Considered WMD and ‘Jihadi Alliance’

07/25/2011 Leave a comment

“WASHINGTON – A review of Anders Behring Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto shows the media’s quick characterization of the Norwegian terrorist as a “Christian” may be as incorrect as it was to call Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh one.

Breivik was arrested over the weekend, charged with a pair of brutal attacks in and near Oslo, Norway, including a bombing in the capital city that killed 7 and a shooting spree at a youth political retreat on the island of Utoya that killed more than 80 victims.

Piecing together Breivik’s various posts on the Internet, many media reports have characterized the terrorist – who says he was upset over the multiculturalist policies stemming from Norway’s Labour Party – as a ‘right-wing, Christian fundamentalist.’

Yet, while McVeigh rejected God altogether, Breivik writes in his manifesto that he is not religious, has doubts about God’s existence, does not pray, but does assert the primacy of Europe’s ‘Christian culture’ as well as his own pagan Nordic culture.

Breivik instead hails Charles Darwin, whose evolutionary theories stand in contrast to the claims of the Bible, and affirms: ‘As for the Church and science, it is essential that science takes an undisputed precedence over biblical teachings. Europe has always been the cradle of science, and it must always continue to be that way. Regarding my personal relationship with God, I guess I’m not an excessively religious man. I am first and foremost a man of logic. However, I am a supporter of a monocultural Christian Europe.’

The terrorist also candidly admits he finds no support within either the Catholic or Protestant churches for his violent ideas.” Read more.


ABC News: Norway shooter considered WMD, jihadi alliance – “The man suspected of killing more than 90 people in a bombing and separate shooting spree in Norway had considered a plan to obtain a weapon of mass destruction through a truce with extreme Islamists, despite his online anti-Muslim rants. ‘We both share one common goal. They want control over their own countries in the Middle East and we want control of our own countries in Western Europe,’ reads part of a 1,500-page manifesto reportedly posted online by Anders Behring Breivik, apparently identifying himself with other right wing extremists. ‘An Islamic Caliphate is a useful enemy to all Europeans as it will ensure European unity under Christian cultural conservative leadership.’ The manifesto said it would be possible to obtain ‘one million USD worth of anthrax” and describes the necessary steps to convince Islamic terrorist groups to cooperate.'” Read more.

Norway suspect modeled his writings after Unabomber manifesto – “Anders Behring Breivik, the chief suspect in Friday’s twin terrorist attacks in Norway, copied passages from infamous American Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski’s manifesto and used them in his own writings, according to a Norwegian website that publishes political commentary, analysis and essays.  Hans Rustad, editor of the website Document.no, writes that Breivik’s 1,500-page political manifesto, titled ‘A European Declaration of Independence’ and posted on the website (link in Norwegian) along with other writings by Breivik, copied some of Kaczynski’s document almost verbatim.” Read more.

Police: We dramatically overcounted the number of people slain in Utoya – “Police announced Monday that they had dramatically overcounted the number of people slain in a shooting spree at a political youth group’s island retreat and were lowering the confirmed death toll from 86 to 68. The overall toll in the attack now stands at 76 instead of 93 – still one of the worst modern mass murders in peacetime. Police spokesman Oystein Maeland said that higher, erroneous figure emerged as police and rescuers were focusing on helping survivors and securing the area, but he did not immediately explain more about how the overcounting occurred.” Read more.

Maryland-Virginia: Alarming ‘Dead Zone’ Grows in the Chesapeake

07/25/2011 Leave a comment

By Darryl Fears – “A giant underwater “dead zone” in the Chesapeake Bay is growing at an alarming rate because of unusually high nutrient pollution levels this year, according to Virginia and Maryland officials. They said the expanding area of oxygen-starved water is on track to become the bay’s largest ever.

This year’s Chesapeake Bay dead zone covers a third of the bay, stretching from the Baltimore Harbor to the bay’s mid-channel region in the Potomac River, about 83 miles, when it was last measured in late June. It has since expanded beyond the Potomac into Virginia, officials said.

Especially heavy flows of tainted water from the Susquehanna River brought as much nutrient pollution into the bay by May as normally comes in an entire average year, a Maryland Department of Natural Resources researcher said. As a result, ‘in Maryland we saw the worst June’ ever for nutrient pollution, said Bruce Michael, director of the DNR’s resource assessment service.

That’s bad news for biologists who monitor the bay and horrible news for oysters and fish. Dead zones suck out oxygen from deep waters and kill any marine life that can’t get out of the way.” Read more.

