[with Rael's comment] Genki Sudo vs Butterbean - HD

365 views
Skip to first unread message

Selected by Rael

unread,
Dec 29, 2014, 8:48:00 PM12/29/14
to Rael Science
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is a fantastic example for all sports people of the world: Instead of reinforcing stupid nationalism by using his national flag, this Japanese fighter reminded everybody that we are one! All champions should behave like him !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Its1mz5xG5I

Genki Sudo vs Butterbean - HD

Published on Sep 11, 2012

K-1 Premium Dynamite! 2003

12-31-2003


Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Its1mz5xG5I




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews, anti-Semites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jan 20, 2015, 11:06:34 AM1/20/15
to Rael Science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: It's time to replace capitalism with Paradism.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30875633


19 January 2015 Last updated at 07:52 ET

Richest 1% to own more than rest of world, Oxfam says

Are you in 'club 1%'? The BBC examines what you need

The wealthiest 1% will soon own more than the rest of the world's population, according to a study by anti-poverty charity Oxfam.

The charity's research shows that the share of the world's wealth owned by the richest 1% increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% last year.

On current trends, Oxfam says it expects the wealthiest 1% to own more than 50% of the world's wealth by 2016.

The research coincides with the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The annual gathering attracts top political and business leaders from around the world.

Oxfam's executive director Winnie Byanyima, who will co-chair the Davos event, said she would use the charity's high-profile role at the forum to demand urgent action to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

In a statement ahead of the gathering, Ms Byanyima said the scale of global inequality was "simply staggering".

Global wealth

48%

owned by richest 1% in 2014

54%

owned by richest 1% by 2020

  • $1.9tn wealth of 80 top billionaires - equal to bottom 50% of rest of world

  • $600bn increase in wealth for 80 top billionaires in 4 years - or 50% rise

  • $750bn drop in wealth for the poorest 50% of the world in 4 years

Source: Oxfam, Credit Suisse
AFP

"It is time our leaders took on the powerful vested interests that stand in the way of a fairer and more prosperous world.

"Business as usual for the elite isn't a cost-free option - failure to tackle inequality will set the fight against poverty back decades. The poor are hurt twice by rising inequality - they get a smaller share of the economic pie and because extreme inequality hurts growth, there is less pie to be shared around," she added.

Figures in focus

Oxfam based its prediction on data from the annual Credit Suisse Global Wealth datebook, which gives the distribution of global wealth going back to 2000. It uses the value of an individual's financial and non-financial assets, mainly property and land, minus their debts to determine what individuals "own".

The data excludes wages or income.

The BBC's head of statistics, Anthony Reuben, said in order to be part of the wealthiest 1% of the world's population, an individual would need to be worth just over half a million pounds.

"So it is not necessarily talking about people who own yachts and ski chalets. Owning an average house in London (without a mortgage) would just about put you in the 1%. "

He also noted that Oxfam had chosen to use figures which showed the disparity between the 1% and the rest of the world in the worst light.

"From 2000 until 2009, the proportion of wealth held by the wealthiest 1% fell every year. From 2010 until 2014 it rose every year. Oxfam has taken the figures since 2010 and used them to extrapolate what will happen in the coming years. Clearly, that is the methodology that will make inequality look the most severe," he added.

Rich getting richer

Oxfam is calling on governments to adopt a seven-point plan to tackle inequality, including a clampdown on tax evasion by companies and the move towards a living wage for all workers.

Oxfam made headlines at Davos last year with the revelation that the 85 richest people on the planet have the same wealth as the poorest 50% (3.5 billion people).

It said that that comparison had now become even more stark, with the 80 richest people having the same wealth as the poorest 50%.

line
Analysis: Robert Peston, BBC Economics editor

To be clear, Oxfam's claim today that by 2016 the richest 1% could own as much or the same as the bottom 99% is not wildly implausible.

There are all sorts of reasons why such increases in inequality are troubling, and not just for those at the bottom of the income and wealth pyramid.

One is that aspirational people on lower incomes have massive incentives to take on too-great debts to support their living standards - which exacerbates the propensity of the economy to swing from boom to financial-crisis bust.

Another is that the poor in aggregate spend more than the rich (there are only so many motor cars and yachts a billionaire can own, so much of the super-rich's wealth sits idle. as it were), and therefore growth tends to be faster when income is more evenly distributed.

Robert Peston: Why extreme inequality hurts the rich

line

The charity said the research, published on Monday, showed that 52% of global wealth not owned by the richest 1% is owned by those in the richest 20%.

The remaining population accounts for just 5.5% of global wealth, and their average wealth was $3,851 (£2,544) per adult in 2014, Oxfam found.

That compares with an average wealth of $2.7m per adult for the elite 1%.

The study comes just a day before US President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, in which he is expected to call for tax increases on the wealthy to help the middle class.

In October, a report from banking giant Credit Suisse also said that the richest 1% of people own nearly half of the world's wealth.

Increase in wealth of richest 10 billionaires (ranked 2013)

Billionaire Wealth in 2013 ($bn) Wealth in 2014 ($bn) Increase Nationality

Source: Oxfam, Forbes

Warren Buffet

Warren Buffett

53.5

58.2

9%

US

Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg

27.0

33.0

22%

US

Carl Icahn

Carl Icahn

20.0

24.5

23%

US

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud

20.0

20.4

2%

Saudi Arabia

George Soros

George Soros

19.2

23.0

20%

US

Joseph Safra

15.9

16.0

1%

Brazil

Luis Carlos Sarmiento

Luis Carlos Sarmiento

13.9

14.2

2%

Colombia

Mikhail Prokhorov

Mikhail Prokhorov

13.0

10.9

-16%

Russia

Alexey Mordashov

Alexey Mordashov

12.8

10.5

-18%

Russia

Abigail Johnson

12.7

17.3

36%

US

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jan 20, 2015, 10:25:22 PM1/20/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: The case of Dieudonné is a perfect example of how freedom of expression is attacked under the disguise of antiterrorism laws. Saying "I am Charlie Coulibaly" is not at all an apology for terrorism but quite the contrary. By saying that, Dieudonné  showed that he is denied freedom of expression by the very government that claims to protect it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/france-faces-litmus-test-freedom-expression-dozens-arrested-wake-attacks-2015-01-16

16 January 2015

France faces ‘litmus test’ for freedom of expression as dozens arrested in wake of attacks

Dozens of arrests appear to be on the basis of
                    statements made in the aftermath of the deadly
                    attacks in Paris on 7 and 9 January.

Dozens of arrests appear to be on the basis of statements made in the aftermath of the deadly attacks in Paris on 7 and 9 January.

© Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images


In a week in which world leaders and millions around the world have spoken out in defence of freedom of expression, the French authorities must be careful not to violate this right themselves. How the French authorities act in the aftermath of the horrific killings is the litmus test for its commitment to human rights for all.
John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International
Freedom of expression does not have favourites. Now is not the time for knee-jerk prosecutions, but measured responses that protect lives and respect the rights of all.
John Dalhuisen

 

A string of at least 69 arrests in France this week on the vague charge of “defending terrorism” (“l’apologie du terrorisme”) risks violating freedom of expression, Amnesty International said. 

All the arrests appear to be on the basis of statements made in the aftermath of the deadly attacks against the magazine Charlie Hebdo, a kosher supermarket and security forces in Paris on 7 and 9 January. 

“In a week in which world leaders and millions around the world have spoken out in defence of freedom of expression, the French authorities must be careful not to violate this right themselves,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International. 

“How the French authorities act in the aftermath of the horrific killings is the litmus test for its commitment to human rights for all.” 

The arrests and prosecutions are the first to be carried out under the new November 2014 counterterrorism law. They are based on a criminal code article under which “inciting” or “defending” terrorism carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of EUR 45,000, and up to seven years and a EUR 100,000 fine if it involved posting something online. 

While “incitement” and “defence of terrorism” were already offences in France, the November 2014 law moved them from the press law to the criminal code. This means the process can be fast-tracked by the authorities, which has happened in several of this week’s cases. 

Besides the highly publicized case of comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, examples of cases include a man shouting in the street “I am proud to be a Muslim, I do not like Charlie, they were right to do that”, as well as an intoxicated man who, upon his arrest for drunk driving, allegedly told the police “there should be more Kouachi; I hope you will be next.” 

Another case involves a 21-year-old who was caught without a ticket on a tram, and subsequently sentenced to 10 months in prison for allegedly saying, “The Kouachi brothers is just the beginning; I should have been with them to kill more people.” 

A number of cases have already been prosecuted and led to convictions under an expedited procedure.

The arrests, investigations and convictions follow a circular issued on Monday 12 January in which Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira instructed prosecutors that “words or wrongdoing, hatred or contempt, uttered or committed against someone because of their religion must be fought and pursued with great vigour”. 

Governments have an obligation under international human rights law to prohibit advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. But vaguely-defined offences such as “defence of terrorism” risk criminalizing statements or other forms of expression which, while undoubtedly offensive to many, fall well short of inciting others to violence or discrimination. 

International treaties on the prevention of terrorism require criminalization of incitement to commit a terrorist offence. However, there is a risk that notions such as "defence of terrorism” will be used to criminalize statements made without the necessary element of intent and the direct and immediate likelihood that they would prompt such violence. 

Some of the recently reported cases in France may cross the high threshold of expression that can legitimately be prosecuted. Others, however offensive the statements made, do not. 

“Freedom of expression does not have favourites. Now is not the time for knee-jerk prosecutions, but measured responses that protect lives and respect the rights of all,” said John Dalhuisen.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jan 23, 2015, 12:58:57 PM1/23/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is confirmation of what the Elohim told me directly on  August 6: that  humanity has only a 1 % chance to survive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/225343-doomsday-clock-moved-forward/

Clock’s ticking: Humanity ‘2 minutes’ closer to its doomsday

Published time: January 22, 2015 21:20
Reuters

Three minutes to midnight – with midnight being the figurative end of humanity – are left before apocalypse descends upon the planet, scientists announced on Thursday, as the minute hand of the iconic ‘Doomsday Clock’ was adjusted two minutes forward.

World leaders have failed to act with the speed or on the scale required to protect citizens from potential catastrophe,” Kennette Benedict, the executive director of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the organization behind the Doomsday Clock, announced on Thursday.

Citing climate change and nuclear tensions, the latest decision to move the minute hand closer to midnight – thus pronouncing the world closer to its doom – was traditionally made by the Bulletin's board of directors and the sponsors, including a number of Nobel laureates.

Today, unchecked climate change and a nuclear arms race resulting from modernization of huge arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity,” said Benedict, while breaking the news at an international conference in Washington.

Founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had helped to develop the first atomic weapons, the Bulletin created the Clock two years later, making midnight and countdown to zero the imagery of apocalypse and nuclear explosion. It was then seven minutes to midnight.

This time, the decision to push the Clock forwards was made with the reference to “accelerating climate change coupled with inadequate international action to greenhouse gas emission,” as well as nuclear programs in US, Russia and other countries, and “the stalled reduction of nuclear warheads in Russian and US arsenals.”

According to the Doomsday Clock, the closest the humanity has ever been to its end was in 1953 with its first test of the hydrogen bomb, when the minute hand pointed at two minutes to midnight. The most optimistic year for the planet was in 1991: as a result of the end of the Cold War, the world was 17 minutes away from apocalypse. Since then, the clock has been ticking towards the end. The previous time the minute hand was pushed one minute ahead was in 2012, from 11:54 pm to 11:55 pm.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jan 23, 2015, 1:00:29 PM1/23/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Even Buddhists can be fanatic, violent and stupid, and they can also totally betray the original message of their founder. Occidentals embracing Buddhism as a kind of fashion for its nonviolent and peaceful image  should remember this, especially those supporting the Dalai Lama (who was, in fact,  the tyrant of a theocracy before China replaced it with a non-perfect but more egalitarian society).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30928744


22 January 2015 Last updated at 00:42 ET

UN condemns Myanmar monk Wirathu's 'sexist' comments

Wirathu (C) pictured on 20 January Wirathu personally attacked the UN envoy at a rally of his supporters

The UN human rights chief has called on Myanmar to condemn a Buddhist nationalist monk for calling a UN special envoy a "bitch" and a "whore".

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Ashin Wirathu's comments amounted to "incitement to hatred".

The comments related to South Korean envoy Yanghee Lee, who was in Myanmar last week to address the plight of its Muslim minority.

Wirathu spent almost a decade in jail for inciting anti-Muslim violence.

The monk is a leader of the 969 movement, which says Myanmar should remain a Buddhist country and calls for restrictions and boycotts on Muslims.

Mr Zeid called the language "sexist" and "insulting".

"I call on religious and political leaders in Myanmar to unequivocally condemn all forms of incitement to hatred including this abhorrent public personal attack," Mr Zeid said in a statement.

'Systematic discrimination'

Since the end of military rule in Myanmar, also known as Burma, in 2011, Buddhist nationalism, largely led by monks including Wirathu, has been energised.

In 2012, scores of people died and thousands were left homeless after violence broke out between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine state, mostly from the Rohingya minority. Anti-Muslim violence has flared several times since then.

The UN says the Rohingya are being persecuted, and last week passed a resolution calling on Myanmar to give them citizenship.

UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee at a news
                conference in Yangon, Myanmar (21 Jan 2015) Yanghee Lee said displaced Rohingya were living in "abysmal" conditions in refugee camps

Ms Lee, who was on a 10-day trip to the South East Asian country, said the Rohingya faced systematic discrimination.

She criticised draft legislation, proposed by a coalition of nationalist Buddhist monks, that includes curbs on interfaith marriage and religious conversions.

Last Friday, Wirathu spoke at a public rally where he criticised the UN interference and personally attacked Ms Lee, according to local media.

"We have explained about the race protection law, but the bitch criticised the laws without studying them properly," he said from the stage to the crowd.

"Don't assume that you are a respectable person because of your position. For us, you are a whore."

In his statement, Mr Zeid said instead of focussing on people, leaders should address the substance of the concerns raised by the special envoy.

On Wednesday, Myanmar's government said it was investigating the speech.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Yangon said monks are a powerful political lobby in Myanmar.

With a general election this year the question now is which leaders will speak up and risk Wirathu and the monks turning on them, he adds.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 7, 2015, 1:39:37 AM2/7/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is wonderful!  The next step will be a clone of yourself instead of a robot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/usa/229811-mind-clones-robot-afterlife/

Living forever as robot? Prototype lets humans upload their mind into mechanized ‘heads’

Published time: February 06, 2015 04:07
Screenshot from YouTube user Bloomberg Business

Screenshot from YouTube user Bloomberg Business

An Artificial Intelligence pioneer is embracing the controversial idea of uploading the memories, thoughts and feelings of a living person into a computer to create a Mind Clone or “second self.” The prototype for this new self is called ‘Bina-48’.

Entrepreneur Martine Rothblatt has created a new robotic head that she hopes, one day in the future, humans will be able to upload their minds into. Bina-48 is named after Rothblatt’s real-life wife, Bina Aspen, and serves as a proof-of-concept for the futuristic idea. The robot version is designed to carry on a conversation, with scientists hoping that these mind clones could give human owners a sort of artificial afterlife.

“I believe Mind Clones will be humanity’s biggest invention. The market opportunity is limitless,” Rothblatt told Bloomberg News. “Ultimately – just like we all want a smart phone, we all want a social media account – we are all going to want a Mind Clone. It will make everything in our life more useful, more valuable. It will give us twice as much time to do everything.”

Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bqZp9TPYVk

Bena-48 was created five years ago as a digital replica uploaded with Bina Aspen’s thoughts, memories and feelings – all of which were broken down into computer code to create a digital version of her consciousness. Created by Hanson Robotics, Bina-48 can engage in conversation, answer questions and even have “spontaneous” thoughts that are derived from multimedia data in a “mindfile” created by the real Bina.

A similar mindfile is created when a person interacts on Twitter or Facebook and shares photos or blogs regularly – in essence, it’s a digital database of thoughts, memories, feelings and opinions. Mindware mimics the way the human brain supposedly organizes information, creates emotions and achieves self-awareness.

The proliferation of robots like Bina-48 may seem farfetched now, but Rothblatt is the woman who helped pioneered satellite radio as founder of Sirius and now oversees biotech innovation at United Therapeutics.

Mind Clone is a digital copy of your mind outside of your body,” said Rothblatt. “I think Mind Clone will look like an avatar on the screen, talking, instead of a robot version. Mind Clones are 10-20 years away.”

Am I talking about a law of physics here? Am I talking about defying gravity here? No. Am I talking about going faster than light? No. All I am doing here is talking about writing some good code.”

Companies such as eterni.me, Gordon Bell’s MyLifeBits, and Terasem’s Lifenaut are all pursuing Mind Clone to help a person’s personality, work and relationships survive after death.

Eterni.me is a proposed for-profit service that will reportedly offer immortality by creating “a virtual YOU, an avatar that emulates your personality and can interact with, and offer information and advice to your family and friends, even after you pass away.”


Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 9, 2015, 10:41:41 AM2/9/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: For bells to be ringing at night should be forbidden in every city and town. Bells may have been useful when nobody had a watch, but they are now a perfect example of stupid traditions that disturb the sleep of millions of people, who may very well not even be Christians .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/230399-austrian-sues-linz-cathedral/

Hells bells! Austrian sues Catholic Church to stop nighttime chiming

Published time: February 08, 2015 17:54

Download video
(10.95 MB)

An Austrian man worn out by the nighttime chiming of Linz’s landmark New Cathedral is suing the parish to silence the bells. His lawyers even sent letter to Pope Francis seeking the pontiff’s intervention in the legal battle.

The court hearing started on Friday. Wolfgang Lassy, a 57-year old architect, has been going through hell battling the night bell ringing of the New Cathedral - also known as Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception - for years and says he is happy “the trial has finally begun,” Austria’s Heute newspaper reports.

Lassy has been struggling to get his shut-eye because the bell rings 222 times during the night, four times every hour.

“For the last few years he’s been having problems sleeping at night and been feeling exhausted, and it’s not only influenced his personal life but also his performance at work,” his lawyer Piotr Pyka told RT.

“We respect the church and acknowledge the rights to practice one’s religion but we would also like the church to acknowledge our client and anyone else to have a peaceful sleep,” he added.

Lassy told the Krone Zeitung newspaper that he brought the property near the cathedral in 2004 and it was his “dream home.”

He started to suffer fatigue in 2010 and thought he was burnt out but a doctor diagnosed him with a sleep disorder, and the bells were the culprits. He claims the cathedral is a health hazard and wants it turned off at night - as happens at Vienna’s Stephansdom.

He is now so desperate to get a decent night’s sleep that his lawyers have written to the Pope. In a two-page letter to Pope Francis, lawyer Wolfgang List begs the pontiff “to help with this burning issue.”

“The bells in the Linz Cathedral clock tower ring every quarter of an hour at night. Between 10pm and 6am … they ring 222 times. We therefore beseech you, Holy Father, to intervene … to ensure that the human right of the people of Linz to a healthy and refreshing night’s sleep is respected and that the bells no longer chime at night,” the letter read, AFP reports.

It is not yet clear if the Pope will step in, or if worn out Wolfgang will win against Linz Cathedral Parish.

Lassy says selling his home will be a last resort and hopes his prayers will be answered.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 9, 2015, 10:43:28 AM2/9/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is not surprising at all: people who have good sex lives would never be willing to become killing machines like those in the military are. Make love, not war!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/usa/230435-pentagon-viagra-troop-support/

Pentagon dropped over $500,000 on Viagra last year

Published time: February 08, 2015 21:17
Reuters / Keith Bedford

The US Department of Defense (DoD) spent $504,816 on the popular erectile dysfunction drug in 2014, according to government contracts cited by the Washington Free Beacon.

The DoD awarded 60 contracts for the drug to Ohio-based pharmaceutical distribution company Cardinal Health Inc. In 2013, the Pentagon spent some $425,000 to supply the pills to troops, a huge lurch from the previous year, when the Department spent a meager $8,000 on the drug.

In addition to Viagra, the Pentagon also ordered $3,505 worth of Levitra and $14,540 of Cialis, both male enhancement drugs. The contracts are filed under “troop support.”

Viagra, which is covered by the military’s health insurance policy, TRICARE, was first supplied to troops in 1998. The drug became an instant hit for Pfizer when it was authorized for sale in the US a year prior.

In 1998 the drug cost from $8-10 a pill, these days however, due to inflation, the pills sell for $25 a pop. The military’s policy limits Viagra only to those soldiers in whom erectile dysfunction has been diagnosed by a doctor. Patients are also not allowed more than six pills per month, nor are lost or stolen pills to be replaced.

The Washington Free Beacon estimated that the amount of Viagra bought by the Pentagon last year could have supplied 80,770 hours, 33 minutes, and 36 seconds of sexual enhancement, assuming that erections don’t last longer than the 4 hour maximum advised by doctors.

The little blue pills had been stocked by military pharmacies until 2005, when they were temporarily dropped from TRICARE. The drug, however was reinstated in 2012.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 15, 2015, 6:02:53 PM2/15/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Of course, all white-owned land should be seized without compensation, and in all of Africa, not only in South  Africa. And even greater financial  compensation should also be imposed on ex-owners for the years of profits and exploitation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31471427

14 February 2015 Last updated at 18:58 ET

South Africa's Zuma outlines land reform plans

President Zuma gives his State of the Nation
                    speech Mr Zuma's government is under pressure to put more land in the hands of South Africa's black majority

Foreigners will be banned from owning land in South Africa under new proposals outlined by President Jacob Zuma.

Locals will have limits set on the size of their farms under the proposals.

Mr Zuma first announced them in a state of the nation speech on Thursday overshadowed by violence in parliament.

Two decades after the end of apartheid, land is still concentrated in the hands of a largely white minority, and remains a sensitive issue.

The government is under growing pressure to put more land in the hands of the country's black majority.

"Land has become one of the most critical factors in achieving redress for the wrongs of the past," said Mr Zuma, elaborating on the plans on Saturday.

"In this regard, the regulation of land holdings bill will be submitted to parliament this year."

In the future, foreigners will only be allowed to lease land, not to own it, he said, adding that local farmers would not be able to own more than 12,000 hectares.

That is presumably aimed at white farmers who still own much of the best farmland a generation after the end of racial apartheid, says the BBC's Andrew Harding in Johannesburg.

There are many reasons for the slow pace of change in the country, says our correspondent, and these new proposals will face strong legal challenges from farmers who argue that smaller plots will not be commercially viable.

But the governing African National Congress is looking for votes, and is wary of being outflanked by more radical voices calling for white-owned land to be seized without compensation, he adds.

Parliamentary brawl

On Thursday, parliament descended into chaos as leftist MPs scuffled with security during Mr Zuma's key annual speech.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Julius Malema, repeatedly interrupted Mr Zuma, demanding answers over a spending scandal.

The speaker of parliament then ordered their removal, prompting scuffles.

The EFF used President Zuma's annual State of the Nation speech to question him about a state-funded, multi-million dollar upgrade to his private residence.

The party has shaken up South African politics with a series of populist proposals to redistribute wealth.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 18, 2015, 11:33:27 AM2/18/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Russell Brand is 100% right: voting is useless; we must change the system with a world revolution.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/uk/233155-church-attacks-russell-brand/

Church of England attacks Russell Brand’s ‘sex appeal,’ urges Christians to vote

Published time: February 17, 2015 17:05

Comedian Russell Brand.(Reuters / Suzanne
                Plunkett)

Comedian Russell Brand.(Reuters / Suzanne Plunkett)

The Church of England has attacked voter apathy in the UK, criticized those who attempt to “exploit grievances” of the electorate and “find scapegoats” in political life, including self-styled revolutionary Russell Brand.

In a pastoral letter, the first ever to be delivered before an election, bishops urged the country to vote on May 7, saying it was every Christian’s duty to vote, and tackle head-on the growing problem of detachment from politics.

The House of Bishops warned that people were becoming increasingly disillusioned and said voters needed to create a “fresh moral vision of the kind of country we want to be.

The letter said the “growing appetite to exploit grievances, find scapegoats and create barriers between people and nations” was becoming a “worrying and familiar trend.”

Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, the Bishop of Norwich said the Church wanted to reinvigorate the electorate and deter them from following public figures like Russell Brand, who attempt to dissuade people from engaging in politics.

The Right Rev Graham James said: “I think we hope that this will animate Christians to engage in politics. What we want them to do is to engage in the political processes.

“We’re conscious that there are a number of voices around, probably the most famous of which is Russell Brand, telling people that they shouldn’t bother with voting and shouldn’t bother to exercise their hard-won democratic freedoms.”

He added that the Church had a more important moral message, even if it lacked the “sex appeal” of Brand.

I’m conscious, just going around some of our youth groups and speaking to youth leaders, that that has had a more profound effect than I had anticipated.

“And while one may think that the bishops of the Church of England don’t quite have the sex appeal of Russell Brand, we think that we should counter it.”

The 52-page letter, which the bishops say is “not a shopping list of policies we would like to see,” tackles issues such as Trident nuclear weapon renewal, the UK’s increasingly strained relationship with the EU, and the concept of a living wage.

The bishops argue that politics is now about satisfying groups of voters in order to win votes, turning it into a “kind of Dutch auction.”

They collectively call for a stronger vision of the way the country should operate, saying “the different parties have failed to offer attractive visions of the kind of society and culture they wish to see, or distinctive goals they might pursue.”

“Instead, we are subjected to sterile arguments about who might manage the existing system best.”

They urge politicians and voters alike to focus on the “common good” of society, which develops “constructive ways to talk about communities and how they relate to one another.”

“Placing excessive faith in state intervention on the one hand or the free market on the other, politicians have focused so much on the things they can control directly through economic and social policy that they have neglected to nurture, by word, example or policy, those aspects of life which governments can influence but not control.”

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 22, 2015, 7:32:16 PM2/22/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is so funny! Yes, yoga and meditation are dangerous because they bring peace, both within people and in the world. Meanwhile, primitive monotheistic religions, which believe in a god who doesn't exist, create fanaticism, violence and wars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/uk/234443-priest-yoga-satan-danger/

‘It’s a slippery slope from yoga to Satan’ – Irish priest

Published time: February 21, 2015 20:17

Reuters/Darren Hauck

A Catholic priest in Northern Ireland cautioned against practicing yoga and receiving Indian head massages, saying that those who take such risks with their “spiritual health” are opening themselves up to “Satan and the Fallen Angels.”

Father Roland Colhoun warned that those partaking in the ancient practice may be led into the “Kingdom of Darkness.”

“Pope Francis said 'do not seek spiritual answers in yoga classes'. Yoga is certainly a risk. There's the spiritual health risk,” he told the Derry Journal.

"When you take up those practices from other cultures, which are outside our Christian domain, you don’t know what you are opening yourself up to,” he added.

"The bad spirit can be communicated in a variety of ways. I’m not saying everyone gets it, or that it happens every time, and people may well be doing yoga harmlessly. But there‘s always a risk and that’s why the Pope mentioned it and that’s why we talk about that in terms of the danger of the new age movement and the danger of the occult today. That’s the fear."

Prominent officials in the Catholic Church have expressed wariness about yoga in the past.

In 2011, the Vatican’s chief exorcist, Gabriele Amorth, said that yoga leads to a belief in Hinduism, and that "all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation".

"Practicing yoga is Satanic, it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter," he told the Telegraph.

Even the late former Pope Benedict XVI cautioned Christians in 1989 against partaking in yoga, Zen and other forms of meditation, suggesting that they could “degenerate into a cult of the body.”

One Derry yoga instructor, however, defended the practice, telling the Belfast Telegraph that teaching yoga for 15 years has not stopped her from being a “good, practicing Catholic.” Evelyn Donnelly said that her yoga students come to classes to "learn good posture and breathing to help them with tension in their bodies and to help calm a busy mind.”

"In all the time I have been teaching, not one person has ever expressed an interest going deeper into the spiritual elements of yoga," she added.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 25, 2015, 11:52:15 PM2/25/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is paranoia at its best. If I were this woman, I would never have removed the balloons! And I would have used even put bigger ones! Never obey dictatorial police orders that deny your freedom, even to celebrate your birthday, for people will read it the wrong way. And by the way, if you like being, it IS beautiful to use IS. These can also be your initials. Even ISIS is the name of an Egyptian goddess, who was, in fact, one of the Elohim, and it's a beautiful name. So I would love to wear a tee shirt with "I love ISIS" written on it. Freedom of expression is in real danger in supposedly "free countries."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/235135-21-birthday-balloons-isis/

21 or IS? Swedish woman’s birthday balloons mistaken for Islamic State initials

Published time: February 24, 2015 16:07

Reuters / Bertil Enevag Ericson / Scanpix Sweden

A Swedish woman’s 21st birthday celebration turned into a nightmare as police raided her house. She had hung two balloons to celebrate her age, but when “21” was viewed in reverse, they thought it stood for IS, short for Islamic State.

The balloons in question, which had been put up to celebrate Sarah Ericsson’s birthday last weekend, were noticed by a passerby, who subsequently alerted the police after looking through the window of the house and seeing what was believed to be a symbol supporting the Islamist militant group.

"We understand why someone would report it if they thought it looked like IS propaganda, although everyone else just thought it looked like the number '12' from outside," Ericsson told The Local.

The following Monday, Ericsson went to college. Her boyfriend Fabien Akesson was getting ready to do the same, when he got a knock at the door.

“I had just got up and was getting ready to go to college. I was brushing my teeth and looked out of the window. I saw a police car parked at the entrance to our street and was wondering what they were doing here,” Akesson said.

The police were heading to their house to take a closer look at the balloons.

"I laughed about it and they showed me a photo that they had taken where from their perspective, it did almost look like the letters IS," he told Swedish newspaper Kvallsposten.

Akesson and police joked about the matter, and the police admitted they had made an error. However, Swedish law enforcement officers asked him to take the balloons down from the window to avoid any further confusion.

“I've never experienced anything like this before. The patrol got there and found out that someone had celebrated their 21st birthday,” said police officer, Kurt Erik Gunnarsson, according to the Swedish newspaper.

Ericsson said she understood the situation and how it could have been perceived.

"Extremism should always be taken seriously, and we did take the balloons down immediately," the student said, The Local reported.

"I'm so surprised at all the attention. I will never forget my 21st birthday!"

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 28, 2015, 3:25:18 AM2/28/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: So, the Israeli military would attack the Elohim if they were to land in Jerusalem!!!  The only reason for Jews to be back in Israel is to build the 3rd Temple (the Embassy) to welcome back our creators, the Elohim. Everyone understands now why we need an embassy with extraterritoriality rights and a demilitarized air space. What if Jews were to shoot at Yahweh's spacecraft with Moses aboard? Unthinkable. It looks as though Israel is really betraying its very reason to exist and that its protection is about to end. After this, I wouldn't be surprised if an order to evacuate Israel were to be given soon to all real Jews (Raelians).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/New-Tech/The-IDF-is-prepared-for-an-alien-invasion-391919

The IDF is prepared for an 'alien invasion'

This is the brink of cyber defense training.

extra-terrestrial

Artist's rendering of extra-terrestrial [file]. (photo credit:INGIMAGE)

Lights appear in the dim night sky. An unknown number of alien spaceships are descending on Earth. The world's inhabitants take refuge in shelters. Time is running out. How would the Israel Defense Forces face this alien invasion threatening to destroy the world?

The IDF looks to its tech-force for answers.

This was the premise for last night's training exercise for the Israel Air Force's computer programming unit "Ofek" (horizon), meant to instill in the participants the importance of cyber defense by trying to sabotage the technological system of the alien spacecraft.

"The participants of the exercise work daily on developing operational programs for the air force," explained the commander of the engineering unit to the IDF website, Lt. Col. Meir.

"The goal was to make them understand the importance developing [cyber] defense. We adapted the exercise to Generation Y, which loves challenges. So we prepared the framing story of an alien invasion," explained the commander.

This strange exercise was all about putting the soldiers in the enemy's shoes.

"During the exercise, teams competed against each other to hack the intended system we built for them," said the head of the cyber department, Maj. Gil. While trying to hack the system, the major said the soldiers tried to gather as much as information as possible on the alien spaceships.

"We wanted them to understand the importance of guarding the secrecy of  [air] force information," said the major.

Israel has been the ever-increasing target of cyber attacks in recent years. During the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas this past summer, it appeared that Hamas managed to infiltrate a number of civilian communication systems, according to the IDF, who also mounted their own cyber attacks against Hamas-affiliated websites. 

Last week, The Jerusalem Post reported that Gaza-based hackers launched cyber attacks against Israeli targets using a pornographic video clip.

Last Sunday, Israel’s cabinet approved the creation of a National Cyber Authority, a companion to the already-existing Israel National Cyber Bureau (INCB), that would focus on cyber threats in the civilian sector.

“Cyber threats can paralyze nations. This is a strategic threat that can paralyze and hurt no less than other threats in various fields and we must be prepared to for it on the national and international levels,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Feb 28, 2015, 3:27:10 AM2/28/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Finally!!!  South Korea is so primitive in many aspects, and the terrible influence of the Catholic Church is everywhere there. That’s why it's the only country in the world that I am forbidden to enter .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31635747


26 February 2015 Last updated at 02:28 ET

South Korean court decriminalises adultery

In a photo taken on November 26, 2014 a couple
                    use a 'selfie stick' to take a group photo at a
                    popular tourist spot in Seoul Critics say the state should not be involved in people's private lives

South Korea's top court has ruled that adultery is no longer a crime, revoking a 1953 law under which cheating spouses could be jailed for up to two years.

South Korea was one of only three Asian countries to criminalise infidelity - about 5,500 people have been convicted since 2008.

But out of the nine-judge panel, seven deemed the law unconstitutional.

Presiding judge Park Han-Chul said public conceptions of individuals' sexual rights had changed.

"Even if adultery should be condemned as immoral, state power should not intervene in individuals' private lives," he said.

'Surge in debauchery'

In recent years, while hundreds of people have been convicted under the law, very few have actually gone to prison.

"Recently, it was extremely rare for a person to serve a prison term for adultery," Lim Ji-bong, a law professor at Sogang University in Seoul, told the Associated Press. "The number of indictments has decreased as charges are frequently dropped."

The law has previously been reviewed four times by the court and upheld.

The most recent was in 2008, when actress OK So-ri petitioned the court after being given an eight-month suspended sentence for adultery.

Although she was unsuccessful, it was a narrow loss. Five of the judges deemed the law to be unconstitutional, saying that adultery could be condemned on moral grounds but not as a criminal act. Six judges needed to oppose the law for it to be revoked.

The Constitutional Court said on Thursday that anyone convicted since 2008 could have their case reconsidered.

But some in South Korea have defended the law, saying its loss would encourage sexual depravity.

Justice Ahn Chang-Ho, who read the dissenting opinion at the constitutional court, said that the statute was a key protector of family morals and warned that its abolition would "spark a surge in debauchery".

Selected by Rael

unread,
Mar 2, 2015, 12:51:30 AM3/2/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: All other countries should do the same as long as accessing the United States is so difficult, with all visitors treated as criminals with invasive and  illegal questions at the immigration inspection even when just transiting through a U.S .airport.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/236541-venezuela-imposes-visas-usa/

Venezuela imposes mandatory visas for all US citizens, bans for Bush & Cheney

Published time: March 01, 2015 00:21

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro
                (Reuters/Andrea De Silva)

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (Reuters/Andrea De Silva)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a new mandatory visa requirement for all Americans visiting the country. The leader also called to review and downsize the number of US embassy staff in Caracas.

“In order to protect our country...I have decided to implement a system of compulsory visas for all Americans entering Venezuela,” Maduro said in a speech on Saturday.

This is a reciprocal measure and now all Americans will have to pay tourist visa fees equal to what “a Venezuelan pays to travel to the US.”

When announcing the new regulations for US tourists, Maduro said that Venezuela apprehended American citizens who were involved in “espionage activities.”

“We have captured some US citizens in undercover activities, espionage, trying to win over people in towns along the Venezuelan coast,” he said.

A group of four missionaries had been called in for questioning after participating in a medical assistance campaign in the coastal town of Ocumare de la Costa, the head of a Venezuelan evangelical organization said on Friday.

The four had reportedly left the country for Aruba after having been questioned.

Maduro also said that Venezuela captured a US pilot of Latin American descent in the western state of Tachira, who he claims was also conducting “covert” espionage activities.

At the same time, Maduro asked to review and reduce the number of US diplomatic staff in the country, after allegations of “conspiratorial meetings” against Venezuela.

“I've thought about it…First I have ordered the Foreign Ministry...to proceed immediately, to review...[and] limit the number of officials at the [US] embassy in Venezuela,” Maduro said. “They have 100 staff, we have 17.”

He added that former US President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Republican Congress members Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Robert Menendez, and Marco Rubio will be denied visas into the country, labeling Bush and Cheney as “terrorists.”

The travel bans, Maduro said, target those who “violated human rights and bombed villages as in Iraq, Syria and Vietnam.”

From now on, US diplomats will be required to seek approval from the Foreign Ministry for meetings they conduct in Venezuela.

The new law is designed to help “control” US interference, the president stressed.

Tense relations between Venezuela and the US reached a new level of intensity earlier in February, when Maduro accused America of being behind the attempted coup in Venezuela.

“The northern imperial power has entered a dangerous phase of desperation, going to talk to the continent's governments to announce the overthrow of my government. And I accuse Vice President Joe Biden of this,” Maduro said.

The allegations were made amid widespread protests in the country in the first half of 2014, triggered by high levels of inflation, mass power cuts, and a lack of basic goods. Demonstrators demanded Maduro’s resignation amid an economic crisis that was hitting the food sector the most.

Later in February, Venezuela’s leader announced that the country successfully defeated an alleged US-sponsored coup, adding that a plot involved an attack on the presidential palace or another top target, Maduro said.

Prior to that, Maduro claimed at the end of 2014 that there were “recordings” disclosing the US plan to bribe and corrupt Venezuelan authorities.

Washington and Caracas have been at odds with each other since Venezuela's iconic former leader Hugo Chavez came to power in 2000. Previously, the US had been accused of trying to undermine the Venezuelan government in 2002, when a coup saw Chavez ousted from office for 47 hours before order was restored.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Mar 4, 2015, 1:24:18 AM3/4/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Here is an interesting article by a Raelian scientist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/254128342/Enrique-Alvarez-Vita-Ensayo-New-Model-of-the-Universe-Final-Translation-2#scribd


New Model of the Universe

Enrique Álvarez VIta


Read article here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/254128342/Enrique-Alvarez-Vita-Ensayo-New-Model-of-the-Universe-Final-Translation-2#scribd

Selected by Rael

unread,
Mar 9, 2015, 11:36:36 PM3/9/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Support this mother who opposes this child's mutilation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/usa/238661-circumcision-florida-mother-prison/

​US mom faces prison sentence for blocking son’s circumcision

Published time: March 07, 2015 12:15
Edited time: March 08, 2015 09:04

A mother who has taken flight with her son to prevent his circumcision could face a prison sentence if she fails have the boy undergo the procedure, a judge ruled, in a case that has become a rallying cry for ‘intactivists.’

The case, which began as a domestic dispute between Heather Hironimus and her husband, Dennis Nebus, over whether or not to circumcise their four-year-old son, has caught the attention of circumcision opponents, who call themselves ‘intactivists,’ as the courts have intervened in the matter.

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen on Friday said Hironimus was in contempt for violating an order to appear in court Friday with her son. Gillen called it “reprehensible” that she has not allowed the father to see his son since February 20, AP reported.

The judge, meanwhile, is determined to ensure that the child undergoes the medical process to have his foreskin removed.

"I will allow her to avoid incarceration or get out of jail if she signs the consent to the procedure," Gillen told Hironimus’ attorney Thomas Hunker, who said he did not know the whereabouts of his client or her son.

In an interesting twist in the story, attorneys for the Sun Sentinel, a Florida newspaper covering the story, filed an emergency motion seeking to declare the order as unconstitutional. As the newspaper reported on its legal efforts, the court “denied the motion, ruling it did not fit the definition of an emergency because it didn't involve ‘matters of life and death or instances of irreparable harm.’”

Initially agreeing to a parental planning agreement with her husband to have their son circumcised, the mother later changed her mind on the issue, thus beginning a bitter court case nearly as old as the child.

The father said he considered circumcision when his son was 3, after noticing the child was urinating on his leg. A pediatrician had diagnosed the son as having phimosis, a condition that prevents retraction of the foreskin. However, in court testimony Friday, Nebus said the mother “frightened the boy” over the procedure.

"My son has mentioned things to me that he's scared to have his penis cut off," he said.

In May, Judge Gillen, who has requested the media not reveal the identity of the child involved in the case, ordered the mother to comply with the circumcision, while also warning her not to tell her son she was against the procedure.

The judge blamed the mother for having the child’s story "plastered all over the internet" in a "direct, contemptuous violation of this court's orders."

"This child has been placed in a light that provides much too much scrutiny for a little boy," Gillen said. "I blame no one but the mother for that."

Meanwhile, the court battle has attracted the attention of groups opposed to circumcision. The ‘intactivists’ held protests outside several Palm Beach County medical facilities on Friday, as well as in front of the county courthouse in Delray Beach.

READ MORE: NYC to replace circumcision rule with herpes-education program for Orthodox Jews

David Wilson, the founder of a group called Stop Infant Circumcision Society, called it “utter insanity for our courts to order the sexual mutilation of this child," the Sun Sentinel reported.

Although still common practice in the United States, circumcision rates have begun to decline as some medical studies indicate the procedure may carry some risks.

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, for example, published a study in January suggesting that “circumcised boys are more likely than intact boys to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) before the age of 10.” The research was conducted in Denmark among a group of children born between 1994 and 2003. Over 340,000 boys were followed up to the age of nine between 1994 and 2013 and almost 5,000 cases of ASD were discovered.

Professor Morten Frisch of the Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, who headed the research, said: “Our investigation was prompted by the combination of recent animal findings linking a single painful injury to lifelong deficits in stress response and a study showing a strong, positive correlation between a country’s neonatal male circumcision rate and its prevalence of ASD in boys.”

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control points to other medical studies that show the procedure can lower a male's risk of sexually transmitted diseases, penile cancer and urinary tract infections.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Mar 22, 2015, 3:05:45 AM3/22/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is a fantastic new technology! Instead of being afraid of it, people should promote it worldwide to eradicate millions of genetic diseases and to improve intelligence and physical traits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/usa/242729-scientists-ban-human-genome/

Scientists call for ban on editing human genome

March 20, 2015

A group of leading biologists have called for worldwide boycott on a new technique for editing genomes that results in DNA being altered in a way that could be inherited by future generations.

While the technique has many benefits, such as curing genetic diseases, it can also be used to enhance qualities like beauty or intelligence – something ethicists believe should not be done.

The biologists are also concerned that the technique is so easy to use that doctors may push ahead with it before it’s clinically safe to do so, they say in a paper on the subject, which was published in the journal Science.

“You could exert control over human heredity with this technique, and that is why we are raising the issue,” said David Baltimore, a former president of the California Institute of Technology, who was one of the scientists behind the paper.

The biologists say they want to continue laboratory research on the technique, which is no way near ready for clinical use.

“It raises the most fundamental of issues about how we are going to view our humanity in the future and whether we are going to take the dramatic step of modifying our own germline and in a sense take control of our genetic destiny, which raises enormous peril for humanity,” said George Q. Daley, a stem cell expert at Boston Children’s Hospital and another member of the group, as quoted by the New York Times.

In 1975, when gene science and medicine was in its infancy, scientists worldwide agreed not to manipulate genes using the so-called recombinant DNA technique.

“We asked at that time that nobody do certain experiments, and in fact nobody did, to my knowledge. So there is a moral authority you can assert from the U.S., and that is what we hope to do,” said Dr. Baltimore, who was a member of the 1975 group.

But while such techniques are tightly regulated in the US and Europe, the biologists are concerned about countries where regulation is much more lax.

Though new method of recombinant DNA editing is known by the acronym Crispr-Cas9, and although highly efficient there is a risk that the genome can be cut at unintended sites. This issue is something that Jennifer Doudna, who invented the genome-editing approach, wants to see thoroughly researched before anything is done to a human. So-far the technique has been successfully used in mice rats and monkeys.

“We worry about people making changes without the knowledge of what those changes mean in terms of the overall genome. I personally think we are just not smart enough — and won’t be for a very long time — to feel comfortable about the consequences of changing heredity, even in a single individual,” Dr. Baltimore said.

The idea of gene therapy has already been accepted by ethicists, but this dies with the patient and is not passed on to future generations.

In February the British parliament passed the transfer of mitochondria, small DNA-containing organelles to human eggs, but this technique is less far-reaching than gene editing.

The UK became the first person to legalize three-person babies on February 3, where DNA is from two women and one man. Critics said the technique raises too many ethical and safety concerns but proponents said it was “good news for progressive medicine.”

Selected by Rael

unread,
Apr 21, 2015, 12:24:53 PM4/21/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is not true: the biggest super-voids are in the brains of evolutionists and scientists who are big bang believers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/usa/251393-supervoid-cold-spot-universe/

‘Supervoid’ is 1.8bn light-years across, the largest single structure in universe - study

Published time: April 20, 2015 20:20
Reuters/NASA

Astronomers have discovered a vast supervoid measuring 1.8 billion light-years across. They believe this will provide new insight into the remaining mysteries of the Big Bang.

The massive spherical blob known as the supervoid may be “the largest individual structure ever identified by humanity,” according to lead researcher for the project, István Szapudi, of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

“Using data from Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) telescope located on Haleakala, Maui, and NASA’s Wide Field Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, Szapudi’s team discovered a large supervoid, a vast region 1.8 billion light-years across, in which the density of galaxies is much lower than usual in the known universe,” a press release stated.

“This void was found by combining observations taken by PS1 at optical wavelengths with observations taken by WISE at infrared wavelengths to estimate the distance to and position of each galaxy in that part of the sky.”

Furthermore, the Cold Spot, discovered in 2004 and believed to be radiation left by the Big Bang, has become a mainstay in models explaining the impact of the Big Bang on the universe. The Cold Spot's size and temperature, though, were an anomaly.

The massive empty region at its center, might explain the Cold Spot’s existence, the new study suggests.

“This is the greatest supervoid ever discovered,” András Kovács, a co-author of the report from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary said, according to the Guardian. “In combination of size and emptiness, our supervoid is still a very rare event. We can only expect a few supervoids this big in the observable universe.”

Kovács added that the supervoid is not a vacuum, but rather it is 20 percent less dense than other aspects of the universe.

“Supervoids are not entirely empty, they’re under-dense,” he said.

Despite such a rare discovery, the supervoid ultimately complicates the explanation of the Cold Spot, astronomers say. In addition, the supervoid only accounts for around 10 percent of the Cold Spot's low temperature.

“The void itself I’m not so unhappy about. It’s like the Everest of voids – there has to be one that’s bigger than the rest,” said Carlos Frenk, a cosmologist at Britain’s University of Durham, according to the Guardian. “But it doesn’t explain the whole Cold Spot, which we’re still in the dark about.”

The study was published online on April 20 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“While the existence of the supervoid and its expected effect on the CMB [the cosmic microwave background, or Big Bang] do not fully explain the Cold Spot, it is very unlikely that the supervoid and the Cold Spot at the same location are a coincidence,” the press release stated.

“The team will continue its work using improved data from PS1 and from the Dark Energy Survey being conducted with a telescope in Chile to study the Cold Spot and supervoid, as well as another large void located near the constellation Draco.”

Selected by Rael

unread,
Apr 23, 2015, 2:06:21 PM4/23/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: We are getting closer to discovering the principle behind the Cellular Transmission!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/04/physicists-detect-radio-waves-single-electron

Physicists detect radio waves from a single electron


An electron in a magnetic field will turn circles
                  and emit radiation.

An electron in a magnetic field will turn circles and emit radiation.

Physicists have long known that charged particles like electrons will spiral in a magnetic field and give off radiation. But nobody had ever detected the radio waves emanating from a single whirling electron—until now. The striking new technique researchers used to do it might someday help particle physicists answer a question that has vexed them for decades: How much does a ghostly particle called the neutrino weigh?

"This is a great achievement on its own, and we're really looking forward to seeing this technology develop over time," says Guido Drexlin, an astroparticle physicist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany who was not involved in the work.

To understand the experiment, suppose an electron flies horizontally through a vertical magnetic field. It will experience a sideways force that is proportional to both its velocity and the strength of the field. That constant sideways shove will cause the electron to run in circles (see diagram). But that turning will also cause the electron to radiate electromagnetic waves, much as a wet dishcloth will fling off drops of water if you whirl it above your head. Of course, the radiation will sap the electron's energy, so that it will gradually spiral inward.

This effect has been understood for a century. It's used to generate x-ray beams by sending electrons racing around circular particle accelerators known as synchrotrons. Such radiation also emanates from swirling particles in interstellar space. Now, 27 physicists with Project 8, an experiment based at the University of Washington, Seattle, have detected radiation from a single electron. "I thought surely somebody must have done this," says Brent VanDevender, a nuclear physicist and team member from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. "I looked and looked and looked in the literature and couldn't find anything."

To detect the millionth-of-a-nanowatt signal, the Project 8 team needed a source of electrons with a definite energy, a means of collecting the radiation, and ultrasensitive amplifiers to sense the signal. To get the electrons, they started with beads coated with the metal rubidium-83, which undergoes radioactive decay to produce krypton-83 gas. Researchers trapped the gas in a finger-sized cell. Each agitated krypton nucleus then underwent an internal restructuring that caused the atom to kick out an electron with a specific energy.

The electron would circle in the field provided by a superconducting magnet and radiate. Crucially, the cell in which it orbited was a "wave guide," a kind of pipeline designed to carry electromagnetic waves in the right frequency range—25 gigahertz to 27 gigahertz—to a chain of low-noise amplifiers. The team was able to track radiation from a single electron for several milliseconds—long enough to see its frequency gradually increase as the electron spiraled inward, as the researchers report this week in Physical Review Letters.

Particle physicists have long been able to measure the energies of single electrons, say by watching them crash into crystals that give off light in proportion to the electron’s energy. But those techniques generally absorb the electron, VanDevender notes. The new method opens the way to measuring the energy of an electron "nondestructively" without absorbing it.

The Project 8 team hopes to use the technique to measure the mass of the still-mysterious particles known as neutrinos, VanDevender says. They plan to study the tritium nucleus, which contains one proton and two neutrons. It undergoes a process called beta decay, in which one neutron turns into a proton while spitting out a neutrino and an electron. The nearly undetectable neutrino and the electron will share the energy released in the decay, with the split varying randomly from one decay to the next. By measuring the maximum energy of the electrons, researchers can deduce the minimum energy of the neutrinos, and hence the neutrino's mass.

Physicists know that the neutrino mass must be least 50 milli-electron volts (meV), or about 1/10,000,000 the mass of an electron. That's because neutrinos come in three different types, or flavors, depending on how they're generated, and different flavors can morph into one another. Such "neutrino oscillations" are possible only if the different flavors have different masses. At the same time, studies of the evolution of the universe suggest that neutrinos have a mass less than 230 meV. But so far—in spite of decades of effort—direct beta-decay measurements show only that neutrinos weigh less than 2000 meV.

In the immediate future, however, physicists with the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) plan to make the tritium measurements 10 times more sensitive using more conventional techniques. They should start taking data next year, says Drexlin, co-spokesperson for the KATRIN team. "I don't see [Project 8] as competition to KATRIN but as more of a future possibility to go beyond it," Drexlin says. Still, he notes, many members of the Project 8 team are also members of the KATRIN team, and it's possible that in the future the two techniques might be combined.

Science| DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2525

Selected by Rael

unread,
May 9, 2015, 8:04:46 PM5/9/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: No longer "proud to be American.” It’s the end of an empire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/usa/256921-americans-renounce-us-citizenship/

Record number of Americans living abroad renounce citizenship

Published time: May 08, 2015 14:26

Download video (32.69 MB)

A record number of Americans gave up their US citizenship in the first quarter of 2015, according to IRS data. This is blamed on the taxation of income earned outside the US, along with laws expanding offshore bank account and asset reporting.

A total of 1,335 people renounced US citizenship during the first three months of the year, topping the previous record by 18 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The new figure puts 2015 on track to exceed last year's 3,415 renunciations, which is an all-time record.

The data released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) includes the names of those who renounced their citizenship, but not their reasons for doing so. However, it comes as the US government is becoming more aggressive when it comes to the assets of the estimated 6 million Americans who live abroad.

The United States is the only country within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that taxes citizens wherever they reside.

American citizens who live abroad can exclude as much as $100,800 in earned income and can receive tax credits for payments to foreign governments. However, US tax liabilities can apply to children born to Americans abroad. In many cases, there are only partial offsets available for double taxation.

The paperwork involved for US citizens living abroad can be so complex that it requires professional help from accountants and lawyers – resulting in incredibly high fees for a relatively simple tax return.

Although these laws were rarely enforced in the past, scrutiny of US citizens abroad has intensified due to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), passed by Congress in 2010.

The law, which took effect in July, requires US citizens with foreign assets in excess of $50,000 to report those assets every year. It also requires foreign financial institutions to report the incomes of their US customers to the IRS.

FATCA also requires US financial institutions to impose a 30 percent withholding tax on payments made to foreign banks which don't agree to identify and provide information on US account holders.

More than 140,000 banks and other firms have signed up to comply with FATCA. However, the law has prompted some banks to decline doing business with people who have ties to the US. If a bank mistakenly fails to report accounts held by US citizens, they can face steep penalties.

The Obama administration has praised the law as the “global standard” in battling tax evasion, though it has come under fierce criticism from many, particularly from Americans living abroad.

Washington's tax policies for those living abroad have also put two high-profile personalities in the spotlight.

Eduardo Saverin, a Brazilian-born co-founder of Facebook, gave up his US citizenship in 2012. The billionaire moved to Singapore, where top earners are taxed only 20 percent on their earnings, and where capital gains taxes are not be imposed.

At the time, it was estimated that Saverin's move would save him $67 million in US federal taxes. However, it was never officially confirmed that his citizenship renunciation was for tax purposes.

Meanwhile, London Mayor Boris Johnson – who was born in New York – said earlier this year that he would give up his US citizenship. The statement followed his settlement of a US tax bill which he described as “absolutely outrageous.” However, his name was not on the list released Friday.

Selected by Rael

unread,
May 26, 2015, 1:19:25 AM5/26/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This will make the United States a war crime accomplice if Israel use its atomic bombs. Again… after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/261485-us-blocks-nukes-deal/

US blocks nuclear disarmament document over Israel, Moscow fumes

Published time: May 23, 2015 14:37
A deactivated Soviet-era SS-4 medium range nuclear
                capable ballistic missile is displayed at La Cabana
                fortress in Havana (Reuters / Desmond Boylan)

A deactivated Soviet-era SS-4 medium range nuclear capable ballistic missile is displayed at La Cabana fortress in Havana (Reuters / Desmond Boylan)

Washington has blocked the final document of a UN conference that reviewed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, accusing Egypt of manipulating the gathering to target Israel. Moscow has slammed the US for rendering the four-week meeting futile.

The 9th international conference was held in New York from April 27 until May 22. A total of 162 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) participant states were in attendance. These conferences are held every five years to assess the worldwide disarmament process.

The blocked document included a plan to establish a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. To do this, Egypt, who first proposed such a zone in 1980, suggested a regional UN conference on banning weapons of mass destruction. The gathering would have no pre-determined agenda and would go ahead with or without the presence of Israel.

This was stonewalled by the US, with Washington representative Rose Gottemoeller saying the final document reviewed on Friday was "incompatible with our longstanding policies."

She accused Egypt and other Arab supporters of the nuclear-free zone of being "not willing to let go of these unrealistic and unworkable conditions," AP reports.

Israel, which is an observer, but not a participant of the NPT, is widely believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, which it has neither confirmed nor denied. It is also a close ally of the US.

Egypt expressed its disappointment and said: "This will have consequences in front of the Arab world and public opinion."

Washington's position was backed by the UK and Canada, ultimately sinking the proposal which had to be approved by all countries.

Russia, for its part, said it was committed to nuclear non-proliferation and saw similar commitment from most other participants.

"The vast majority of the delegations have noted that the treaty remains a 'cornerstone' of international security and stability, and serves their interests," a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said. "Participant countries have confirmed their readiness to comply with their obligations under the NPT."

"We regretfully acknowledge that because of the positions of the US, Britain and Canada, we could not adopt the final document which included provisions on fulfilling the 1995 resolution on creating a Middle East zone free of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction." the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

It added, however, that Russia still has faith in the Treaty: "Despite such an outcome of the conference, the Russian Federation is ready to continue cooperating with other countries to help strengthen the NPT, provide its wholesomeness and viability."

The failure of this conference means the next one can only be held in 2020.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 5, 2015, 1:01:11 PM6/5/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: These wonderful scientific recommendations are perfectly in line with the Messages! That should shut the mouths of those who criticized the Movement by saying that our proposition of universal sexual education is "promoting pedophilia."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1212274/Children-young-learn-masturbation-abortion-new-UN-guidelines.html

Children as young as five to learn about masturbation and abortion under new UN guidelines

Updated: 01:55 EST, 10 September 2009

Children as young as five should be taught about explicit sex acts, according to guidelines from the United Nations.

The advice also calls for youngsters to learn about abortion, same-sex relationships and sexually transmitted diseases.

The draft report on sex education has been compiled by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Children in school

Too young? Children as young as five could be taught about masturbation if UNESCO guidelines are followed (file photo)

The guidance is due to be issued to governments, local authorities and education bodies around the world by the end of next month.

But it has provoked an international outcry. Critics claim that addressing the issue of masturbation, which is contained in the plan, is too explicit for young children and removes the responsibility of parents to teach their own children about sex.

The guidelines break down suitable topics for discussion into four age groups. Among the most controversial recommendations are for teachers to begin discussing subjects such as masturbation with children from the age of five.

They recommend teachers should discuss the idea that 'girls and boys have private body parts that can feel pleasurable when touched by oneself'.

When children are 12, teachers should be covering issues such as 'access to safe abortion and post-abortion care' and the 'use and misuse of emergency contraception'.

The guidelines also recommend young people should learn about the 'right to and access to safe abortion'. The report is intended to help countries improve sex education and sexual health, especially in the developing world.

UNESCO officials said it was up to governments and educational bodies to decide whether to implement the guidance.

But Tory MP Ann Widdecombe said: 'This is wholly inappropriate and is destroying parental responsibility. It is parents who should determine the pace of revelation, not the authorities.

'What one child may be ready to learn about at the age of ten, another child may not be ready for until 13. It should be up to parents to make these decisions.

'When it comes to innocent children at the tender age of five years old, it is absolutely appalling these guidelines suggest that they should be taught about subjects such as masturbation.'

Fellow Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: 'Educating children and young people to believe that access to legal abortion is a right delivers a message which suggests that abortion is a lifestyle choice  -  a method of contraception as opposed to the incredibly traumatic and distressing experience it is for most young women.'

UNESCO officials last night insisted that the guidelines will help to reduce the risk of infections from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies among the young.

They added that the guidelines had been compiled for two years by a team of experts, who have drawn on more than 80 international studies of sex education.

The report, which is estimated to have cost over £200,000, is currently under discussion. But its content is unlikely to change substantially before it is officially released.

Mark Richmond, UNESCO's global co-ordinator for HIV and AIDS, said: 'It doesn't mean that teaching about masturbation must take place at five years old. It may be mentioned, but it is up to parents and teachers about whether this is done. The guidelines are forms of advice.'

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said the Government was already conducting a review of sex education.

The spokesman added that sex education is 'essential' if young people are to make responsible decisions.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 16, 2015, 2:20:01 AM6/16/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Every plant and mushroom on Earth has been created for a purpose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150615-could-psychedelic-drugs-make-smokers-quit



Could psychedelic drugs make smokers quit?

A team of scientists are giving hallucinogens to smoking addicts to help them cut the habit. Tim Maughan visited the lab where this surprising research is emerging.

15 June 2015

Nicotine patches, chewing gum, cold turkey. Giving up cigarettes can be tough, but there are many strategies smokers can try. Matthew Johnson wants to add another: he says he can help smokers quit by giving them another drug – psilocybin – that has been illegal for years in much of Europe and North America. And yes, he realises that sounds unconventional.

“The idea that this research sounds counterintuitive, it makes sense to me,” he tells me as we sit in his office at Johns Hopkins’ Behavioural Pharmacology Research Unit in Baltimore.

It's been off limits for all the wrong reasons – Matthew Johnson, pharmacologist 

Johnson is a behavioural pharmacologist who has been researching the relationship between drugs, the brain, and human behaviour for more than 20 years. The last 10 of those have been spent here at Johns Hopkins, where he and his team have focused on psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic and the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’. Illegal it might be, but if psilocybin is given to smokers a few times in a carefully controlled way, it can be a remarkably effective aid to help them kick the habit, he says.

“Most people will naturally assume that we're looking at substitution therapy in the spirit of methadone for heroin addiction or nicotine patch or nicotine gum to replace smoking. [But] we're not talking about putting someone on psilocybin or mushrooms every day. It's not trading one addiction for the other.”

This new research has been inspired by work done in the 1950s and 60s that looked at using psilocybin and LSD as treatments for addiction. Although results back then were hugely promising, the research hit a dead end as use of these substances spread from labs and into the emerging drug counter-culture. The drugs were criminalised, and clinical research became impossible to conduct.

“It's been off limits for all the wrong reasons,” Johnson explains. “We know [these substances] continue to be used, and because of not wanting to encourage uncontrolled recreational use, we've been so restrictive that we haven't allowed research. We're really playing a catch-up game. This stuff should've been done in the mid 70s…the whole research agenda was just put in deep freeze for multiple decades.”

In 2008 Johnson co-authored a paper entitled 'Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety’, which outlined how to responsibly conduct medical trials with psilocybin and other hallucinogens. It included recommendations on how to screen potential volunteers, prepare them for the experience, and how to conduct the drug-taking sessions safely. The paper signalled a change in attitude towards researching these compounds, reflected by the fact that more than 460 psilocybin sessions have now been conducted at Johns Hopkins alone, ranging from investigating its use by cancer patients through to its effects on meditation. But it’s the Smoking Cessation programme, which has just finished its pilot stage, that has attracted the most recent attention.

It begins with a mantra...

The programme seems deceptively simple at first. Fifteen volunteers, all long time smokers from the Baltimore area who have tried and failed to quit smoking multiple times, start with a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. CBT is the standard psychological approach to quitting smoking, encouraging subjects to reflect on their established thinking patterns.

A vital part of the Hopkins programme’s CBT approach is the writing and reciting of a personal mantra; a simple phrase that each volunteer creates that encapsulates why they want to quit. “This is really our mission statement. If you had one sentence that you could remind yourself down the road why you quit. We’ve had some people for whom it’s about family: ‘I want to be there for my granddaughter.’ For other people, it's more philosophical, ‘The air that I breathe. I want it to be free.’”

This mantra becomes even more central on the day they take their first psilocybin. After four sessions of CBT, the volunteers smoke what is meant to be their last cigarette. For some this is the night before, for others it’s literally just before the session. “We've had people smoke in the parking lot right before they come in here,” Johnson tells me.

Then, it’s time for the drug. Albert Garcia-Romeu, a post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins, who ‘guides’ the volunteers through the CBT and the psilocybin sessions, describes how it works: “We have them self-administer the capsule. We take their cell phone. We take their shoes. We give them some slippers. We want them to relax into the day and feel almost like they're in a spa. They don't have to go to work. They don't have to do their normal day-to-day thing.”

“We practice before. Give them our hand so that they have the support if they need it,” explains Mary Cosimano, another of the guides who has been working in the field for more than 15 years. “We tell them, ‘We're here for you as much as you like’.”

“Once the drug effect starts to kick in, we encourage them just to lie down,” continues Garcia-Romeu. “They put on headphones. They cover their eyes. We have them just lay back and watch and wait.”

We usually discourage them from getting too chatty

From this point, the researchers step back. “What we do here is psychedelic therapy,” explains Garcia-Romeu. “That's high-dose. That's generally not a talking therapy. We usually discourage them from getting too chatty because it can be really easy to get absorbed in the interesting sensory things that are going on. We try to encourage them to go inward and that's really where a lot of the important work happens. I'm mostly just there as a safety-monitor.”

The aim, the team explains to me, is to give the volunteers a ‘profound’ or ‘mystical’ experience that causes them to reassess their relationship with smoking. That might sound like exactly the kind of New Age drug talk that made people take this kind of research less than seriously in the past, but Garcia-Romeu explains it to me in a way that sounds much more grounded.

“[Research shows there’s a] 71% success rate for people who quit smoking just after they had a heart attack,” he explains. A heart attack would certainly qualify as a profound experience, but it’s not something you can go around triggering in people in order to stop them from smoking. Instead the aim is to use a powerful psychedelic trip to trigger a similar effect… an intense, abstract experience that changes the patient’s perspective. It’s this that the team refer to as a ‘mystical experience’.”

This experience might range from images of God, to powerful personal memories about their own life or childhood, he explains.

The person is made to feel as safe as possible

The secret to triggering this kind of experience is setting and context, Johnson explains. “Our clinical impression is that those experiences are most likely to happen under conditions where the person is made to feel as safe as possible, that they've developed a very strong rapport with the people that they're with.” Also, the team has found that making the act of taking the drug a ritual seems to help.

“We ask them to bring pictures of themselves over the years, family, people, places, and things. We've had people who have filled the room with pictures,” explains Cosimano. “Things that could be important to them, objects. People have set up altars. People bring stuffed animals or a blanket. Things that can make them feel comfortable, safe, cosy, meaningful.”

To enhance the feeling of ritual, the researchers also put the capsule in a wooden goblet with incense, and ask participants to repeat the mantra they developed during the cognitive behaviour therapy.

Garcia-Romeu and Cosimano show me the session room, the place where these rituals take place. It’s pretty much exactly as they’d described it to me – a small, cosy room, softly lit with a comfortable couch. They let me sit on it, and hand me the wooden goblet used by their volunteers. Books on Michelangelo and Van Gogh are scattered around. There’s an undeniable feeling of safety and comfort in the almost womb-like room, where volunteers spend up to six hours until the drug’s effects have worn off, after which they are taken home by a member of their family.

Talking to the team is fascinating – they’re all incredibly friendly, resolutely professional, and clearly passionate about their work – but it’s still hard for me not to shrug off the feeling that the work seems counterintuitive. Perhaps it’s my own prejudices about these drugs, but I remain sceptical.

Still, the trial program – small though it is – has produced tantalising results. Out of the 15 people, 12 were still smoke-free six months following the trials, according to the researchers. “We think and hope that there is something new going on here,” says Johnson.

“We've had people in this study, a couple of which claimed extraordinary things, like that they don't feel nicotine withdrawal and they've been smoking for pack a day for 40 years. Just seeing that in one person is pretty profound.”

I push him a little more on why he thinks psilocybin in particular might work in this way: is it purely just a psychological effect, or does he think the drug itself is affecting the brain’s chemistry? “We can best understand it at this point from a psychological perspective,” he replies. “This isn't a drug that, in a simple way, affects the brain’s nicotine receptors. Does this drug under the right conditions eventually change the way that the brain itself is interacting with its own nicotine receptors? That's something that very well could be happening. We don't know.”

Johnson is not the only person looking at psychedelic therapies. Anthony Bossis is part of a team at New York University conducting similar trials into using psilocybin to combat anxiety in cancer patients. He’s impressed by Johnson’s preliminary results. “These therapeutic approaches certainly warrant additional and careful scientific study.”

And that’s what Johnson and his team are focused on now, the next round of studies. The study sample has been expanded to 80, and volunteers will undergo MRI brain scans before and after the sessions so the team can get a better idea of what neurological effect the psilocybin is having on smoking, if any. There are clearly still years of work to be done, but Johnson is positive, and believes it could be used to treat a variety of psychological and behavioural conditions, not just addictions.

There are many hurdles to overcome before treatments become widespread

There are, of course, other hurdles that would need to be passed before these treatments become widespread. The main issue is working out who would develop these compounds commercially, says Thomas Insel, director of the US government’s National Institute of Mental Health. The pharmaceutical industry usually takes the lead in that sort of work, he says, but they generally have less interest in developing drugs for brain disorders. “That said, a version of ketamine — which also was a drug of abuse – is being developed by Johnson and Johnson as an antidepressant.”

And then there are legal questions too. “These drugs are being used in the context of psychotherapy, and we don’t have a clear regulatory framework for [that yet],” says Insel. These drugs are clearly a long way from becoming widely available in medicine. “But that’s not a reason to avoid [developing the therapies],” he says.

Ultimately, the early success of these small trials might not be repeated on larger scales. Yet after decades where psychedelic therapy was never investigated at all, scientists like Johnson and his team are now at least trying to dig deeper into the unexpected effects of this notorious drug.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 16, 2015, 2:27:02 AM6/16/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is a good idea, although it would be better to turn them into schools or sex shops.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/267358-churches-france-turn-mosques/

Turn empty Catholic churches into mosques, French Muslim leader says

Published time: June 15, 2015 17:22
Mosque of Poitiers, west-central France (AFP Photo
                / Guillaume Souvant)

Mosque of Poitiers, west-central France (AFP Photo / Guillaume Souvant)

France’s top Muslim official has suggested turning empty or abandoned Catholic churches into mosques, saying as many as 5,000 are needed for the country’s Muslim population - the largest in Europe.

“It’s a delicate issue, but why not?” Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Mosque in Paris and the president of the French Council of Muslim Faith, told Europe 1 radio on Monday.

There are currently about 2,500 mosques in France with another 300 under construction, but the number falls short of what is needed, he said. With roughly 5 million Muslims in France, at least 5,000 mosques are needed, Boubakeur said.

During the interview with French radio he gave an example of the transition of a church into a mosque in Clermont-Ferrand, which was welcomed by the local religious community. The church had been abandoned for more than 30 years and the building was given to the Muslim community in 2012.

"It's the same God, these are neighboring rites, fraternal, and I think that Muslims and Christians can coexist and live together,” he said.

It’s not the first time the lack of places of worship for millions of Muslims has been brought up in France. In April, Boubakeur called for doubling the number of mosques.

His remarks were welcomed by the Christian community as a “legitimate” demand.

“Muslims should, like Christians and Jews, be able to practice their religion,” Monseigneur Ribadeau-Dumas, spokesperson for the Bishops’ Conference of France, told French radio station Europe 1.

However, this suggestion has been criticized by the far-right National Front party. In April, Florian Philippot, its vice-president, argued France doesn’t need more, because “100 percent of places of radicalization are mosques.”

The party’s leader Marine Le Pen called to stop the construction of new mosques in March.

We must today freeze the construction of new mosques while we verify the origin of their financing,” she said in an interview to France 24.

The question of building closer ties with the Muslim community was discussed at the talks between the French government and about 150 Muslim leaders in Paris on Monday.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stressed there was no link between extremism and Islam.

"We must say all of this is not Islam," he said. "The hate speech, anti-Semitism that hides behind anti-Zionism and hate for Israel... the self-proclaimed imams in our neighborhoods and our prisons who are promoting violence and terrorism…

"Islam still provokes misunderstandings, prejudices, and is rejected by some citizens," he added. "Yet Islam is here to stay in France. It's the second largest religious group in our country."

The first conference between the government and Muslim community leaders comes five months after the Charlie Hebdo and kosher store jihadist attacks in Paris that killed 17 people.

The terrorists responsible for the attacks "belong to a different world than we do," said Boubakeur, speaking at the conference.

There has been a huge increase in anti-Muslim incidents in France following the Islamist attacks in Paris. A report issued in January by the National Observatory Against Islamophobia said that over the month there has been an 110-percent increase in attacks.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 21, 2015, 1:11:09 AM6/21/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is a wonderful event! Bringing inner peace to every human being will bring peace in the world. It’s fantastic to see that India's military will participate in this event. The U.S. military should do the same, as well as Israelis and Palestinians together!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33212949

India yoga: PM Narendra Modi leads thousands in celebration

  • 1 hour ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised participants by joining in with the yoga exercises

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led thousands in a mass yoga programme in the capital, Delhi, on the first ever International Yoga Day.

Mr Modi did stretches, bends and breathing exercises with 35,000 school children, bureaucrats and soldiers.

Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning's event.

Millions of others are expected to do yoga at similar events planned in hundreds of Indian cities and towns.

Mr Modi, a yoga enthusiast who says he practises the ancient Indian art daily, lobbied the United Nations to declare 21 June International Yoga Day.

Thousands of colourful mats were laid out on Rajpath - King's Avenue - where the main event was held.

Officials had earlier said the prime minister will attend the event and address the gathering, but not do yoga.

But Mr Modi surprised participants by joining in with the exercises.

On glacier and at sea

Authorities said 35,000 people attended the 35-minute yoga session on Rajpath, aimed at setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest yoga class at a single venue.

Guinness officials said they would announce the results in a few hours.

Participants arrived early in the morning for the session on Rajpath in Delhi
Indian army soldiers are also taking part in the yoga day celebrations

Yoga was also being performed on the Siachen glacier and the high seas, the defence ministry said.

The day is also being celebrated around the world and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj says "tens of millions" will do yoga on Sunday.

Yoga enthusiasts have been practising for months before the event

Ms Swaraj herself will be in New York where she will attend the celebrations with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In Times Square, 30,000 people are expected to do yoga.

But the day, being billed as one to promote "harmony and peace", has hit a controversial note with some Muslim organisations saying yoga is essentially a Hindu religious practice and is against Islam.

Many others say Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist government has an agenda in promoting the ancient Indian discipline.

However, the authorities deny the charge - they say participation in the yoga day is not mandatory and reports that Muslims are opposed to yoga are exaggerated.

International Yoga Day in numbers:

  • 35,000 officials, soldiers and students attend the main event on Rajpath in Delhi, including PM Narendra Modi
  • 300m rupees ($4.67m; £2.97m): Cost of Delhi event
  • 650 of India's 676 districts participating
  • Of the 193 UN member countries, celebrations will be held in 192 countries - the exception is Yemen, because of the conflict there
  • Events being held in 251 cities in six continents
  • 30,000 people to perform yoga in Times Square in New York

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 24, 2015, 12:49:43 AM6/24/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT:  This is a very good question: Why did the Spanish government want to grant citizenship for descendants of the Sepharat Jews expelled by the inquisition, yet not for the much more numerous descendants of the Moriscos Muslims who were expelled at the same time? This is scandalous pro-Jewish, anti-Muslim discrimination!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11687465/Five-centuries-after-expulsion-at-pain-of-death-Spain-grants-citizenship-to-Sephardic-Jews.html

Five centuries after expulsion at pain of death, Spain grants citizenship to Sephardic Jews

Descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in the Inquisition of 1492 celebrate right to citizenship but Muslims whose ancestors were later kicked out complain of double standards

A sculpture of Samuel Halevi Abulafia and a
                        Spanish flag near the
A sculpture of Samuel Halevi Abulafia and a Spanish flag near the "El Transito" synagogue and Sephardic Museum in Toledo Photo: Alamy

6:00AM BST 20 Jun 2015

A century ago, Marcelo Benveniste’s four Jewish grandparents emigrated from the Greek island of Rhodes to Argentina. Unlike many new arrivals on far-flung shores, they had little difficulty navigating their way through the challenges of a foreign tongue as as they already spoke Ladino, a language also known as Judaeo-Spanish that had been passed down through the generations since their ancestors fled Spain as part of the mass expulsion of Jews in 1492.

Hundreds of thousands of Sephardic Jews left as a result of the Granada Edict - which offered them the choice of either leaving the country, converting to Christianity or being sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition - dispersing across the length and breadth of southern Europe and North Africa.

Now Spain's parliament has passed a law aimed at righting this historical wrong, making it possible for the descendants of those Jews to regain Spanish nationality more than 500 years after being expelled from Sefarad, the Hebrew word for the Iberian peninsula.

"The Spanish government’s law helps Sephardic Jews to close a circle, healing a wound that was opened 523 years ago. It helps me feel that my life forms part of history itself," said Mr Benveniste over the telephone from Buenos Aires.

The 57-year-old who, together with his wife Liliana, runs a cultural website called eSefarad.com, is enthusiastic about applying for Spanish citizenship, even though he does not intend to move to Spain and has already been able to visit the country.

"I see it as symbolic, a recognition of the barbarity which is persecution of a people for the form in which they profess their faith," Mr Benveniste explained, although he admitted that he has received “some inquiries from people whose main interest is to acquire a European passport”.


Expulsion of Jews from Spain, 1492. Ferdinand and Isabella being petitioned for mercy by some of those who are to be expelled

For the justice minister in Spain’s conservative Popular Party government, Rafael Catalá, the new law is meant to “open the door once again to those who were so unjustly expelled”.

“This rule says a lot about who we were, who we are and who we want to carry on being: an open, diverse and tolerant Spain,” the minister said on June 11, the day parliamentarians passed the law. It allows Sephardic Jews around the world to add Spanish nationality to their existing citizenship, as long as they can demonstrate good knowledge of Ladino or modern Spanish and show family surnames which demonstrate a link to the Jewish communities who once lived in Spain.

But while Jews are happy about the Spanish government’s gesture, many Muslims connected with the country feel that the law represents a selective take on history. As well as the Jews, the Catholic monarchs who united the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, also persecuted Muslims, especially after the 1492 fall of Granada, the last stronghold of Islam in Spain.

Those who stayed were forced to convert to Christianity and their descendants, known as Moriscos, were themselves subjected to a mass expulsion in the early 17th century.

“It is inexplicable that the Sephardic Jews receive this treatment and the Moriscos do not,” said Isabel Romero, president of the Junta Islámica (Muslim Council) association which defends Muslims’ rights in today’s Spain. “We would like to see a gesture of asking for forgiveness to give restitution to these Spaniards who were also expelled,” she explained.

Dr M’hammad Benaboud, a historian and president of the Moroccan Association for Andalusian Studies, says Moriscos such as himself do not want citizenship of Spain, but historical recognition. “We are not asking for Spanish nationality; I’m very happy with my Moroccan nationality. I don’t think that people should take advantage of historical injustices in this way.”

Dr Benaboud, a former university lecturer who speaks perfect English and can trace his own family back to the Spanish city of Córdoba, says it is important that today’s Spaniards remember the Moriscos and their contribution to the country’s culture. “It’s part of their history, but any acknowledgement should come from historians and not politicians.”

But Mr Benveniste, who is just one member of a large Sephardic community sprinkled across Latin America, justifies the connection which the law is making between a 21st-century state and Spain’s ancient Jewish roots. “They are not two different worlds. My ancestors were in Spain until the 16th century and I can feel that. I have a very strong relationship with Spain”.

How many people like Mr Benveniste might be taking up the offer of citizenship remains unclear. José Benarroch, who was brought up in Spain but who now lives in Israel where he is the president of the Worldwide Sephardic Union (USM), told the newspaper El País that between 100,000 and half a million people could theoretically apply for Spanish citizenship under the legislation.

But he said he expects the actual number of applications to be no more than 100,000, which, however, is still more than a symbolic figure given that Spain’s current Jewish population stands at just 40,000, according to the FCJE Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities.

Mario José Mañas López, president of the association Friends of the Andalucian Legacy, which defends the historical coexistence of different religions and peoples in the region, welcomes the law as an act of recognition towards the Jewish community but understands that the 50,000 or so Moriscos in North Africa might feel “left out”.

“They, the Moriscos, see that there is discrimination. One group of people who were expelled gains a right; the other does not,” he said.

Mr Mañas López does not see the point of giving out Spanish passports to descendants of either of these communities when the important thing is recognition of a historical wrong. “This law does not go to the root of the matter. What is required is an institutional admission of repentance.”

Mrs Romero said her association will continue to demand redress for the injustice suffered by the Moriscos. “It is a question of Spanish identity and we are Spanish Muslims, even though a lot of people seem to think that Spanish nationality and Islam are somehow incompatible."

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 24, 2015, 12:54:47 AM6/24/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: It’s a very dangerous situation when war is the largest employer in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/06/23/the-worlds-biggest-employers-infographic/

The World's Biggest Employers [Infographic]

Given the size of their populations, many people generally assume that the world’s largest employers are Chinese or Indian. However, according to research published by the World Economic Forum, the US Department of Defense boasts a workforce of 3.2 million people, making it the largest global employer. The Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army, is in second position with a force of 2.3 million.

Walmart and McDonald’s come third and fourth with 2.1 and 1.9 million employees respectively (the number for McDonald’s includes franchises). England’s National Health Service (NHS) makes a surprising appearance in fifth place with a 1.7 million strong workforce – more than Indian Railways or the Indian armed forces.

*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)

The World's Biggest Employers

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jun 27, 2015, 3:18:53 AM6/27/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is Islam in its most literal interpretation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/269668-isis-islamic-contest-sex/

ISIS holds Koran-memorizing contest with lure of sex slaves

Published time: June 25, 2015 14:53
Edited time: June 26, 2015 09:03
Reuters / Muzaffar Salman

Reuters / Muzaffar Salman

Terrorists with Islamic State aren’t letting ordinary life pass them by – the group is holding a contest with prizes amid celebrations for the holy month of Ramadan. The game? Memorizing the Koran. The prize? Human sex slaves.

On the back of horrible atrocities committed on countless Kurdish and Syrian girls and young women, Islamic State (IS/ISIS, formerly ISIL) shows no signs of stopping. A further slap in the face of humanity was given when the Da’Wa and Mosques Department in Al-Baraka province in Syria got behind the idea of running the new contest, announced June 19, as Ramadan celebrations commenced, according to Middle East Media Research Institute and the Clarion Project. The two are research institutes tasked with tracking ISIS’ social media presence.

The Clarion Project has put up a translation of the text of the notice, which looks frighteningly like any other notice you’ve ever seen, except for the top three prizes – all slave girls, with a runner-up prize of 100,000 Syrian lira (approx. $462). There are a total of 10 prizes.

Contestants are asked to register with four of the mosques on the list. The prizes will be awarded at the start of Eid el-Fitr.

“We ask the great lord to make your life easier and to grant you with what he loves and what pleases him.” Signed: the Dept. of Dawa and Mosques.

Some most violent passages of the holy book were reportedly chosen for the contest.

Image from clarionproject.org

Image from clarionproject.org

Giving away humans as sex slaves is a custom known as ‘sybia.’

As to the origin of the ‘grand prize’, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights believes it could have come from Iraq, where 300 Yazidi girls were captured last year and reportedly sold to IS members in Syria for $1,000. Thousands more have been captured over the months, being sold into sex slavery and enduring unimaginable horrors, including daily rape and forced virginity restoration surgeries (multiple times).

According to Ryan Mauro of the Clarion Project, IS is holding the contest in a bid to show that its faith remains unshaken in a time of international condemnation, and that they take after the most literal form of Islam. “By showcasing its slavery, ISIS is boasting that it practices Islam in its most literal interpretation, doesn't capitulate to public opinion and rejects modern interpretations,” he said in an interview to Fox.

“It is also showing it has a functional Islamic educational system and therefore is a real caliphate,” he further said.

Ramadan is seen as being of key importance here, as the holy month is a time of the year Muslims are challenged with reaffirming their faith.

The news comes not too long after damning reports by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, outlining a culture of sexual depravity, human trafficking and horrific abuses against children.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 3, 2015, 5:41:22 PM7/3/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT:  This is wonderful! The entire world should do the same! Freedom of expression is either total or doesn't exist at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33378778

Iceland makes blasphemy legal

  • 3 July 2015
  • From the section Europe

Iceland's parliament has abolished its blasphemy laws, despite opposition from some of the country's churches.

A bill was put forward by the minority Pirate Party, which campaigns for internet and data freedom.

It came after the deadly attack the same month against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

The bill said it was "essential in a free society that the public can express themselves without fear of punishment".

As three members of the Pirate Party stood before parliament on Thursday, each said: "Je Suis Charlie", an expression used globally to express solidarity with the Charlie Hebdo victims.

After the ruling, the party wrote on its blog (in Icelandic): "Iceland's parliament has now established the important message that freedom will not give in to bloody attacks."

The blasphemy law had been in place since 1940, and anyone found guilty could have been sentenced to a fine or three months in prison.

In pictures: Iceland's desolate churches

Iceland's main religions

Lutheran state church: 80%

Other Christian denominations: 5%

Asatru (traditional Norse religion): 5%

Source: iceland.is

The Iceland Monitor website said that the Church of Iceland supported the change, and quoted them as saying that "any legislative powers limiting freedom of expression in this way is at variance with modern-day attitudes towards human rights".

The Catholic Church of Iceland, the Pentecostal Church and the Church of Iceland's eastern province opposed the changes.

The Catholic Church wrote in comments submitted after the bill was proposed: "Should freedom of expression go so far as to mean that the identity of a person of faith can be freely insulted, then personal freedom - as individuals or groups - is undermined."

The Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association said that the new law included provisions to ensure that people could still be prosecuted for hate speech.

Germany's Pirate Party have been active in campaigning against government-led surveillance

The Pirate Party

The Pirate movement was formed in Sweden in 2006 and has since spread to more than 60 countries.

None has seen as much success as the Icelandic branch, which says it is an "international political force fighting for genuine transparency and accountability in government".

In the 2013 election, it gained three MPs for the first time, and polls now say it is the most popular party in Iceland, with the support of 32.4% of the country.

In 2013, its members drafted a law calling for whistleblower Edward Snowden to be granted Icelandic citizenship.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 13, 2015, 10:09:12 PM7/13/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: "This is a wonderful artistic creation that decorates the natural environment with natural substances!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-32496258

Iceland: Pink geyser artist defends work

  • 28 April 2015
Copenhagen-based Marco Evaristti says he'll be challenging his fine in court

The geyser spurting pink
              water.
An artist who controversially turned an Icelandic geyser bright pink has defended his work after coming in for criticism.

Marco Evaristti was slapped with a 100,000 Icelandic kronur ($740; £490) penalty for dyeing the famous Strokkur geyser using food colouring. The Danish-based Chilean artist has so far refused to pay up, and on Sunday he left Iceland without any objection from the police, the Morgunbladid website reports. Mr Evaristti says the dye he used to turn the hot spring pink was harmless, and that people's criticism shows their "concern, care and love for nature". It was part of a long-term project which, among other creations, has seen him dye a Saharan sandbank - and nearby sheep - pink.

The artist has faced a tirade of online hostility over the past few days, with many people accusing him of arrogance and disrespect for Iceland. "All artists choose their canvas, but when it goes so far as to potentially harming natural environments you have to know where to draw the line," reads one comment on Mr Evaristti's Facebook page. A smaller number defend the artist and criticise the tone of the debate. "I'm embarrassed by the way people talk to you," says one woman, who describes the pink geyser as "beautiful and thought-provoking". She adds: "I wish that people would act this way when some of the BIG companies and governments are truly ruining our nature!"

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 13, 2015, 10:10:20 PM7/13/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: "This is wonderful news!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32710444

US Christians numbers 'decline sharply', poll finds

  • 12 May 2015
Five million fewer Americans identify as Christian now compared with 2007

The number of Americans who identify as Christian has fallen nearly eight percentage points in only seven years, according to a new survey.

Pew Research Center found that 71% of Americans identified as Christian in 2014 - down from 78% in 2007.

In the same period, Americans identifying as having no religion grew from 16% to 23%.

Fifty-six million Americans do not observe any religion, the second largest community after Evangelicals.

The United States still remains home to more Christians than any other nation, with roughly seven-in-ten continuing to identify with some branch of Christianity.

In 2007 and then again in 2014, Pew conducted the "Religious Landscape Study", interviewing 35,000 people each time.

Pew researchers say the losses they discovered were driven mainly by a decrease among liberal Protestants and Catholics and occurred in all regions of the US and among all ages and demographics.

About 5 million fewer Americans now identify as Christian compared to when the study was conducted in 2007.

In the South, those not-affiliated with religion - or as the researchers call them, "nones" - rose to 19% of the population, while in the Northeast they climbed to 25%.

In the West "nones" are a larger group than any religion, making up 28% of the public.

Greg Smith, Pew's associate research director, said the findings "point to substantive changes" among the religiously unaffiliated, not just a shift in how people describe themselves.

Non-religious Americans have become increasingly organised since 2007, forming political groups designed to keep religion out of public life.

Kelly Damerow with the Secular Coalition for America tells BBC News that the Pew findings "lend credence to the growth we've witnessed within our community and that we have the potential to hold a lot of political clout".

Christians in the US

Americans who identify as Christian: 70.6%

Protestant faiths: 46.5%

Evangelical: 25.4%

Catholic: 20.8%

Mainline or liberal: 14.7%

Mormon: 1.6%

Jehovah's Witness: 0.8%

Identify as Other Christians: 0.4%

Source: Pew Research Center

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 13, 2015, 10:11:59 PM7/13/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: "So no global warming, but a new ice age in 15 years instead!!! In this case, to save humanity we should push the world to emit more atmosphere-warming gasses! With a carbon tax on those not emitting enough?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://rt.com/news/273169-solar-cycle-ice-age/

Winter is coming: Earth awaits ‘mini ice age’ in 15 years, solar cycle study suggests

Published time: July 12, 2015 00:37
Edited time: July 12, 2015 07:40
Reuters / Brian Snyder

Earth is facing the prospect of a ‘mini ice age’ this century, with our sun’s activity projected to fall 60 percent in the 2030s, British astrophysicists say, based on the results of new research that they claim allows exact predictions of solar cycles.

Our planet is just 15 years from a new ‘mini ice age’ that could cause extremely cold winters characterized by the freezing of normally ice-free rivers as well as by year-round snow fields in areas that have never witnessed such climate conditions before, a group of astrophysicists claim.

The scientists could draw such a conclusion based on a new model of the sun’s activity that reportedly enables the researchers to make “extremely accurate predictions” of changes in solar activity.

Although, the fact that the sun’s activity varies within a 10-12 year long cycles was first discovered almost two centuries ago, in 1843, all the previously existing explanatory models failed to fully explain the fluctuations with each cycle as well as between the cycles.

Until now, the astrophysicists thought that the variations of the solar activity depended on the dynamo caused by convecting fluid deep inside the sun.

The latest study conducted by a research team from Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and led by Professor Valentina Zharkova demonstrated that the variations in the Sun’s activity are caused by two dynamo processes – one deep in the convection zone of the sun and one near its surface.

The research team analyzed three solar activity cycles that cover the period from 1976 to 2008 studying magnetic field activity of the sun during this time by using a technique called principal component analysis of the magnetic field observations from the Wilcox Solar Observatory in California.

The scientists discovered magnetic waves in two different layers of the Solar interior that “fluctuate between the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun.”

“We found magnetic wave components appearing in pairs, originating in two different layers in the Sun’s interior. They both have a frequency of approximately 11 years, although this frequency is slightly different, and they are offset in time,” said Professor Zharkova.

Later, they also compared their findings concerning the intensity of the Sun’s activity with each year’s data on the average number of sunspots – a strong indicator of solar activity.

As a result, the team managed to create a very accurate model of predicting the solar activity fluctuations.

“Combining both waves together and comparing to real data for the current solar cycle, we found that our predictions showed an accuracy of 97 percent,” said Zharkova.

The study findings were presented at the National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno on July 9 and published in the Royal Astronomical Society papers.

The model demonstrates that solar activity will fall by 60 percent by 2030 as the magnetic waves inside the Sun will become increasingly more desynchronized during the next two cycles, especially during cycle 26, which covers the decade between 2030 and 2040.

“In cycle 26, the two waves exactly mirror each other – peaking at the same time but in opposite hemispheres of the Sun. Their interaction will be disruptive, or they will nearly cancel each other,” Professor Zharkova said.

“Effectively, when the waves are approximately in phase, they can show strong interaction, or resonance, and we have strong solar activity. When they are out of phase, we have solar minimums. When there is full phase separation, we have the conditions last seen during the Maunder minimum, 370 years ago,” she added.

The Maunder minimum is a name of a period between 1645 and 1715 characterized by prolonged low solar activity as well as by extremely cold winters in Europe and North America as it also correlates with a climatic period between 1550 and 1850 called the ‘Little Ice Age.’

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 24, 2015, 11:58:07 AM7/24/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This recognizes that carbon 14 dating can be affected and become hugely imprecise! And indeed, in the past there was a lot of fossil fuel emission due to Elohim activities on earth and many other causes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150720154505.htm

Fossil fuel emissions will complicate radiocarbon dating

Date:
July 20, 2015
Source:
Imperial College London
Summary:
Fossil fuel emissions could soon make it impossible for radiocarbon dating to distinguish new materials from artefacts that are hundreds of years old.
Share:

FULL STORY

Early artifact: Bayeux tapestry of Norman invasion of England. At the rate fossil fuel emissions are currently increasing, by 2050 a new T-shirt would have the same radiocarbon date as a robe worn by William the Conqueror a thousand years earlier.
Credit: © jorisvo / Fotolia

Fossil fuel emissions could soon make it impossible for radiocarbon dating to distinguish new materials from artefacts that are hundreds of years old.

Carbon released by burning fossil fuels is diluting radioactive carbon-14 and artificially raising the radiocarbon 'age' of the atmosphere, according to a paper published today (Monday 20 July 2015) in the journal PNAS.

Radiocarbon measurements have a range of uses, from analysing archaeological finds, to detecting fraudulent works of art, to identifying illegal ivory trading, to assessing the regeneration of brain cells in neurological patients.

The new study suggests that some of these current uses will be affected over this century, depending on how much fossil fuel emissions increase or decrease.

"If we reduced fossil fuel emissions, it would be good news for radiocarbon dating," said the study's author, Dr Heather Graven from the Department of Physics and the Grantham Institute -- Climate Change and Environment at Imperial College London.

Carbon-14 is a rare, but naturally occurring, radioactive type of carbon that decays over thousands of years.

Radiocarbon dating works by measuring how much the fraction of carbon-14 versus non-radioactive carbon in an object has changed and therefore how long the object has been around.

Fossil fuels like coal and oil are so old that they contain no carbon-14. When their emissions mix with the modern atmosphere, they flood it with non-radioactive carbon.

In radiocarbon dating terms this makes the atmosphere appear older, which is reflected in the tissues of plants taking in CO2 during photosynthesis, and their products such as cottons.

At the rate fossil fuel emissions are currently increasing, by 2050 a new T-shirt would have the same radiocarbon date as a robe worn by William the Conqueror a thousand years earlier.

If fossil fuel emissions were rapidly curbed, the new t-shirt would only have the same radiocarbon age as something 100 years old, according to the study.

The fraction of carbon-14 in the atmosphere decreased after the Industrial Revolution with the rise of fossil fuel combustion. But in the 1950s and 60s, nuclear weapons testing caused a sharp increase. Since then atmospheric observations show the levels have been dropping, and are now close to the pre-industrial proportions.

The new study indicates that by 2020, the fraction of carbon-14 could drop to such an extent that radiocarbon dating will start to be affected.

"We can see from atmospheric observations that radiocarbon levels are steadily decreasing. How low they go depends on changes in our fossil fuel emissions," said Dr Graven.


Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Imperial College London. The original item was written by Simon Levey. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Heather D Graven. Impact of fossil fuel emissions on atmospheric radiocarbon and various applications of radiocarbon over this century. Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1504467112

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 29, 2015, 12:28:22 PM7/29/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Wow! This is another blow against European colonialism and stupidity!  So Christopher Colombus did not "discover America a few centuries ago. The Chinese did it 3,300 years ago, and the American Indians are probably their descendants. If we follow the "right of return" rule of the Jews in Israel, the Chinese should in this case have the right of return to America and be able to create a kind of Gaza camp for Europeans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3152556/Did-China-discover-AMERICA-Ancient-Chinese-script-carved-rocks-prove-Asians-lived-New-World-3-300-years-ago.html


Did China discover AMERICA? Ancient Chinese script carved into rocks may prove Asians lived in New World 3,300 years ago

  • Author and researcher John Ruskamp claims to have found pictograms from the ancient Chinese Shang Dynasty etched into rocks in America
  • The symbols are carved into rocks in New Mexico, California and Arizona
  • He says the Chinese were exploring North America long before Europeans
  • He claims the symbols give details of journeys and honour the Shang king

Published: 04:13 EST, 9 July 2015 | Updated: 11:53 EST, 10 July 2015

The discovery of the Americas has for centuries been credited to the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, but ancient markings carved into rocks around the US could require history to be rewritten.

Researchers have discovered ancient scripts that suggest Chinese explorers may have discovered America long before Europeans arrived there.

They have found pictograms etched into the rocks around the country that appear to belong of an ancient Chinese script.

Scroll down for video 

Epigraph researcher John Ruskamp claims these
                  symbols shown in the enhanced image above, found
                  etched into rock at the Petroglyph National Monument
                  in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are evidence that ancient
                  Chinese explorers discovered America long before
                  Christopher Columbus stumbled on the continent in
                  1492
+7

Epigraph researcher John Ruskamp claims these symbols shown in the enhanced image above, found etched into rock at the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are evidence that ancient Chinese explorers discovered America long before Christopher Columbus stumbled on the continent in 1492

They say could have been inscribed there alongside the carvings of Native Americans by Chinese explorers thousands of years ago.

John Ruskamp, a retired chemist and amateur epigraph researcher from Illinois, discovered the unusual markings while walking in the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He claims they indicate ancient people from Asia were present in the Americas around 1,300BC – nearly 2,800 years before Columbus's ships stumbled across the New World by reaching the Caribbean in 1492.

ASIAN TRADERS BEAT COLUMBUS

Trade was taking place between East Asia and the New World hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus arrived in the area in 1492.

Archaeologists have made the suggestion following the discovery of a series of bronze artefacts found at the 'Rising Whale' site in Cape Espenberg, Alaska.

They found what they believe to be a bronze and leather buckle and a bronze whistle, dating to around A.D. 600.

Bronze-working had not been developed at this time in Alaska, and researchers instead believe the artefacts were created in China, Korea or Yakutia.

'We're seeing the interactions, indirect as they are, with these so-called "high civilisations" of China, Korea or Yakutia,' Owen Mason, a research associate at the University of Colorado. 

Researchers believe those who lived at the Rising Whale site may be part of what scientists call the 'Birnirk' culture.

This is a group of people who lived on both sides of the Bering Strait and used skin boats and harpoons to hunt whales, LiveScience reports.

The latest discovery of bronze artefacts backs up earlier evidence for trade between Alaska and other civilisations prior to 1492.

He said: 'These ancient Chinese writings in North America cannot be fake, for the markings are very old as are the style of the scripts. 

'As such the findings of this scientific study confirm that ancient Chinese people were exploring and positively interacting with the Native peoples over 2,500 years ago.

'The pattern of the finds suggests more of an expedition than settlement.'

However, his controversial views have been met with scepticism by many experts who point to the lack of archaeological evidence for any ancient Chinese presence in the New World.

Mr Ruskamp is not the first to claim that the Chinese were the first to discover America - retired submarine lieutenant-commander Gavin Menzies claimed a fleet of Chinese ships sailed to North America in 1421, 70 years before Columbus's expedition.

However, Mr Ruskamp believes the contact between the Chinese and Native Americans may have been going on for far longer.

He claims to have identified 84 pictograms which match unique ancient Chinese sites in various locations around the US including New Mexico, California, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona and Nevada.

He says many of these have been examined by experts on ancient Chinese scripts and they appear to forms of writing that went out of use thousands of years ago.

The pictograms he discovered on the rocks of Albuquerque appear to be an ancient script that was used by the Chinese after the end Shang Dynsasty.

Known as oracle bone pictograms, Mr Ruskamp claims the markings record a ritual sacrificial offering perhaps made to the 3rd Shang dynasty king Da Jia and also a divination of an 'auspicious' 10 day sacred period.

With the help of experts on Neolithic Chinese
                  culture, Mr Ruskamp has deciphered the pictograms
                  (shown in the enhanced image above with the
                  translations) he has discovered at Petroglyph National
                  Monument in Albuquerque and claims they details a
                  sacrificial offering of a dog to the 3rd Shang dynasty
                  king Da Jai
+7

With the help of experts on Neolithic Chinese culture, Mr Ruskamp has deciphered the pictograms (shown in the enhanced image above with the translations) he has discovered at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque and claims they details a sacrificial offering of a dog to the 3rd Shang dynasty king Da Jai

Mr Ruskamp claims to have found evidence of
                  ancient Chinese scripts etched into rocks in New
                  Mexico, Nevada and Arizona, as shown in the map above
+7

Mr Ruskamp claims to have found evidence of ancient Chinese scripts etched into rocks in New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona, as shown in the map above

Mr Ruskamp said: 'Although only half of the symbols found on the large boulder in Albuquerque, New Mexico have been identified and confirmed as Chinese scripts, when the four central pictogram-glyphs of this message - Jie, Da, Quan, and Xian - are read in the traditional Chinese manner from right to left we learn about a respectful man honoring a superior with the sacrificial offering of a dog. 

'Notably, the written order of these symbols conforms with the syntax used for documenting ancient Chinese rituals during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and dog sacrifices were very popular in the second part of the second millennium B.C. in China.'

He says he has also found ancient Chinese scripts for the number five and writing describing a boat upon water, which he found on the shore of Little Lake in California.

Mr Ruskamp also claims the pictograms shown
                  above, which were found carved into rocks in Arizona,
                  also appear to belong to an ancient Chinese script. He
                  believes Chinese explorers were conducting expeditions
                  around North America thousands of years ago and left
                  these markings as evidence of their presence
+7

Mr Ruskamp also claims the pictograms shown above, which were found carved into rocks in Arizona, also appear to belong to an ancient Chinese script. He believes Chinese explorers were conducting expeditions around North America thousands of years ago and left these markings as evidence of their presence

Mr Ruskamp first discovered ancient Chinese
                  scripts at Petroglyph National Monument (shown above),
                  n Albuquerque, New Mexico, alongside carvings made by
                  Native Americans
+7

Mr Ruskamp first discovered ancient Chinese scripts at Petroglyph National Monument (shown above), n Albuquerque, New Mexico, alongside carvings made by Native Americans

Mr Ruskamp says he has also found ancient Chinese scripts for dogs, flowers, and the earth scratched onto the rocks in Petroglyph National Monument.

He also claims to have found a Chinese pictogram of an elephant dating to 500BC in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, suggesting the Asian explorers had spread across much of the US.

Another pictogram found in Grapevine Canyon in Nevada, appears to be an oracle-bone era symbol for teeth dating to 1,300BC.

One ancient message, preserved in Arizona translates as: 'Set apart (for) 10 years together; declaring (to) return, (the) journey completed, (to the) house of the Sun; (the) journey completed together.'

At the end of this text is an unidentified character that may be the author’s signature.

Mr Ruskamp said: 'Here the intention of the ancient author was more to document an event than to leave a readable message.'

Mr Ruskamp says this cartouche, which forms part
                  of a set found in Arizona, is an ancient Chinese
                  symbol for 'returning together'. He insists weathering
                  on the markings and the age of the script suggest they
                  are not fake
+7

Mr Ruskamp says this cartouche, which forms part of a set found in Arizona, is an ancient Chinese symbol for 'returning together'. He insists weathering on the markings and the age of the script suggest they are not fake

Mr Ruskamp has written a book and an academic paper on the topic, which is currently undergoing peer review.  

In it he claims the carvings appear to have undergone significant levels of weathering, known as repatination which indicate they were created long ago and not within the past 150 years.

He says the Shang script disappeared from use around the fall of the Shang empire in 1046BC and were only rediscovered and deciphered in 1899 in China.

Taken together this suggests the carvings are unlikely to be fakes, he insists. 

He also points to DNA evidence which has suggested Native Americans and Asian populations share many genetic traits. 

He said: 'For centuries, researchers have been debating if, in pre-Columbian times, meaningful exchanges between the indigenous peoples of Asia and the Americas might have taken place.

'Here is "rock solid" epigraphic proof that Asiatic explorers not only reached the Americas, but that they interacted positively with Native North American people, on multiple occasions, long before any European exploration of the continent.'

Mr Ruskamp has also managed to decifer the symbol
                  above as an oracle-bone script for 'Together for Ten
                  Years'. It was found alongside other markings on a
                  rock in Arizona
+7

Mr Ruskamp has also managed to decifer the symbol above as an oracle-bone script for 'Together for Ten Years'. It was found alongside other markings on a rock in Arizona

His views are also beginning to be taken seriously by other academics and they echo some theories put forward by researchers such as Dr Dennis Stanford of the Smithsonian Institution, who believed North America was first populated by people from Asia during the last ice age. 

According to the Epoch Times, one of Mr Ruskamp's staunchest supporters has been Dr David Keightley, an expert on Neolithic Chinese civilization at the University of California, Berkley.

He has been helping to decipher the scripts found carved into the rocks.

Dr Michael Medrano, chief of the Division of Resource Management for Petroglyph National Monument, has also studied the petroglyphs found by Mr Ruskamp.

He told the Epoch Times: 'These images do not readily appear to be associated with local tribal entities.

'Based on repatination, they appear to have antiquity to them.'

Selected by Rael

unread,
Jul 30, 2015, 1:56:22 AM7/30/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Amnesty International is absolutely right! Sexuality between consenting adults, whether money is involved or not, is not the business of any government or authority. People must have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies: to "prostitute" their brain like all intellectuals and politicians, or their hands like any manual worker, or their sex. Distinguishing between sex and other body parts is connected with the Judeo-Christian prejudice of those condemning it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.rt.com/uk/311078-sex-worker-celebrity-amnesty/

‘Fame-seeking’ celebrities at war with Amnesty over legalizing prostitution

© Charles Platiau
© Charles Platiau / Reuters
Hollywood celebrities and former sex workers are at war with Amnesty International over the group’s proposal to recognize prostitution as a human right.

The London-based human rights organization frequently receives backing from high-profile American celebrities. But Amnesty’s controversial ‘Draft Policy on Sex Work’ proposal, which argues for the decriminalization of prostitution, has not been well received.

The draft policy states that all “consensual sexual conduct between adults – which excluded acts that involve coercion, deception, threats, or violence – is entitled to protection from state interference.”

The report, which will be presented next month at an Amnesty meeting in Ireland, says banning the sex trade will lead to “increasing harassment of and violence against sex workers.”

It claims ongoing criminalization will add to more “ill-treatment [of sex workers] at the hands of the police.”

Oscar-winning actresses including Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson and Kate Right have teamed up with former sex workers and women’s rights organizations to condemn Amnesty’s idea.

In a letter co-signed by Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, urging Amnesty to reconsider its draft policy, Lena Dunham, Emily Blunt, Lisa Kudrow and Anne Hathaway said they are “deeply troubled by Amnesty’s proposal.” 

The letter addressed to the human rights organization leaders reads: “[We are] deeply troubled by Amnesty’s proposal to adopt a policy that calls for the decriminalization of pimps, brothel owners and buyers of sex – the pillars of a $99 billion global sex industry.

The charity’s reputation would be “severely and irreparably tarnished” if it adopts a policy that sides with the buyers of sex, the letter concluded.

The stars are eager to see more pimps prosecuted under the “Swedish-style policy” for paying for sex.

Over a two-year period, Amnesty gathered evidence from UN agencies and interviewed sex workers around the world to find out how to best regulate the industry.

Amnesty say outlawing sex work, even indirectly, will discriminate against prostitutes and force them to work in more dangerous conditions.

Speaking to RT, Northern Irish sex worker Emily Major, who financially depends on her trade, says criminalizing the sex trade will only “put vulnerable sex workers in danger.

I myself love sex and above all enjoy being in control of my own life, my work hours and what I actually do.”

Criminalizing of the trade will only “cause the industry to go underground and make women do unsafe things to ensure they get that extra bit of business.”

The celebrities argue decriminalization of the sex trade in Germany has “failed to make sex workers safer” and made trafficking easier.

Sex worker and political campaigner Charlotte Rose told RT that celebrities “don’t have the right to judge, as they have never been there themselves.”

She said actors “prostitute themselves for their own spotlight on stage” whereas sex workers “do it behind closed doors,” claiming that people in her profession “have more dignity.”

It’s the human right to earn a living, and if the activities are consensual and do not harm a third party, no one has the right to stick there ore in.

Any celebrity that states otherwise is just looking for a glorified five minutes of fame under the topic.”

Instead, they should “spend their time helping sex workers that want to get out of the industry rather than penalizing the people who enjoy it.”

In a statement, Amnesty said sex workers are “one of the most marginalized groups in the world, so it is important that we understand, as Amnesty International, we can support their human rights.”

This is a divisive, sensitive and complex issue and it is important that we get it right. No policy has been adopted by Amnesty International and it is not possible to speculate about the eventual income of the vote.”

Selected by Rael

unread,
Aug 3, 2015, 1:37:44 PM8/3/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: The only matters about which we should have "ethical committees” are those concerning military equipment and doctrines....and there are absolutely none. No "ethical committee" has ever reviewed the atomic bomb and its use on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and none has reviewed killer drones, chemical weapons like agent orange, biological warfare, Guantanamo, etc. But if somebody wants to create a new genetic medicine, then every anti-scientific, stupid traditionalist jumps to ask for an "ethical committee" to review it and slow down progress. At the beginning of medicine, the first surgeons were excommunicated for opening human bodies. At that time the "ethical committee" was the Catholic Church, and it’s no surprise that nowadays the Catholic Church also wants to be involved. It was also the same Catholic Church that was against medicine at large, claiming that men must only pray and accept their imaginary god’s decisions about  human health. It’s time to get rid of any ethical committee for nonviolent science.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/07/31/the-moral-imperative-for-bioethics/JmEkoyzlTAu9oQV76JrK9N/story.html

The moral imperative for bioethics

By Steven Pinker  

A powerful new technique for editing genomes, CRISPR-Cas9, is the latest in a series of advances in biotechnology that have raised concerns about the ethics of biomedical research and inspired calls for moratoria and new regulations. Indeed, biotechnology has moral implications that are nothing short of stupendous. But they are not the ones that worry the worriers.

Have you had a friend or relative who died prematurely or endured years of suffering from a physical or psychiatric disease, such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, or schizophrenia? Of course you have: the cost of disease is felt by every living human. The Global Burden of Disease Project has tried to quantify it by estimating the number of years lost to premature death or compromised by disability. In 2010 it was 2.5 billion, which means that about a third of potential human life and flourishing goes to waste. The toll from crime, wars, and genocides does not come anywhere close.

Physical suffering and early death have long been considered an ineluctable part of the human condition. But human ingenuity is changing that apparent fate. The past two decades have seen a 35 percent reduction in the per capita, age-specific disability-adjusted life-years lost to disease. The improvements, though geographically uneven, are worldwide: every continent has enjoyed massive gains.

Part of the improvement is a gift of economic development. Citizens of richer countries live longer and healthier lives because basic public-health measures and medical interventions have largely conquered the infectious, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional disorders which continue to take a toll (though a decreasing one) in the developing world. But not all the gains have been low-hanging fruit. Advances in drugs, surgery, and epidemiology have brought reductions in years lost to more recalcitrant diseases in every age range and in richer as well as poorer countries. As the treatments get cheaper and poor countries get richer, these gains will spread.

Biomedical research, then, promises vast increases in life, health, and flourishing. Just imagine how much happier you would be if a prematurely deceased loved one were alive, or a debilitated one were vigorous — and multiply that good by several billion, in perpetuity. Given this potential bonanza, the primary moral goal for today’s bioethics can be summarized in a single sentence.

Get out of the way.

A truly ethical bioethics should not bog down research in red tape, moratoria, or threats of prosecution based on nebulous but sweeping principles such as “dignity,” “sacredness,” or “social justice.” Nor should it thwart research that has likely benefits now or in the near future by sowing panic about speculative harms in the distant future. These include perverse analogies with nuclear weapons and Nazi atrocities, science-fiction dystopias like “Brave New World’’ and “Gattaca,’’ and freak-show scenarios like armies of cloned Hitlers, people selling their eyeballs on eBay, or warehouses of zombies to supply people with spare organs. Of course, individuals must be protected from identifiable harm, but we already have ample safeguards for the safety and informed consent of patients and research subjects.

Some say that it’s simple prudence to pause and consider the long-term implications of research before it rushes headlong into changing the human condition. But this is an illusion.

First, slowing down research has a massive human cost. Even a one-year delay in implementing an effective treatment could spell death, suffering, or disability for millions of people.

Second, technological prediction beyond a horizon of a few years is so futile that any policy based on it is almost certain to do more harm than good. Contrary to confident predictions during my childhood, the turn of the 21st century did not bring domed cities, jetpack commuting, robot maids, mechanical hearts, or regularly scheduled flights to the moon. This ignorance, of course, cuts both ways: few visionaries foresaw the disruptive effects of the World Wide Web, digital music, ubiquitous smartphones, social media, or fracking.

Biomedical research in particular is defiantly unpredictable. The silver-bullet cancer cures of yesterday’s newsmagazine covers, like interferon and angiogenesis inhibitors, disappointed the breathless expectations, as have elixirs such as antioxidants, Vioxx, and hormone replacement therapy. Nineteen years after Dolly the sheep was cloned, we are nowhere near seeing parents implanting genes for musical, athletic, or intellectual talent in their unborn children.

In the other direction, treatments that were decried in their time as paving the road to hell, including vaccination, transfusions, anesthesia, artificial insemination, organ transplants, and in-vitro fertilization, have become unexceptional boons to human well-being.

Biomedical advances will always be incremental and hard-won, and foreseeable harms can be dealt with as they arise. The human body is staggeringly complex, vulnerable to entropy, shaped by evolution for youthful vigor at the expense of longevity, and governed by intricate feedback loops which ensure that any intervention will be compensated for by other parts of the system. Biomedical research will always be closer to Sisyphus than a runaway train — and the last thing we need is a lobby of so-called ethicists helping to push the rock down the hill.

Steven Pinker is professor of psychology at Harvard University, and the author, most recently, of “The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century.”

Selected by Rael

unread,
Aug 4, 2015, 1:12:56 PM8/4/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is very colonialist behavior: recognizing on one hand that they were the first real Australians, yet on the other hand denying them the right to be consulted first. Aboriginals should hold this consultation amongst their own people even if it doesn't please the colonialist Australian government. Eventually they should also ask for total independence and get all their original land back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-33767921

Australian PM knocks back Indigenous constitution plan

Mr Abbott is at loggerheads with Indigenous leaders

Australia's Prime Minister has rejected a proposal to consult Aboriginal people first about recognising them in the nation's constitution.

Aboriginal leaders want their own people to agree first on how to move towards constitutional recognition for the country's first peoples.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said such a move would not gain broader support.

Indigenous Australians are not mentioned in the constitution and a treaty was never negotiated with them.

Mr Abbott has pledged to hold a referendum in 2017 that could see Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders recognised as the first Australians.

Indigenous leaders are angry Mr Abbott has rejected their proposals to hold Indigenous-only meetings first.

But in a letter to Indigenous leaders, published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said holding Indigenous-only meetings first risked creating "a log of claims".

He said his "anxiety about a separate Indigenous process is that it jars with the notion of finally substituting 'we' for 'them and us'".

"I am in favour of building consensus, but strongly believe that this should be a national consensus in favour of a particular form of recognition rather than simply an Indigenous one," Mr Abbott said.

Influential Cape York leader Noel Pearson told local media Mr Abbott's "log of claims" comments was "probably the most dismal part of this whole matter — it's almost offensive".

Proposed changes to the constitution:

A Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples has recommended these changes to the constitution:

  • Recognising that the continent and its islands now known as Australia were first occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • Acknowledging the continuing relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with their traditional lands and waters
  • Respecting the continuing cultures, languages and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Repealing the two so-called "race provisions":

  • section 25 that recognises that the states can disqualify people on the basis of their race from voting
  • section 51(26) that allows laws to be made based upon a person's race.

Indigenous lawyer Patrick Dodson said Aboriginal Australians needed to have their "own discussions" on "complicated matters".

"Until you can get something that is consensual it is very difficult to give them comfort to a proposition that may or may not have their support," Mr Dodson told National Indigenous Television (NITV).

Aboriginal Australians need to feel confident about the process, says Patrick Dodson

Speaking at an Indigenous festival in the Northern Territory on the weekend, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda said it was hard not to feel despair.

"I sometimes think I meet the definition of insanity," said Mr Gooda, according to local media.

"I keep saying the same thing expecting different outcomes, but the thing I keep saying is you have got to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people respectfully, and that's what was proposed here."

Selected by Rael

unread,
Aug 5, 2015, 12:36:38 PM8/5/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This was the worst crime against humanity ever committed. It’s a shame for the United States that no president has ever apologized for it. Claiming that lives were saved by atomic bombing that destroyed 2 cities and instantly killed 500,000 innocent civilians is like saying a crime against humanity was a good thing.  If we follow that logic, U.S. cities are legitimate targets for any U.S. enemy in case of war.  Are U.S. citizens and politicians willing to say that the nuclear bombing of New York and Los Angeles would be OK if it would shorten a war?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33754931

The 'sanitised narrative' of Hiroshima's atomic bombing

  • 4 August 2015
  • From the section Asia
Media caption Hiroshima survivor Keiko Ogura recalls the horror of what she saw

The US has always insisted that the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to end World War Two. But it is a narrative that has little emphasis on the terrible human cost.

I met a remarkable young man in Hiroshima the other day. His name is Jamal Maddox and he is a student at Princeton University in America. Jamal had just toured the peace museum and met with an elderly hibakusha, a survivor of the bombing.

Standing near the famous A-Bomb Dome, I asked Jamal whether his visit to Hiroshima had changed the way he views America's use of the atom bomb on the city 70 years ago. He considered the question for a long time.

"It's a difficult question," he finally said. "I think we as a society need to revisit this point in history and ask ourselves how America came to a point where it was okay to destroy entire cities, to firebomb entire cities.

"I think that's what's really necessary if we are going to really make sense of what happened on that day."

A conventional view in the US is that while terrible, the use of the bomb brought an end to the war

It isn't the sort of thing you often hear said by Americans about Hiroshima. The first President George Bush famously said that issuing an apology for Hiroshima would be "rank revisionism" and he would never do it.

The conventional wisdom in the United States is that the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war, and because of that it was justified - end of story.

Is that really the end of the story?

It's certainly a convenient one. But it is one that was constructed after the war, by America's leaders, to justify what they had done. And what they had done was, by any measure, horrendous.

Tokyo had already been devastated by waves of US firebombing

It didn't start on 6 August. It had started months before with the fire bombing of Tokyo.

On 9 March 1945, 25 sq km (9.7 sq miles) of Tokyo were destroyed in a huge firestorm. The death toll was as large, or even larger, than the first day at Hiroshima. From April to July the relentless bombing continued in other parts of Japan.

Then came Hiroshima.

'There was no sound at all'

Keiko Ogura had just celebrated her eighth birthday. Her home was on the northern edge of Hiroshima behind a low hill. At 08:10 on 6 August, she was out on the street in front of the house.

The bomb was set to explode 500m (0.3 miles) above the ground for maximum destructive effect

"I was surrounded by a tremendous flash and blast at the same time," she says.

"I couldn't breathe. I was knocked to the ground and became unconscious. When I awoke I thought it was already night because I could not see anything, there was no sound at all."

What Keiko witnessed in the following hours is hard to comprehend.

By mid-morning, survivors of the blast began pouring out of the city looking for help. Many were in a terrible state.

"Most of the people who were fleeing tried to go to the hillside. There was a Shinto shrine near our house so many came here," she says.

"Their skin was peeling off and hanging. At first I saw some and I thought they were holding a rag or something, but really it was skin peeling off. I noticed their burned hair. There was a very bad smell."

A deliberate civilian target

Eighteen-year-old Shizuko Abe was staggering out of the city, the whole right side of her body burned, her skin hanging off. Now 88, she still bears the terrible imprint of the bomb on her face and hands.

Many of those who did not die from the initial impact of the bomb were left with horrific injuries

"I was burned badly on my right side and my left hand was also burned from the bomb. Fire was coming closer… We were told to run to rivers when hit by air raids so people jumped into the rivers.

"So many bodies were floating in the river that I could not even see the water," she says.

Somehow, despite the agony, she staggered to a medical station.

"They did not even have any dressing for the wounds. Many injured people lay their bodies down under the roof, so I found a place there as well to lie down. People around me were calling out 'Mother it hurts, Father it hurts'.

"When I stopped hearing that, I realised they had died right next to me."

The crew of the Enola Gay were treated as heroes for dropping an A-bomb on the heavily populated city

Hiroshima was not a military target. The crew of the Enola Gay did not aim at the docks, or large industrial facilities.

Their target was the geographical centre of the city. The bomb was set to explode 500m (0.3 miles) above the ground for maximum destructive effect.

On the ground many survived the initial blast, but were trapped in the wreckage of their homes under wooden beams and heavy tiled roofs. Then the fires began.

Ms Abe remembers hearing the cries for help from beneath the debris as the flames swept forward.

"They were such sad voices calling out for help. Even 70 years later, I can still hear them calling out for help," she says.

Children who survived Hiroshima's bombing wear masks to cope with the smell of tens of thousands of corpses

No-one is sure how many died on that first day. Estimates start at 70,000. More than eight out of 10 were civilians.

If you look up "Hiroshima in colour" online, you will find some remarkable film that is now kept in the US national archives.

A US military team and Japanese camera crew shot more than 20 hours of film in March 1946. It is the most complete and detailed visual record of the after effects of the first atomic attack.

There is high-quality colour footage of the horrific scarring caused by flash burns from the bomb. There are injuries that had never been seen before.

'They should not thank the bomb'

What is all the more remarkable is that the film was not seen in public until the early 1980s. It was marked secret and suppressed by the US government for more than 30 years.

Instead, Americans were told a sanitised narrative of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: that a great scientific endeavour had brought quick victory, and saved hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides.

Radiation poisoning, a previously unknown condition, would claim thousands more victims in the weeks after the bombing

Decades later when Ms Ogura travelled to the Washington DC to see the unveiling of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Museum, she was astonished to find this version of history still holding sway.

"Many American people said to me, '"Congratulations, you could come here thanks to the bombing! Without the bombing you would have to do hara-kiri, you know, commit suicide'."

"That is a very awful excuse. We do not blame the Americans, but they should not say that thanks to the bomb so many people could survive."

A lifetime of radiation secrecy

The atomic bombing has left one final legacy that sets it apart from all the other horrors of World War II.

In the weeks after the bombing otherwise healthy people began dying of a strange new illness. First they lost their appetite, then they began to run a high fever.

Finally strange red blotches began appearing under their skin. No-one knew it at the time, but these people were dying from radiation poisoning.

To this day many hibakusha keep their pasts a secret, afraid that their families will be discriminated against because of the fear of radiation.

"I had bad burns and looked deformed so I could not keep it secret," says Ms Abe. "My children were discriminated against. They were called 'A-bomb children'."

Tears fill her eyes as she describes what happened to them.

Media caption Rupert Wingfield-Hayes takes a trip on the tram that survived the Hiroshima bombing

"They told me they had to choose a different route to come home from school because they were bullied and chased by the other children. I felt the pain my children had to go through because of their mother, because of me."

Even today some hide the fact that a grandparent is an A-bomb survivor, afraid their children may find it difficult to find a husband or wife.

The human cost

It is said that those who don't know their own history are condemned to repeat it. Japanese leaders are rightly criticised for their continued attempts to whitewash Japan's WWII crimes in China, Korea and South East Asia.

One of the very few buildings that survived the blast was the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building
Today it is known as the A-bomb Dome, a peace memorial to the bombing

It is also true that terror bombing was not invented by the United States. The Nazis unleashed it at Guernica in 1937 and again on British cities in 1940.

The Japanese bombed Chongqing for six years. The British destroyed Dresden and many other German cities.

But no other bombing campaign in WW2 was as intense in the destruction of civilian lives as the US bombing of Japan in 1945. Between 300,000 and 900,000 people died.

As Jamal Maddox put it to me so well, how was it that the country that entered the war to save civilisation ended it by slaughtering hundreds of thousands of civilians?

Selected by Rael

unread,
Aug 7, 2015, 3:22:59 AM8/7/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: For a long time, I have been asking for this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.rt.com/politics/311657-duma-chief-urges-international-tribunal/

Intl tribunal should try 1945 US nuke attacks on Japan - Duma chief

A bridge in Hiroshima following the atomic bombing.
                A photo taken in August 1945. © RIA Novosti
A bridge in Hiroshima following the atomic bombing. A photo taken in August 1945. © RIA Novosti / RIA Novosti
The State Duma speaker says it’s necessary to create an international court to look into the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, noting that America’s modern policy has borrowed a lot from the cynical approach of its former leaders.

Speaking at a roundtable meeting in the Moscow Institute of International Relations on Wednesday, Sergey Naryshkin said the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not necessary for the military campaign against Japan. He added that the thousands of civilians killed by the atomic bombs had not been involved in crimes of the Japanese military.

The lower house speaker suggested that the participants of the roundtable imagine the situation in which Nazi Germany completely destroyed the population of one or several European cities, for example by means of chemical weapons.

Would this have been included in charges pressed during the Nuremberg trial? Of course, it would!” he said.

Naryshkin also accused the modern leaders of the United States of intent to silence the real reasons behind the nuclear bombings.

The current US authorities want to conceal not the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this would be impossible, but the hypocrisy and cynicism of their leaders of these times. This happens because such behavior casts a shadow on the modern American policies which, of course, retain the legacy of exceptionalist ideology and the position of own infallibility and arrogant force.”

Deputy Duma Speaker Andrey Isayev supported the initiative, saying that there were enough grounds for such step. Isayev also noted that the single and universally-recognized legal assessment of the 1945 attacks was the most important thing that could be done by the international tribunal.

In December 2014, Naryshkin voiced the idea of an international investigation into the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the session of the presidium of the Russian History Society. Back then he also said that the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hardly justifiable from a purely military position, as the defeat of Japan was practically decided after the Soviet Army’s victories in Manchuria.

READ MORE: State Duma chief suggests trying US for WWII nuke attacks

The nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place 70 years ago, in early August of 1945. They resulted in the deaths of between 150,000 and 250,000 people, mostly civilians. The two attacks, especially the Hiroshima bombing, have been repeatedly denounced by the international rights community as fundamentally immoral and violating the spirit of conventions that banned the use of weapons of mass destruction against an enemy’s civilian population.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Aug 14, 2015, 2:46:03 AM8/14/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: The ex-colonies of England, whose heroes resisted colonization only to have their bones held in British museums, should retaliate by doing the same thing with the remains of British soldiers buried on their lands. Ex-colonies of all the other European colonialist countries, such as France, Spain, etc., should do the same thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33918502

Zimbabwe bones may be held in UK museum

  • 13 August 2015
President Mugabe addressed thousands during a public holiday on Monday to remember national heroes

The UK's Natural History Museum has said it may hold Zimbabwean human remains in its collection.

However, it could not confirm whether they were the "skulls of beheaded heroes" which President Robert Mugabe referred to earlier this week.

Zimbabwe's leader had demanded the return of those killed by the British in the late 1890s during the first uprising against colonial rule.

He made the remarks at the shrine to remember the country's war dead.

"We are told that skulls of our people, our leaders, are being displayed in a British museum and they are inviting us to repatriate them," he told the crowd.

"We will repatriate them, but with bitterness, questioning the rationale behind decapitating them."

Known as the heroes of the "First Chimurenga", they were defeated by the British after a protracted battle and the ringleaders were tried and hanged.

What happened to their bodies has always remained a mystery.

Zimbabwe's liberation struggle:

  • "Chimurenga" roughly translates in Shona as "revolutionary struggle"
  • The "First Chimurenga" refers to the 1896-1897 uprising against British colonialists
  • The "Second Chimurenga" refers to the liberation war against Rhodesian white-minority rule which led to independence in 1980

The UK Foreign Office has now confirmed that talks have been going on since December 2014 over the "potential repatriation of Zimbabwean human remains".

It said technical experts from Zimbabwe have been invited to meet their museum counterparts in London.

"We await the appointment of the required Zimbabwean experts in order to take this forward," the statement said.

But the BBC's Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead says it is not clear if the remains are of the rebellion leaders.

The Natural History Museum, which has a collection of 20,000 human remains, said it "actively engages in discussions with governments and communities" over requests for the return of human remains.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Aug 14, 2015, 2:54:25 AM8/14/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: These are such beautiful images, but they come with such a stupid comment! The "largest thing in the universe” is the universe itself, because it is infinite!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150723-the-largest-thing-in-the-universe


The largest thing in the universe

In deep space lies a ‘supervoid’ that could be the biggest structure ever known

More than ten years ago, while taking the temperature of the universe, astronomers found something odd. They discovered that a patch of sky, spanning the width of 20 moons, was unusually cold.

The astronomers were measuring the microwave radiation that bathes the entire universe, a glowing relic of the big bang. To gaze at this cosmic microwave background, or CMB, is to glimpse the primordial universe, a time when it was less than 400,000 years old.

    What's now emerging as the top hypothesis is a cosmic supervoid

The CMB blankets the sky, and looks pretty much the same everywhere, smoldering at a feebly cold temperature of 2.725 kelvins - just a couple degrees warmer than absolute zero. But armed with the newly launched WMAP satellite, the astronomers had set out to probe temperature variations as tiny as one part in 100,000. Born from the quantum froth that was the universe a half-moment after the big bang, those random fluctuations help scientists understand what the cosmos is made of and how it all came to be.

And standing out amidst those fluctuations was a cold spot. Over the years, astronomers have come up with all sorts of ideas to explain it, ranging from instrumental error to parallel universes. But now, they're homing in on a prime suspect: an enormous cavern of emptiness called a cosmic supervoid, so big that it might be the largest structure in the universe.

According to theory, such a vast void, in which nary a star or galaxy exists, can leave a frigid imprint on the CMB. The answer to the mystery, then, might simply be a whole lot of nothing. Yet puzzles remain, and the case is far from closed.

How to make a cold spot

The cold spot isn't the only weird thing in the CMB. Scientists have found several other such anomalies - for example, the signals from half the sky appear slightly stronger than the other half. The standard theory of cosmology, which has otherwise been prophetic in predicting the CMB's details, can't fully explain these oddities, of which the cold spot is one of the most prominent.

    A really big one could act as a kind of distorting lens

The simplest explanation for the anomalies is that they're flukes, artifacts of chance among the random temperature fluctuations of the CMB. When you flip a coin a hundred times, there's always a chance you get 20, 30, or even 50 heads in a row. The challenge for scientists is to figure out whether those anomalies are due to luck or a weighted coin. As for the cold spot, the data shows that the likelihood it's a fluke is one in 200. Not impossible, but not likely, either.

Some scientists had suggested the cold spot was due to instrumental error or in the way the data was analysed. But in 2013, new observations from the Planck satellite confirmed earlier detections of the cold spot. And it demanded an explanation.

What's now emerging as the top hypothesis is a cosmic supervoid. All the stuff in the cosmos - galaxies and invisible dark matter - stretches across space in a vast web of sheets, tendrils, and filaments. In between are pockets of emptiness called voids, which come in many shapes and sizes. A really big one could act as a kind of distorting lens, making the CMB appear cooler than it really is.

    While a photon chugs along inside a void, the universe continues to expand faster and faster

The reason is this: When light travels through a void, it loses energy and its frequency decreases, shifting towards the lower frequency, redder end of the spectrum. Like most things, light is susceptible to the influence of gravity, which can act on photons along their journey. Inside a void, however, the dearth of matter means there's hardly any gravity to influence the light. For a photon, flying through a void is like climbing over a hill. And climbing requires energy.

But the photon can get that energy back. Once it exits the void, it finds itself surrounded with matter again, and the gravitational influence is enough to pull on it, injecting it with the energy it had lost.

For a photon to lose energy, you need the accelerated expansion of the universe. While a photon chugs along inside a void, the universe continues to expand faster and faster. By the time the photon leaves the void, it finds that - thanks to this cosmic stretching - all the matter has spread out. Because the stuff is now more widely distributed, its gravitational effect isn't as strong. It can't pull on the photon with the same strength as it did before, and the photon can't recover the energy it once had.

    There might be a void less than 3 billion light years away

Physicists worked out this phenomenon back in the late 1960s, but no one had actually observed it. But after the cold spot was discovered, astronomers such as Istvan Szapudi of the University of Hawaii started searching for evidence of this behaviour, called the integrated Sachs-Wolfe, or ISW, effect. In 2008, he found it.

The amazing supervoid

Szapudi couldn't identify individual voids leaving behind imprints on the CMB - he didn't have the data to do that. Instead, he and his team searched for an overall ISW effect in a statistical analysis of 100 voids and galaxy clusters, whose gravitational heft creates a warming effect and leaves hot spots in the CMB. The researchers found a real ISW effect, changing the temperature of the CMB by an average of about 10 millionths of a kelvin, or 10 microkelvin.

Compared to the cold spot, which is about 70 microkelvin cooler than the CMB's average, the effect is small. But the point was to show that voids could create cold spots. If a void were big enough, it could conceivably create the cold spot. "If this cold spot is the biggest anomaly in the CMB, it could very well be a sign of a huge void - a very rare void in the universe," Szapudi says. "So I thought we should now look for it."

    The void is huge. It's 220 megaparsecs in radius

His first attempt, in 2010, turned up empty. But the data was limited, covering only a few points within the spot. Intriguingly, the results also showed that there might be a void less than 3 billion light years away.

Last year, he and his team tried again, this time with loads more data, covering over 200 times more sky and encompassing the entire cold spot. With so much more coverage - consisting of thousands of galaxies - those earlier hints coalesced into a bona fide void. The data was unequivocal. "We're absolutely sure there is a void," Szapudi says. "I would bet my house on it."

And the void is huge. It's 220 megaparsecs in radius, more than 700 million light years, which makes it one of the biggest - if not the biggest - physical structures in the universe.

Such a large void is uncommon, with maybe only a handful in existence, Szapudi says. That such a rare void overlaps the cold spot - itself another rarity - seems too unlikely to be mere coincidence. What's more likely, he says, is that the void is causing the cold spot. In fact, he calculated that scenario to be 20,000 times more probable than if the two objects had just happened to align.

Others aren't yet sure. For astronomers such as Patricio Vielva of the University of Cantabria in Spain, who led the discovery of the cold spot in 2004, the rarity of the void is still in question. If it turns out that such voids are more widespread, then this alignment wouldn't be so remarkable. Maybe it is just a coincidence. Which is why researchers need more data to gauge how rare these supervoids are. "Right now, I think this is one of the most important things to establish," Vielva says.

Not cold enough

But there's a bigger problem.

The supervoid can't get the CMB cold enough. A supervoid of this size can only cool the CMB by 20 microkelvin. The cold spot, however, is on average colder by 70 microkelvin. At some points, the temperature drop is 140 microkelvin.

One possible reason behind the discrepancy is that the void is actually larger than measured. If so, its ISW effect would be stronger. Given the uncertainties of Szapudi's measurements, the void's radius could stretch as far as 270 megaparsecs. Still, Vielva says, even that's not big enough to account for the cold spot.

In fact, according to current theories of cosmology, the universe may not even be able to form a void that is big enough. "The problem is that the kind of void you need for this effect is nonexistent," Vielva says.

