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Solar Flare Activity Prompting NASA to Convene a News Briefing Thursday in Washington
“Increasing solar activity and the threat that coronal mass ejections (CME) pose to Earth has prompted NASA to convene a news briefing at its Headquarter building in Washington on Thursday afternoon.
Thursday’s briefing has been arranged, space agency officials say, in light of new information coming from NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), spacecraft and other NASA probes. The briefing will feature new details about the structure of solar storms and the impact they have on Earth.
The briefing panellists are Madhulika Guhathakurta, STEREO program scientist; Craig DeForest, staff scientist, Southwest Research Institute, David Webb, research physicist, Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College; and Alysha Reinard, research scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado.
The briefing will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at 2:00 PM EDT (7:00 PM GMT).
A massive solar flare, the largest recorded in four years, occurred last Tuesday prompting fears the blast could result in some disruption to Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) or communication signals around the world.” Read More.
Sun unleashes largest solar flare in five years, sending 10billion ton storm cloud hurtling through space at 5million mph – “The sun unleashed an unusually powerful solar flare yesterday, the largest in nearly five years. The eruption launched a ten billion ton storm cloud hurtling through space at five million miles per hour. Scientists said the event took place on the side of the sun that was not facing Earth, so there will be little impact to satellites and communication systems. Joe Kunches at the U.S. government’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado said there were reports of brief short-wave radio disruptions in Asia, but little else… Scientists have warned that solar storms could have ‘devastating effects’ on human technology when they hit a peak in two years’ time.” Read more.
Kentucky: Mystery Illness Sickens Hundreds at 2011 Bluegrass State Clogging Championships in Morehead
By Andy Cunningham – “They came to Kentucky to compete in a clogging competition. However, hundreds of people went back home with a mysterious illness.
People from five different states reported getting sick after attending the competition in Morehead this past weekend.
Health officials are now trying to figure out why.
‘The calls started coming in Monday morning,’ said Bobby Ratliff.
Ratliff is the Gateway District Public Health Director. He says the phones have been ringing off the hook ever since.
‘We are trying to work with folks in all of these states, and still try to identify what happened here,’ he said.
A dozen squads were entered in the 2011 Bluegrass State Clogging Championships in Morehead, including squads from Winchester and Owingsville.
The mystery illness apparently spread through the field of competitors, their parents, instructors and staff members.
‘The first 24 hours, folks are experiencing fever, headache, diarrhea, and vomiting,’ Ratliff said.
The doors at Studio One School of dance in Winchester remained closed due to the unidentified illness. A sign on the door says, ‘Everyone is sick and that is not an exaggeration.'” Read more.
Japan: Fukushima Disaster is the Worst Catastrophe in Human History, 20 Times More Radiation Than Chernobyl Leaked and Continues Unabated
“The Japan nuclear disaster is the worst catastrophe in the history of mankind, but little is discussed about documented radioactive impacts to U.S. air, water, and food. A U.S. nuclear engineer calculated that Fukushima meltdowns could release as much as 20 times more radiation than Chernobyl. Still, EPA limited meaningful testing and the media pays little attention. Most states aren’t testing. Others attempt to minimize risk.
Radiation leaked unabated since March 12, 2011. Radiation continues to spew into the air and ocean from Fukushima with no end in sight. A Japanese nuclear engineer admitted meltdown began hours after the disaster started and the situation hasn’t been contained. Three Fukushima nuclear reactors melted down and could emit radiation uncontrolled for another year or longer. A fission event and fire also occurred in fuel pool #4.
Jet stream air currents flowing across the Pacific Ocean from Japan resulted in the U.S. receiving a steady flow of radiation. One week after the disaster, radiation was found in California rainwater. April 6, 2011 rainwater samples showed an 18,100 percent increase above federal standards. Radiation was found in Pennsylvania rainwater 181 times normal limits.
U.S. labs detected radiation from Fukushima in our air, precipitation, milk, drinking water, fruits, and vegetables. Airborne radioactive particles were detected in U.S. soil. Broad-leaf vegetables including spinach and kale are accumulating radiation from rain and dust. In California, spinach, arugula, wild-harvested mushrooms, and strawberries tested positive for cesium 134 and 137. Comprehensive testing of imports is imperative. Even tea and cows in Japan are highly radioactive.