Turkish Prime Minister: No Normalization With Israel Without Apology, End of Gaza Blockade

07/24/2011 Leave a comment

Don’t give in to this mad man …

By Barak Ravid – “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that his country will not normalize its relations with Israel as long as Israel does not apologize for the killing of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists during the takeover of the Mavi Marmara ship last year.

Erdogan, who spoke at the “Palestinian Ambassadors’ Conference” in Istanbul, added Israel should compensate the families of those killed and end the blockade of the Gaza Strip. ‘No belief can make killing innocent people legitimate,’ Erdogan said. ‘I salute the Palestinians, and those who are dedicated to the Palestinian cause. I remember the nine martyrs who were killed by Israeli soldiers in May 2009, and I hope God will have mercy on their souls.'” Read more.

UN report: Israel’s blockade of Gaza legal, does not have to apologize to Turkey – “The UN committee investigating the events of last May’s Gaza flotilla, headed by former Prime Minister of New Zealand Geoffrey Palmer, convened Wednesday in New York to conclude the report.

According to a political source in Jerusalem, the final findings of the Palmer Report show that the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza is legal and is in accordance with international law.

The report also sharply criticizes the Turkish government’s behavior in its dealings with the committee. Palmer, an expert on international maritime law, added in the report that Israel’s Turkel commission that investigated the events was professional, independent and unbiased.

His findings on the Turkish committee were less favorable, with Palmer concluding that the Turkish investigation was politically influenced and its work was not professional or independent.” Read more.

Flashback:

Categories: Radical Islam

One Week After Norway Announces Backing Palestinian Bid for UN Recognition, Israel May Have To Call Off Oslo Accords

07/24/2011 Leave a comment

July 17, Reuters – “Norway, host of the 1993 Palestinian-Israeli peace accords, said on Monday it was ‘perfectly legitimate’ for Palestinians to take their case for statehood to the United Nations for voting in September.

‘We will consider very carefully the proposed text that’s to be put forward by the Palestinians in the coming weeks,’ said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas beside him at a press conference.

‘Norway believes it is perfectly legitimate for the Palestinian president to turn to the United Nations with such proposals,’ Stoere said, adding that continued negotiations with Israel will be required in any case.

The United States and Israel have opposed Abbas’ plan, backed by the Arab League, to bring the Palestinians’ long quest for statehood to a vote in New York.

Abbas said on Monday the plan was still on.

‘We will seek to go to the UN next September in order to obtain membership for the state of Palestine,’ he said.” Read more.

Israel looking into calling off Oslo Accords in response to Palestinian UN bid – “A team headed by National Security Adviser Ya’akov Amidror is looking into calling off the Oslo Accords in response to the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral plan to gain United Nations recognition for an independent state. The Prime Minister’s Bureau confirmed yesterday only that the NSC was discussing many alternatives ahead of September, and would be presenting them to the political echelon for a decision when it was done.” Read more.

Melanie Phillips – Islamism in Europe

07/24/2011 Leave a comment

British journalist and author Melanie Phillips, winner of the Orwell Prize for journalism in 1996, gives an excellent breakdown of the problems inherent with Islamism and the catastrophic irrational thinking of leftist enablers and sympathizers that exists within Britain today and how political correctness is leading Britain down a path of cultural destruction

Melanie Philips – “I’m going to speak to you today specifically about Britain, which is ‘in Europe’ but very much not ‘of Europe’, and I was particularly struck by the Pew Poll which we’ve been hearing about this morning which said, among other things — which found among other things — that Britain was the least ‘Islamophobic’ of all the European nations that were studied and that Britain, nevertheless, was the country where British Muslims hated their host country the most.  And I don’t think that this is a coincidence.  I think these two things are intimately connected, and I think that what we’re looking at is an interface between the encroachment of militant Islamism in Britain, with what I would consider, should be called, ‘Britain’s cultural lobotomy.'”

Two Strong 6.2+ Earthquakes Strike East Coast of Japan in 24 Hours

07/24/2011 Leave a comment

“A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has jolted northeastern Japan in the same region that was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the earthquake hit Fukushima prefecture early Monday. It says the epicenter was at a depth of about 35 kilometers in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Japan’s Honshu island, 280 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.

A magnitude-6.4 quake struck the same area on Saturday. There were no reports of injuries or damage from either quake, and no tsunami warnings were issued.

More than 20,000 people were killed or left missing after the March 11 twin disaster in the region. Another 80,000 have been forced to evacuate their homes because of the radiation threat from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes