New Zealand: MV Rena Oil Spill Kills an Estimated 20,000 Birds, Becomes NZ’s Worst Ever Maritime Environmental Disaster

01/19/2012 Leave a comment

“An estimated 20,000 birds have now been killed by the wrecked container ship MV Rena, causing New Zealand’s worst ever maritime environmental disaster.

The wreck foundered off the Bay of Plenty coast, near Tauranga, North Island, last October, and more birds are being killed and harmed since the wreck broke up on January 8. No effort should be spared to clean up the oil and debris from the Rena as the toll on wildlife continues to rise, Forest and Bird (BirdLife in New Zealand) said this week.

‘We are deeply concerned about the effects on shorebirds, seabirds, and other marine life as oil and debris spread from the wreck,’ Forest and Bird Field Officer Al Fleming said. ‘It is vital that we continue working hard to clean up the Bay of Plenty coast and seas to minimise the damage to wildlife and the environment.’

At least 60 dead oiled birds have been collected since the beginning of last week. Overseas research suggests only around 10 per cent of all birds killed in an oil spill are ever recovered, with most sinking without trace at sea. Around a dozen oiled Little Blue Penguins have been recovered for treatment during the last week, as well as three Grey-faced Petrels and a New Zealand Dotterel. They are being cared for at the Oiled Wildlife Response Centre in Mt Maunganui, or at Massey University in Palmerston North.

Fleming said there are also concerns about the impact on wildlife of debris, particularly the translucent plastic beads that spilled from the Rena’s cargo. One bird recovering at the response centre has been seen vomiting plastic beads and birds on the beach have been spotted feeding on the beads.

‘Shorebirds, such as the threatened New Zealand Dotterel, feed on sandhoppers and fish eggs, which are also translucent and a similar size to the beads. Floating beads float also pose a threat to seabirds feeding on the water,’ he said. ‘A number of dead birds have been found on the beaches that have not been oiled. Autopsies will confirm whether they have eaten debris or died from other causes.'” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters, Mass Animal Deaths

Somalia: 3 Tonnes of Dead Fish Wash Up on Bossaso Shore, Toxic Dumping Blamed

01/19/2012 Leave a comment

“BOSSASO, Somalia Jan 19 2012 (Garowe Online) – Three tonnes of dead fish washes up on Bossaso’s shore on Tuesday, Radio Garowe reports.

Abdiwahid Mohamed Jo’ar Director General of the Ministry of Fishery in Puntland who spoke to media stated that the dead fish that washed up on Bossaso’s shore is a result of toxic dumping in Somali waters.

Mr. Jo’ar who has been very outspoken against the toxic dumping in Somali waters told reporters that authorities are investigating this matter.

Reports about piracy suggest that toxic dumping along with illegal trawling in Somali waters has led many fisherman to join piracy due to a lack of work on the coast of Somalia.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah a Mauritanian diplomat and former UN special envoy to Somalia told AFP in July 2008 that illegal fishing and waste dumping in Somali waters is a disaster for the Somalia environment.

He added, ‘I am convinced there is dumping of solid waste, chemicals and probably nuclear waste.’

Somalia has the longest coast in Africa and has huge number of commercial fish species.” Source – Garowe Online.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters, Mass Animal Deaths

Blink: USS Abraham Lincoln Sails Into Waters Off Iran After Iran Threatens to Torpedo US Carriers

01/19/2012 Leave a comment

By Barbara Starr – “(CNN) — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Arabian Sea on Thursday, Navy officials said, a likely prelude to testing Iran’s recent warning against sending a U.S. carrier through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Lincoln joins the USS Carl Vinson, already in the region, returning the U.S. Navy its standard two-carrier presence there. The carrier USS John Stennis left in the past few days and is now traveling back through the western Pacific.

The Lincoln’s arrival puts into place all the elements for a U.S. carrier to travel back into the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since recent tensions with Iran escalated.

U.S. military officials have told CNN the United States will continue its long-standing military commitment to having an aircraft carrier in the Gulf, but will not say when the transit will take place in light of security concerns about Iran.

Several weeks ago, as the Stennis left the Gulf, Iranian officials warned the United States not to send in another carrier. In recent years, the United States has kept one carrier in the Gulf and one in the North Arabian Sea for much of the time.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that the U.S. naval and military presence in the region will not change and the current level is sufficient to deal with any situation that could arise.” Read more.

Iran Threatens To Torpedo US Carriers In The Persian Gulf – “Underscoring its desire to keep U.S. aircraft carriers from the Persian Gulf, a senior Iranian military commander today announced his possible plan to ambush the American fleet… Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army’s Self-Sufficiency Jihad, Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri told FARS that Iran has the finest electric diesel submarines in the world, and that while the U.S. has focused on Tehran’s ‘astonishing surface capabilities,’ it has forgotten about the underwater threat. Amiri said he plans to slip his fleet of subs onto the Persian Gulf floor and ‘fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously.’ Iran claims to have 17 Ghadir diesel electric subs in its fleet, and four have been photographed together, so the threat is not entirely without merit.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War

Egypt: ‘Child Preacher’ Calls for the Genocide of Jews; Cleric: The Battle is Coming and the Cancerous Jews Will Be Vanquished

01/19/2012 Leave a comment

More calls for genocide from the ‘religion of peace’, this time from a ‘child preacher’ giving a speech on January 14, 2012 on Al-Rahma TV in Egypt …

Hadith, Sahih Muslim, 41:6985, “The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdullah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him …”

Muhammad Osama: “Through the worship (of Allah), we shall gain victory over our enemies, strengthen our religion, and defeat the Jews. The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Judgment Day will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Muslims will kill the Jews, and the Jews will hide behind the trees and the stones, and then the trees and the stones will say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the gharqad tree will not speak because it is one of the trees of the Jews.'”

–
Not surprising. Instead of teaching love and peace this ‘religion of peace’ teaches hatred and war …

Luke 17:2, “It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.”

Egyptian Cleric Hazem Shuman: “I address them [Jews] on behalf of 85 million Egyptians, whose hearts beat with hatred for Jews … the battle is bound to come, Allah be praised. The Prophet Muhammad, whose words are divinely inspired, said: ‘Judgement Day will come when the Muslims fight the Jews.’ … Oh nation of Muhammad, Allah says to you: If you fear war with the Jews, brace yourselves for war with Allah. It is either a war with the Jews, or a war with Allah… My message to all the Jews is that the battle is bound to come and you will be vanquished. Allah has promised that you will be vanquished and that we will prevail… There is not a catastrophe in the world that is not the handiwork of Jews. These Jews are a cancer in the body of planet Earth, and if permitted, it will spread and infect the entire body. Getting rid of these Jews is a must.”

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War

Russia: Western Support for Arab Revolts May Cause a ‘Big War’, Warns Against Meddling With Iran and Syria as UN Probes Iranian Nuclear Military Drive

01/19/2012 Leave a comment

By ELLEN BARRY and MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ – “MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, warned Wednesday that outside encouragement of antigovernment uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa could lead to ‘a very big war that will cause suffering not only to countries in the region, but also to states far beyond its boundaries.’

Mr. Lavrov’s annual news conference was largely devoted to a critique of Western policies in Iran and Syria, which he said could lead to a spiral of violence…

Mr. Lavrov said foreign governments were arming ‘militants and extremists’ in Syria, and he gave a bristling response to Susan E. Rice, the American ambassador to the United Nations, who on Tuesday expressed concern about possible Russian arms shipments to Syria.

‘We don’t find it necessary to explain or justify anything,’ Mr. Lavrov said. ‘We are only trading goods with Syria that are not prohibited by international law.’

Mr. Lavrov offered a similarly grave message about the possibility of a military strike against Iran, which he said would be a ‘catastrophe.’ He said sanctions now being proposed against Tehran were ‘intended to have a smothering effect on the Iranian economy and the Iranian population, probably in the hopes of provoking discontent.'” Read more.

UN to probe ‘military angle’ to Iran nuclear drive – “A high-level IAEA delegation visiting Iran January 29-31 aims to verify if Tehran’s nuclear programme has a military dimension, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said in an interview to be published Thursday. ‘We wish to simply verify all that has a military dimension… and I simply want Iran to cooperate,’ Yukiya Amano told Financial Times Deutschland. Iran denies Western accusations of a military nuclear drive, saying its programme is geared toward peaceful ends.” Read more.

IDF Chief Gantz: We must ‘prepare for the worst’ in wake of Mideast tumult – “The world needs to ‘prepare for the worst’ in wake of the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East due to the proliferation of weaponry throughout the world and into the hands of terrorist organizations, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz warned on Wednesday. Addressing a meeting of NATO military commanders at the western military alliance in Brussels, Gantz said that the world needed to ‘strengthen moderate elements and weaken the radicals.’ ‘Only through joint work combining tough and soft power can we deter and in the long term overcome these radical elements,’ Gantz said. Earlier in the day, Gantz met with the Canadian and Italian chiefs of staff. Gantz said that NATO’s decision to establish a missile defense system throughout Europe was a demonstration of the severity non-conventional weapons pose to the world.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War Tags: ,

Associated Press Writers Can’t Figure Out Why a Well-Off Texas Muslim Who Graduated from Boarding School Joined al-Qaida

01/18/2012 Leave a comment

That lobotomy rears its ugly head again in an article by the Associated Press titled, “Why did boarding school graduate join al-Qaida?” It’s easy enough for the writers of the article to ask the question, but finding the answer must have been as complicated as interdimensional quantum rocket science. Note to the AP: When one of Moeed Abdul Salam’s Muslim companions was impressed enough with him to state that his Qur’anic recitation “was very good,” it shouldn’t really be all that difficult to figure out why a well-educated Westerner who lived and breathed the Qur’an decided to partake in the joys of jihad. Here are a few clues to whet the appetites of any aspiring investigative reporters who may be out there …

Sura 3:151, “We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve …”

Sura 4:89, “Have no unbelieving friends. Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them.”

Sura 5:51, “O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends …”

Sura 8:12b, “… terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an.”

Sura 9:14, “Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace …”

Sura 9:123, “O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you …”

By CHRIS BRUMMITT and GENE JOHNSON – “Moeed Abdul Salam didn’t descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state’s most respected universities.

But the most unlikely thing about his recruitment was his family: Two generations had spent years promoting interfaith harmony and combating Muslim stereotypes in their hometown and even on national television.

Salam rejected his relatives’ moderate faith and comfortable life, choosing instead a path that led him to work for al-Qaida. His odyssey ended late last year in a middle-of-the-night explosion in Pakistan. The 37-year-old father of four was dead after paramilitary troops stormed his apartment.

His Nov. 19 death went largely unnoticed in the U.S. and rated only limited attention in Pakistan. But the circumstances threatened to overshadow the work of an American family devoted to religious understanding…

And his mysterious evolution presented a reminder of the attraction Pakistan still holds for Islamic militants, especially well-educated Westerners whose Internet and language skills make them useful converts for jihad.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War Tags:

Fact Check: Why Rick Perry is Right About Turkey

01/18/2012 2 comments

Leave it to CNN to misrepresent facts. Again. Even a left-leaning lobotomized liberal willing to take a mere cursory glance at the AKP’s Erdogan or even Turkish history in general would, with whatever remaining fragment of logic and reason they still possessed, have easily concluded that Rick Perry was much closer to the truth than they’d otherwise be willing to admit. But then again, when the integrity of journalism is lobotomized by the scalpel of political correctness, no room for logic and reason remain …

By Daniel Greenfield – “Fact checkers and truth squads are the media’s latest tool for blurring the line between the editorial page and the new page. The ubiquitous fact checks are editorializing dressed up as verification. While on some occasions there are actual facts to verify, for the most part the fact checks defend a partisan liberal viewpoint on a particular issue.