When radiation is in milk, the entire food supply is at risk. One month after Japan’s nuclear disaster started, radiation showed up in California milk. Milk sold in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Arizona, Arkansas, Vermont and Washington also tested positive for radiation. In Hawaii, it was detected 2,033 percent above drinking water safety limits.
Drinking water in some U.S. municipalities shows radioactive contamination from Japan’s fallout. Philadelphia drinking water had the highest radiation levels (reported April 10, 2011). Hardly surprising, since Philadelphia is only about 20 miles downstream from Limerick Nuclear Plant’s continuous radioactive wastewater discharges into the Schuylkill River, 365 days a year.” Read more.
Cameroon: Cholera Epidemic Kills Nearly 500 People So Far Since Early August
“MAROUA, CAMEROON (BNO NEWS) — A major cholera epidemic in parts of Cameroon has already claimed nearly 500 lives so far this month while more than 13,000 others have been sickened this year, CNN reported on Wednesday.
Public health officials said more than 50 people have died so far in August in the Far North region alone, the hardest-hit area. Residents in the Logone and Chari divisions of the region told CNN that the majority of people infected with the disease are children under the age of five and women.
Prof. Gervais Ondobo Andze, the director of disease control at the Ministry of Public Health, told journalists on Monday that nine of the country’s 10 regions are affected by cholera, an intestinal infection caused by ingestion of bacteria-contaminated food or water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80 percent of cases can be cured by rehydrating the patient.
In Maroua, the capital of the Far North region, 1,380 cases of cholera have been reported so far this year, according to officials. Dr. Valentine Ndikum, a senior public health official, said the number could double in the coming days due to poor sanitary and hygienic conditions because of what he said was a slow government response.” Read more.
Indonesia: Mount Lokon Erupts Again
“MANADO, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) — Indonesia’s Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, erupted again on Wednesday, local authorities said.
Farid Ruskanda Bina, the Mount Lokon and Mahawu Kakaskaben monitoring post chief, said Mount Lokon began to spew volcanic ash at around 1.25 p.m. local time. Ash fell as far away as the Kinilow I village and the Tinoor areas in North Tomohon sub district, which is a short distance from Lokon’s crater.
Mount Lokon’s activity had been quickly increasing since Tuesday as more tremors were being detected, the Antara news agency reported. The monitoring post recorded 25 tremors from 1 to 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
Since June, Mount Lokon has shown constant volcanic activity, prompting authorities to raise its status to alert on June 27 and watch on July 10. A series of eruptions in mid July forced at least 5,269 locals from the villages of Kinilow, Kelurahan Kinilow I and Kakaskasen 1 to evacuate the area.
While most residents returned to their homes later that month, some 222 people remain at temporary refugee camps because their homes are in Mound Lokon’s red zone – 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from its crater. After July’s activity, Mount Lokon’s alert level was lowered from watchful to alert, and has remained at this level since.” Read more.
Pakistan: At Least 33 Killed in 24 Hours of Violence in Karachi
By Reza Sayah – “Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — A former federal lawmaker is among at least 33 people killed in a fresh spate of violence over the past 24 hours in the Pakistani city of Karachi, police officials said Thursday.
Several gunmen opened fire on Wajid Karimdad on Wednesday night shortly after he entered a restaurant for Iftar, the traditional post-fasting meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said Karachi police official Naeem Shah.
Police suspect the gunmen targeted Karimdad, a member of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.
Most of the deaths on Wednesday night and Thursday morning were the result of drive-by shootings in Lyari and Baldia, two districts in Karachi that have been hit hard by years of ethnic and political violence.
Some of the victims were shot to death after they were kidnapped, Shah told CNN.
Officials say the killings appear to be linked to ongoing rivalries between three political parties vying for power in Pakistan largest city: the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the Awami National Party (ANP), and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The PPP, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, views Karachi as a crucial political battleground, but politics in Pakistan’s economic hub are dominated by the MQM, which represents ‘muhajirs,’ descendants of immigrants from India decades ago.” Read more.
Israel: At Least Seven Killed After Series of Terrorist Attacks Near Eliat, ‘IDF Will Hunt Down Perpetrators’
“Seven people were killed and at least 26 people were wounded Thursday in a series of terrorist attacks on Israeli targets approximately 20 kilometers north of the southern city of Eilat, close to the border with Egypt.
The first attack, at around 12 P.M., was a drive-by shooting targeting Egged bus 392 traveling from Be’er Sheva to Eilat, near the Netafim junction.
Shortly afterward, IDF forces rushed to the scene and were faced with several explosive devices that were detonated alongside an IDF vehicle.
At approximately 12:35, a mortar was fired from Egypt to Israel. No casualties were reported.
At 1:10 P.M., a terrorist cell fired an anti-tank missile at a private vehicle, wounding seven.
Minutes later, another cell fired an anti-tank missile at a private vehicle, killing six.
The IDF Spokesman reported that two to four terrorists were killed during the clashes.” Read more.
Barak: IDF will hunt down perpetrators of Eilat attack – “The IDF will hunt down the perpetrators of a three-stage terrorist attack along Israel’s border with Egypt, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday. Barak said that Israel will strike back at the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza in response to the attacks. Speaking from his office at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, the defense minister added that the IDF was assessing the security situation along the border with Egypt.” Read more.
‘Eilat bus ambush unlikely to have come from Egypt’ – “Egyptian security sources said on Thursday that a bus ambush north of Eilat was unlikely to have come from Egyptian territory. Security patrols on the Egyptian-Israeli border had not picked up on ‘suspicious movements’ on the Egyptian side, a source said, adding that security had been heightened on the border after news of the attack. The comments came after a three-stage terrorist attack along Israel’s border with Egypt took place late Thursday morning, when terrorists opened fire at an Egged bus traveling on Road 12 near Eilat.” Read more.
Real Leadership: Netanyahu Will NOT Apologize to Turkey Over Flotilla Incident, Palmer Report To Be Released August 22
“Israel will stick to its refusal to apologize to Turkey for killing nine of its citizens aboard a Gaza-bound ship, an official said on Wednesday, dampening any prospects for reconciliation between the former allies.
The decision, which the official said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu conveyed to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a telephone call, was made days before the publication of the findings of a UN inquiry into the seizure of the Mavi Marmara last year.
The so-called Palmer report was repeatedly delayed to allow for Israeli-Turkish rapprochement talks amid concern in Washington at the rift between two countries that had been strategic partners in an increasingly stormy Middle East.
Officials, citing advance copies of the report, have said it would vindicate Israel’s blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Turkey, which like Israel had a delegate on the UN panel headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, has said it would not accept such a finding.
The Mavi Marmara was part of an activist flotilla bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza when it was boarded by Israeli marines on the Mediterranean high seas on May 31, 2010. The marines shot dead nine Turks, including a dual US citizen, during fierce deck brawls.
Netanyahu voiced regret over the killings. But Turkey insisted on a formal apology and compensation for those bereaved and injured, which Israel initially rejected as tantamount to admitting culpability for an action it deems self-defense.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday it would be impossible for Turkish-Israeli ties to improve unless Jerusalem apologized and paid compensation for the killing of nine Turks.” Read more.
Flashback: Turkish Prime Minister: No Normalization With Israel Without Apology, End of Gaza Blockade – “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.” Read more.
Gaza and the West Bank: Palestinian Authority Teaches 5-Year-Olds to Die for Allah
By Maayana Miskin – “A Palestinian Authority kindergarten showed off what its young students had learned over the past year by having the five-year-olds act out scenes of terror and death for their families. The parents were moved to tears upon seeing their children pretend to die as ‘martyrs,’ Palestinian Media Watch reported reported.
During the graduation ceremony two plays were performed – one based on ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ the second, ‘The Martyr’s Wedding,’ a story glorifying death in battle with Israel for the sake of Islam.
‘Another performance named ‘The Martyr’s Wedding’ delighted the audience due to the role-play of the children, whose acting depicted the reality of roadblocks, children, occupation, soldiers, and the children’s death as Martyrs,’ wrote the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, in a report picked up and translated by Palestinian Media Watch.” Read more.
Nigeria: More Christians Hacked and Butchered to Death by Muslim Rioters
“After a recent lull, there has been a fresh outbreak of violence in Nigeria which has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 Christians.
Last week Plateau State, of which Jos is the capital, was subjected to a series of attacks. After allegations of an animal theft, Ferom was attacked twice on 4 August with eight members of one family killed in the first attack and a further three people killed in the second. On 14th August, Muslim rioters took to the streets in north Jos and killed three Christians by machetes. The Residents of Jwol community reported an attack on Friday in which one person was killed. There was another slaughter at Hiepand leaving at least 8 dead, some with gunshot wounds.
Residents claim that the police and army were complicit in these attacks and produced a helmet, a blood-stained military belt, cartridge cases, and 5 military identity cards in evidence…
Islam spread into Nigeria from the north from the late middle ages. The north is now predominantly Muslim, while the south of Nigeria is predominantly Christian. Many fear that these attacks demonstrate a renewed effort by some Muslim extremists to make Islam the dominant religion throughout Nigeria.” Read more.
Canada: ‘Humble’ and ‘Well Respected’ Islamic Leader of Scarborough Mosque Charged With String of Sex assaults
By Chloé Fedio and Curtis Rush – “Members of a Scarborough mosque have expressed shock and disbelief that their ‘nice’ and ‘humble’ religious leader has been charged with a string of sexual assaults.
Mohammad Masroor, the imam at the Baitul Mukarram Islamic Society on Danforth Ave., faces 13 charges involving sexual offences and death threats relating to five alleged victims.
Police said Masroor, 48, travelled the world before settling in Toronto in 2008, and believe there could be more victims, here and abroad.
Abdur Rouf Tarafdar was one of more than a dozen people who vouched for Masroor’s pious character as he left afternoon prayer on Wednesday.
‘I know him. Behind him I pray,’ he said.
Abdul Fattah Aboud, an imam at the Baitul Aman Masjid mosque a few blocks away, said the father of five used to wave as he passed by on his way to prayer.
‘Is it possible? Someone like him?’ he said. ‘He’s a very well respected person in the community.'” Read more.
Flashback: UK Epidemic – Muslim Taxi Drivers Raping British Girls & Women – “Recently a BBC announcer was sacked/fired for requesting a ‘non Asian taxi driver’ to transport her young unaccompanied 14 year old daughter. (Out of concern for her daughter’s fears/mental well being & safety) Of course, the ‘racist’ club was trotted out by the mainstream media and others to verbally bludgeon Sam Mason for having the audacity to demand an ‘English driver’. But was Sam Mason really exposing her racism or was she reacting, as any mother would, to the facts that there is a ongoing epidemic of muslim taxi driver rapes in the UK? (Note: the media prefers the more vague term ‘Asian’)” Read more.
Flashback: Norwegian Authorities Covering Up Muslim Rapes; Rapist: Women Have No Rights or Opinions in Islam – “There has been a spike in the number of rape charges in Scandinavia in recent years. It has reached near epidemic proportions in Sweden… This trend is not exclusive to Scandinavia. It is the same all over Western Europe wherever we find significant numbers of Muslim immigrants. In fact, the number of rapes committed by Muslim immigrants in Western nations is so extremely high that it is difficult to view them only as random acts of individuals. It resembles warfare. German journalist Gudrun Eussner considers this to be ‘sexuality as a weapon against disobedient and non-Muslim women, both categorized as ‘unbelievers’. Against them jihad is the duty, and what to do with women ‘conquered’ in jihad, this may be read in the Qur’an: they become slaves to be used by the victors.’” Read more.
Cracked Fukushima: Radioactive Steam Escapes Danger Zone
“Workers at Japan’s Fukushima plant say the ground under the facility is cracking and radioactive steam is escaping through the cracks. The cooling system at the plant failed after the devastating tsunami hit Japan in March, sparking a nuclear crisis. But new evidence suggests that Fukushima reactors were doomed to cripple even before the massive wave reached them. RT’s Anissa Naouai talks to Dr. Robert Jacobs, a Professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute.”
Flashback: Michio Kaku – ‘This Could be the World’s Record Holder for an Industrial Accident’ – “Physicist Michio Kaku on Fukushima: ‘If they have another aftershock … the accident could start all over again … In the last two weeks, everything we knew about that accident has been turned upside down. We were told three partial meltdowns, ‘don’t worry about it.’ Now we know it was 100% core-melt in all three reactors. ‘Radiation minimal that was released’. Now we know it was comparable to the radiation at Chernobyl. And as far as evacuation, ‘yeah 12 miles that’s it. You don’t have to evacuate beyond 12 miles.’ Now they find hot-spots. Four hot-spots outside the evacuation zone. 34,000 school children now have radiation badges when they go to school, down to 4 years of age! Could you imagine that, kindergarten kids with radiation badges going to school?'” Read more.




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