So no sooner did Rick Perry suggest that Turkey had no place in NATO and that some perceive its government to be run by Islamic terrorists than the media rolled out its fact checks. In the spirit of fact checking the fact checkers, let’s have a fact check of our own.

CNN Statement: ‘Turkey is not ruled by Islamic terrorists. It is led by a party with Islamist roots, the Justice and Freedom Party, or AKP.’

Those are the facts according to CNN’s Truth Squad, which took its name from a certain book by George Orwell. But let’s look at the actual facts.

The Facts: The AKP emerged out of a series of banned Islamist political movements. CNN’s Lie Squad mentions that the AKP’s current leader of Turkey Erdogan was banned for reading an Islamic poem in public. It neglects to mention the content of the poem.

‘The minarets are our Read more…

Categories: Anything Else, Radical Islam

Nigeria: Christian Pastor Found Dead with Slit Throat in Gombe State

01/18/2012 1 comment

By Vincent Ekhoragbon – “A cleric, Pastor Yahaya Abdu of Baptist Church, Bajoga in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State, has been found dead near his house.

It was learnt that the body of the preacher was found on Sunday, with his throat slit open.

Police spokesman Ahmed Mohammed, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said there was no clue yet on the cleric’s assailants.

He said the police were investigating the matter and would make public their report on it and other recent killings in the state.

Mohammed called for calm among the residents, saying the police would end criminality in the state.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chair, Rev. Abare Kalla said he received the news with sadness, adding that he would establish what happened and how it happened.

He urged Christians to remain calm and steadfast in their prayers to God to reveal those behind the killing.” Source – The Nation.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War Tags:

‘Startling’: Up to 6.7 Million Bats Now Dead of ‘White-Nose’ Fungus in Canada and the United States

01/18/2012 1 comment

“U.S. scientists are estimating that between 5.7 million and 6.7 million bats in Canada and the United States have succumbed to white-nose syndrome, a fungus spreading in eastern North America.

The mortality figures were released Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

‘White-nose syndrome has spread quickly through bat populations in eastern North America, and has caused significant mortality in many colonies,’ said Dr. Jeremy Coleman, co-ordinator of the U.S white-nose syndrome program. ‘Many bats were lost before we were able to establish pre-white-nose syndrome population estimates.’

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe said the ‘startling ‘ figures illustrate the severity of the threat facing the animals.

‘Bats provide tremendous value to the U.S. economy as natural pest control for American farms and forests every year, while playing an essential role in helping to control insects that can spread disease to people,’ Ashe said.

White-nose syndrome was first detected in a cave west of Albany, N.Y., in 2006. It has since spread to 16 states, along with Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Scientists expect the disease will continue to spread to other regions.

Bats with the syndrome exhibit unusual behavior during cold winter months, including flying outside during the day and clustering near the entrances of caves and mines where they hibernate. The disease is named for the white patches that appear on the muzzles and other body parts of hibernating bats.

Advocates says action is needed to protect bats.

‘Today’s new mortality estimates are a wake-up call that we need to do more, and fast,’ said Mollie Matteson with the Center for Biological Diversity.” Source – CBC.ca.

Categories: Mass Animal Deaths, Pestilence

Nigeria: Christians Told to ‘Leave, Convert or Die’ as Nation’s Leader Says Protecting Christians Against Religious Cleansing Now Nearly Impossible

01/18/2012 3 comments

And I guess it would be when you’re own top “security” officer is unable — or unwilling — to keep Islamist killers locked up …

By Charlie Butts – “Another religious persecution watchdog group is drawing attention to the dangerous situation in Nigeria.

There has been a spike in violence against Christians in Nigeria and a terrorist group called Boko Haram is taking credit. International Christian Concern spokesman Jonathan Racho points out that more than 80 Christians have been martyred in the north in the past few weeks.

‘The Christian leaders in Nigeria are expressing their concern that these killings could amount to religious cleansing,’ says Racho. ‘They are calling for help. They are calling for prayers.’

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concern in a recent statement that it is nearly impossible to protect Christians.

‘He said there are people within this government branch who sympathize with Boko Haram — Islamic radicals — and he was talking about how the situation is really complicated because of that,’ says the ICC spokesman. ‘You have a situation where the government is divided now.’

President Jonathan is Christian — and while the south is predominantly Christian, the north is mostly Muslim. Boko Haram has set a deadline for Christians in the north to leave that part of the country, convert to Islam, or die.

International Christian Concern says the potential danger to Christians is so serious that perhaps Nigeria should seek outside assistance and expertise in order to prevent genocide.” Source – One News Now.

Top Nigerian cop suspended over suspected sect member escape – “Nigerian authorities on Tuesday suspended a top police officer for alleged negligence in the escape of a suspected member of the Islamist Boko Haram sect arrested over a deadly Christmas bomb attack. The principal suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, who was arrested on Saturday, was handed over to a police commissioner for further investigation. He was then ordered to be taken to Abaji, near Abuja, for further investigation, police said in a statement. ‘In the course of undertaking this important procedure, the policemen on escorts with the suspect were attacked by the suspected sect gang members and in the process the suspect was freed,’ it said. ‘The police view this development as a serious negligence on the part of the commissioner of police and have since queried and suspended him from duty,’ it added.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam, Wars and Rumors of War Tags:

The Earth Groans: Strange, Unexplained Sounds in Conklin, Alberta 01/12/2012

01/17/2012 14 comments

Here’s another one to file under the weird and wacky reports of strange and unexplained “earth sounds”. The first video appears to have taken place just this past week in Conklin, Alberta Canada.  The second video is an August 2011 compilation of odd sounds that have been recorded around the globe prior to August of last year.

Update: Added third video purporting to contain recordings made during the first two weeks of January 2012 (unconfirmed) …

Categories: Anything Else

Sudan: Former Prime Minister Accused of Blasphemy After Proposing Women Be Allowed to Lead Prayers in Mosques

01/17/2012 Leave a comment

Don’t be surprised. According to Islam’s prophet, women are little more than a man’s possession imparted by Allah with only half the intelligence of her owner-husband. Which is probably why the word of a woman is only worth half that of the superior sex. And why a female receives only half the inheritance that a male receives. Such intellectual and social deficiencies must therefore mean that it’ll be twice as hard for a woman to earn her way into Mohammed’s Paradise, which would explain why Mohammed said that a majority of the occupants in Hell were women …

By REEM ABBAS – “A leading Sudanese opposition figure is under heavy criticism for proposing that women be allowed to lead prayers in mosques.

Sadiq Al-Mahdi, who is a former prime minister in the government, has also been pushing for the abolition of the niqab, the female face veils, as a way of ‘freeing’ Muslim women in Sudan.

Currently, Al-Mahdi leads one of the country’s major opposition parties, the Umma Party.

Reacting to the proposals, the Sharī’a Association of Scholars and Preachers of Sudan denounced the comments as ‘blasphemy’ and demanded the opposition leader atone or face trial.

The association is charged with the responsibility of defending Islam, a religion that has strict guidelines for women, especially on dressing.

In recent years, another opposition leader who is a popular Islamic theologian in the Northern African country, Hassan Al-Turabi, was declared an apostate after making statements about women’s rights in Islam.

Al-Turabi who leads the Islamist-centred Popular Congress Party (PCP) also said that Muslim women can marry Christian and Jewish men as they are ‘men of the Book’ and that women could lead prayers in mosques and should have equal rights with men.” Source – Africa Review.

Categories: Anything Else, Radical Islam