    More observations will allow astronomers to get more accurate measurements of the supervoid's size and properties

But if not a void, then what? Perhaps, Vielva says, the cold spot is due to a cosmological texture, a defect in the universe analogous to the cracks or spots found in ice. As the early universe evolved, it underwent a phase transition similar to what happens when water freezes, turning from liquid to solid. In ice, you get defects when the water molecules don't line up. In the universe, you might get textures. In 2007, Vielva helped show that if a texture exists, it could create the cold spot via the ISW effect.

Textures, though, are speculative, and no one has seen any evidence that they exist. "Textures are a nice idea, but we have no clue as to whether these things are realistic or not," says Rien van de Weijgaert, an astronomer at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

For most astronomers, van de Weijgaert says, a supervoid still seems the best explanation. "By now, it's considered to be one of the most believable options," he says. "It's the magnitude of the effect that you could have some questions about, but it's not unbelievable."

To be sure, the void hypothesis is certainly intriguing, Vielva says. But the temperature discrepancy must first be resolved.

    We just don't know the end of the story. I don't think anybody knows

More data would help. For instance, more observations will allow astronomers to get more accurate measurements of the supervoid's size and properties. They might also reveal whether there's a smaller void in the foreground, which could help cool the CMB. Perhaps, the cold spot is so frigid because the supervoid also happens to be in front of a region of the CMB that's already a bit colder than normal.

Even though the numbers don't add up now, it's no reason to fret. "At this point, because the uncertainties are so large, one should not lose much sleep over this," says Carlos Frenk, an astrophysicist at the University of Durham in the UK. His hunch is that with more data and analysis, the supervoid will emerge as the correct answer. "It could very well be that it all falls into place quite neatly," he says.

If so, the cold spot will represent the first measurement of an object - a supervoid - leaving an imprint on the CMB via the ISW effect. That's significant partly because the supervoid is simply so huge. The supervoid could be important in another way: "We have one more way to study dark energy, which is the weirdest thing in the universe," Szapudi says.

The ISW effect only works because the universe expands faster and faster, and the mysterious force pushing the cosmos apart is dark energy. By measuring the ISW effect from the supervoid, researchers can probe dark energy's influence - and better understand how it behaves and what it is.

But for now, the mystery of the cold spot continues. "We just don't know the end of the story," Frenk says. "I don't think anybody knows."

Selected by Rael

unread,
Sep 14, 2015, 10:16:17 AM9/14/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Myth, myth, myth....and illusions are everywhere! Only science (real science, not Internet science) can save us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34225517

Can eating more than six bananas at once kill you?

  • 13 September 2015

It's sometimes said that eating a lot of bananas at once could be dangerous - it has even been suggested that eating more than six in one sitting could kill you. Can this really be true?

Bananas are one of the world's most popular fruits, stuffed with vitamins and minerals. On the face of it they are good for you, so why do some people think they could be fatal?

One well-known figure who has spread this idea around is Karl Pilkington, the grumpy friend of comedian Ricky Gervais.

"Before when you were talking about bananas... I had that fact, about if you eat more than six, it can kill you," he said in one of his conversations with Gervais and fellow comedian Stephen Merchant.

"It is a fact. Potassium levels are dangerously high if you have six bananas... I saw a bowl of bananas. There's six bananas there. You know why there's only six? Seven would be dangerous."

So how dangerous is potassium? Actually, it is crucial for survival and can be found "within every single cell of the body," says Catherine Collins, a dietitian at St George's Hospital in London.

"We use it to help generate an electrical charge which helps the cell function properly. It helps keep your heart rate steady, it helps trigger insulin release from the pancreas to help control blood sugars, and more importantly keeps blood pressure in check."

On the other hand, if the level of potassium in the body is too low or too high it can result in an irregular heartbeat, stomach pain, nausea and diarrhoea. Potassium chloride is even one of the chemicals used in lethal injections in the US, as extremely high doses can cause cardiac arrest.

But for a healthy person, "it would be impossible to overdose on bananas," says Collins. "You would probably need around 400 bananas a day to build up the kind of potassium levels that would cause your heart to stop beating... Bananas are not dangerous - and in fact they are, and always have been, very good for you."

Adults should consume about 3,500mg of potassium per day, according to the UK's National Health Service. The average banana, weighing 125g, contains 450mg of potassium, meaning a healthy person can consume at least seven-and-half bananas before reaching the recommended level.

There are some people who should steer clear of foods that are high in potassium though, warns Collins - those with kidney disease.

"These patients have a very low kidney function which can potentially see a build-up of harmful potassium levels in their blood stream because they can't get rid of the mineral when they pass urine," she says. "So in theory it is possible for someone with kidney disease to die of a high blood potassium level if they decided to consume lots of different food types rich in the mineral."

She once had a patient on dialysis who had a heart attack after eating too many tomatoes - another fruit rich in potassium. His kidneys had already stopped working so he was unable to get rid of the excess.

Another thing that could cause some to worry about bananas is radiation.

Like many foods, bananas naturally contain some radioactive isotopes - enough for the US-based think tank, Nuclear Threat Initiative, to warn that they can trigger sensors used at US ports to detect smuggled nuclear material.

A typical banana contains 0.1 microsieverts of radiation. To put that in context, a typical CT scan in a hospital exposes humans to between 10 and 15 millisieverts - about 100,000 times more.

"The levels of radioactivity are negligible," says Collins. "Bananas are not as radioactive as Brazil nuts and they are safe to eat in moderation."

Selected by Rael

unread,
Sep 18, 2015, 2:01:48 AM9/18/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT:

This is absolutely scandalous. It shows how the United Nations is a puppet of the United States and that it is totally nondemocratic. The people of the nations who voted against the inspection must be informed of what their governments did. And if they want to save humanity from a nuclear holocaust, they must let their governments know of their disapproval through protests and bringing change in the next elections. Also, the Israel declaration of  "great victory” is so hypocritical when it doesn’t respect dozens of U.N. votes!

What follows is a list of the countries who voted against nuclear inspections in IsraHell. Their populations should protest and vote against their current leaders if they wish to save humanity from a nuclear holocaust. These countries are all puppets of the United States, which is itself a puppet of the Zionist powers. This shows that the United Nations is absolutely nondemocratic, since the votes of dwarf countries like Monaco, Palau, the Marshal Islands, Malta and Lichtenstein are equal to the votes of China and India, which together represent almost half of humanity.

Here is the list of Zionist-occupied countries ("countries following the master") that voted against having Israel join the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Albania
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Haiti
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kenya
South Korea
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
*Marshall Islands
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
*Palau
Panama
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/315787-israel-iaea-nuclear-inspection/

‘Great victory’? Israeli nuclear program resolution voted down by IAEA

Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev Dest
                    outside Dimona ©
Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev Dest outside Dimona © / Reuters
A resolution calling for the inspection of Israeli nuclear sites has been defeated at the IAEA General Conference, with Tel Aviv, which led an intensive campaign against the Arab states’ proposal, hailing the result of the vote as a “great victory” in the international arena.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) General Conference voted 61-43 against the resolution put forward by Egypt and backed by Turkey, Syria, Iran, Libya, and Iraq, as well as Russia, China. And South Africa.

The resolution called for the international monitoring of the Israeli nuclear reactor in Dimona which is suspected of developing fissile material for Israel’s alleged nuclear arsenal that poses “a permanent threat to peace and security in the region.”

Israel’s long term allies such as the US, some EU members, Australia, Japan South Korea and Canada voted against the motion calling for nuclear inspection. Tel Aviv and pro-Israel states worked endlessly behind the scenes to sway the votes in Israel’s favor on the subject of “Israel’s nuclear capabilities” ahead of the IAEA vote.

“I personally talked with more than 30 presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers,” Netanyahu revealed. “In our conversations I explained that there’s no place for a discussion of this sort while the main problem in the Middle East remains Iran’s attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and its clear declarations of its intent to destroy the State of Israel.”

Since Iran has sealed an agreement with the world powers on greater nuclear transparency, this vote became the first attempt to press Israel to follow suit. However, similar proposals submitted nearly annually have been easily thwarted in the past.

Thursday’s vote was hailed by the Netanyahu’s office as a “great victory for Israel on the international arena.” A great victory indeed, as a similar resolution last year was rejected by 58 votes to 45,with 27 countries abstaining. This year the margin tilted in Israel’s favor, with Netanyahu “welcoming” that gap in favor of Israel.

Israel, which de jure has no nuclear capabilities, remains the only Middle Eastern country outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – a notion which the Arab states have been pushing to change.

“This [Israeli] regime is continuing to advance and develop its nuclear program contrary to all international norms,” the Iranian envoy said of the resolution, according to Haaretz. He said that Iran and other countries are “worried about the negative ramifications” that Tel Aviv’s alleged nuclear program has on the Middle East.

The Syrian envoy prior to the vote said that the international community must demand Israel to “dismantle all of its nuclear arsenal”.

Israel is widely believed to possess dozens of nuclear weapons, including thermonuclear warheads in the megaton range. Tel Aviv however has never confirmed or denied being in possession of nuclear arms.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Sep 27, 2015, 2:03:20 AM9/27/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is a real scandal. It’s time to dismantle United Nations and replace it with an organization created by BRICIS, in which each country would have vote proportional to its population. Currently, Monaco’s vote counts the same as China's vote (lol). The replacement organization would also use a non-Christian calendar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/video/1.677351


WATCH: U.S. 'Welcomes' Saudi Arabia as Head of UN Human Rights Council

U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner was pressed by Matt Lee from the Associated Press to comment on the 'appropriateness' of Saudi Arabia heading the UN Human Rights Council.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/video/1.677351

U.S. State Department press briefing transcript:

(Starts at 12:00)

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON MARK TONER: Please, go ahead, Said.

QUESTION: Change topic? Saudi Arabia.

MR TONER: Saudi Arabia.

QUESTION: Yesterday, Saudi Arabia was named to head the Human Rights Council, and today I think they announced they are about to behead a 21-year-old Shia activist named Muhammed al-Nimr. Are you aware of that?

MR TONER: I’m not aware of the trial that you – or the verdict – death sentence.

QUESTION: Well, apparently, he was arrested when was 17-years-old and kept in juvenile detention, then moved on. And now, he’s been scheduled to be executed.

MR TONER: Right. I mean, we’ve talked about our concerns about some of the capital punishment cases in Saudi Arabia in our Human Rights Report, but I don’t have any more to add to it.

QUESTION: So you --

QUESTION: Well, how about a reaction to them heading the council?

MR TONER: Again, I don’t have any comment, don’t have any reaction to it. I mean, frankly, it’s – we would welcome it. We’re close allies. If we --

QUESTION: Do you think that they’re an appropriate choice given – I mean, how many pages is – does Saudi Arabia get in the Human Rights Report annually?

MR TONER: I can’t give that off the top of my head, Matt.

QUESTION: I can’t either, but let’s just say that there’s a lot to write about Saudi Arabia and human rights in that report. I’m just wondering if you that it’s appropriate for them to have a leadership position.

MR TONER: We have a strong dialogue, obviously a partnership with Saudi Arabia that spans, obviously, many issues. We talk about human rights concerns with them. As to this leadership role, we hope that it’s an occasion for them to look at human rights around the world but also within their own borders.

QUESTION: But you said that you welcome them in this position. Is it based on improved record? I mean, can you show or point to anything where there is a sort of stark improvement in their human rights record?

MR TONER: I mean, we have an ongoing discussion with them about all these human rights issues, like we do with every country. We make our concerns clear when we do have concerns, but that dialogue continues. But I don’t have anything to point to in terms of progress.

QUESTION: Would you welcome as a – would you welcome a decision to commute the sentence of this young man?

MR TONER: Again, I’m not aware of the case, so it’s hard for me to comment on it other than that we believe that any kind of verdict like that should come at the end of a legal process that is just and in accordance with international legal standards.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/video/1.677351

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 4, 2015, 5:07:53 PM10/4/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is U.S., NATO and Israeli propaganda at its worst in Zionist-owned media.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.rt.com/op-edge/317300-syria-strikes-information-war/

Insult to our intelligence: New information war against Russia

Talk about quick on the draw. No sooner had Russian planes taken off to bomb ISIS terrorists and their associates in Syria, claims made by the West’s anti-Russia lobby started to flood in – only to be repeated in much of the western mainstream media.

Russia wasn‘t really targeting ISIS but “moderate rebels” and its strikes killed scores of innocent civilians (unlike US strikes during which we only get “collateral damage”). We’ve seen lots of tweets attacking Russia and pictures of injured children and people being pulled out of buildings posted online.

Now there’s two possible explanations for the lightning fast way this new chapter in the “information war” against Russia has been launched.

The first is that the anti-Russian lobby have fantastic sources in Syria and know exactly who has been killed in air strikes moments after the bombs are dropped, or, in some cases possess clairvoyant powers and know who the victims will be even before the bombs fall. Also, that there are people on the ground with excellent high-speed Wi-Fi connections in a war zone who are able to post videos online of victims of Russian attacks with an alacrity that makes Usain Bolt look like a veritable slow coach.

READ MORE: Claims Russian jets killed civilians in Syria emerged before airstrikes started - Putin

The second alternative explanation is that the accusations and allegations that we’ve seen were already written up – filed and saved – and ready to be posted online as soon as Russia’s parliament authorized the use of military force in Syria, in order to discredit the operation. Although air strikes, even if planned with surgical precision can kill civilians – which is of course the number one reason for opposing them – I know which explanation I find the more plausible.

Media monitoring group Media Lens warned us what to expect:

And as usual the Lensers, derided and denigrated by members of the elite journos’ club – who have been proven wrong about just about everything (Iraqi WMDs anyone?) – were bang on the money.

The hypocrisy we‘ve seen in the last day or so – even by the standards of the endless war lobby – has been truly breathtaking. “Those big bad Russians launching air strikes in a foreign country. Why, its outrageous! Only the US and its allies are allowed to do that!” People who were screeching for more ‘intervention’ against ISIS in Syria on Tuesday, found themselves all against ‘intervention’ against ISIS in Syria on Wednesday – when it was Russia doing the intervening.

Suddenly the ‘moderate’ rebels who had been so thin on the ground in Syria – are everywhere and Russian strikes are targeting them.

Conversely ISIS, which we were told was everywhere in Syria up to Tuesday, is nowhere – or at least not in the areas where the Russians are bombing.

Those who have been silent on civilians’ deaths caused by the Saudi assault on Yemen, or on civilians’ deaths caused by US-led bombing of Iraq and Syria, are, bursting with ‘outrage’ over alleged civilian deaths caused by Russian air-strikes – even before such deaths are confirmed.

Then there’s the question of why Putin is intervening.

Russia, we are told is launching air strikes in Syria not because it genuinely wants to beat ISIS, but because it has “selfish interests” in the region. Of course, western motives for destabilizing Syria and backing violent ‘rebels’ to kill Syrian soldiers and overthrow the Syrian government are never selfish, but only benign and humanitarian. When the US and its allies bomb Syria, it‘s to be lauded, when Russia does it – then it’s a sign of the Bear’s sinister attempt to increase its influence in the region. Russia having an ally in the Middle East – why it’s appalling! – only the US is allowed to have allies in an area where there is so much oil!

It shouldn’t need to be said after the blatant lies we were told about Iraq, Libya and Syria up to now, but we need to take negative western claims about Russian actions in Syria, not with a pinch of salt, but with a huge barrow-load of the white stuff.

No ISIS in Al-Rastan in Homs province? Well, ‘activists’, cited by the BBC, told us that was the case after Russian air strikes. But, as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) pointed out, that didn’t appear to be the situation last week, when AFP, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told us that seven men had been shot dead by ISIS in Al-Rastan after they had been accused of being homosexuals.

What this shows – and there are plenty of other examples – is that western news channels are happy to cite unnamed ‘activists’, without even the most cursory checks of whether the claims they make are correct if those claims show Russia, or indeed, any other “official enemy” in a bad light. Of course, it’s a very different story if claims are made against the US or its allies. Remember that high profile coverage of claims made by unnamed ‘activists’ about civilian casualties caused by western air-strikes? No, me neither. 

Channels which have shown no, or little interest in civilian casualties in Yemen, where it’s been Saudi Arabia and its allies doing the bombing, are now, all of a sudden, keen to show pictures of people being taken to hospital allegedly after Russian air strikes.

Unsurprisingly, Interpreter Magazine, the “special project” of Khodorkovsky’s Institute of Modern Russia, has been at the forefront of the propaganda campaign to discredit Russia’s Syrian intervention.

“Today Russia launched airstrikes against multiple targets in Syria, but while it’s clear that non-ISIS rebels and possibly civilians have been killed, it’s unclear whether ISIS was even a target at all,” the magazine wrote.

In fact the Russian Defense Ministry reported hitting 12 targets belonging to ISIS on Thursday.

What Putin has done – and this is the reason why the “Get Russia” brigade are so angry – is call the western elite’s bluff on fighting ISIS. For all their condemnation of Islamic State atrocities, the US and its closest allies’ number one aim has been to remove from power the secular Syrian government which has been fighting ISIS and other radical terrorist groups backed by the west.

We know, thanks to WikiLeaks, that the US plans for “regime change” in Syria predate the Arab Spring, and in fact goes back to at least 2006. And this “regime change” plan has nothing to do with ‘democracy promotion’, but everything to do with old-fashioned imperialism.

As the celebrated award-winning journalist and film-maker John Pilger puts it in his latest must-read article, entitled The Revolutionary Act of Telling the Truth:

“To the rulers of the world in Washington and Europe, Syria’s true crime is not the oppressive nature of its government but its independence from American and Israeli power – just as Iran’s true crime is its independence, and Russia’s true crime is its independence … In an American-owned world, independence is intolerable.”

Russia’s intervention in Syria, as my fellow RT OpEdge columnist John Wight has pointed out is likely to be game changer.

By tilting the balance against the serial regime changers, who have wreaked so much havoc around the world in recent years, there is an increased chance that Syria’s secular government will be able to recapture chunks of its territory and that the country will retain its independence. That will please genuine anti-imperialists and anti-fascists, who believe that the Syrian people alone should decide who governs them and not the US, Britain or France, but anger those who have been hell-bent on bringing Syria to heel for its defiance – however much death and destruction such a neo-con inspired policy has caused.

The fact is that those who were clamoring for more western intervention in Syria – purportedly against ISIS – but in reality to get the Assad government removed, have been outmaneuvered. Having seen the western elite talk up the threat from ISIS, (whose rise, let’s not forget was welcomed by the anti-Assad powers “in order to isolate the Syrian regime”) citizens of western countries are now expected to regard the Russians as villains for taking action against an enemy we were told had to be defeated.

Clearly, for those behind the new information war, we‘re meant to forget what our leaders have been telling us about ISIS all year. We’re meant to have brains the size of a pea and memories that don’t go back for more than a few days. The latest propaganda assault to get us to hate Russia for fighting against terrorism in Syria is not only laughable, it’s deeply insulting to our intelligence.

LISTEN MORE:

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 8, 2015, 3:20:47 AM10/8/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Nobel Peace Prize winner committed war crime

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34467631

Obama apologises to MSF president for Kunduz bombing

  • 7 October 2015

US President Barack Obama has apologised to the president of aid agency Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) for a bombing that killed at least 22.

The US has said the bombing, which took place in the Afghan city of Kunduz, was a mistake and it was attempting to strike the Taliban.

MSF wants the bombing to be investigated as a war crime.

Mr Obama has also apologised to the president of Afghanistan.

"If it is necessary to hold individuals accountable, that will be done," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Mr Obama "expressed his condolences" to MSF president Joanne Liu, said Mr Earnest.

"In the United States when we make mistakes, we're honest about it. We own up to it," he said.

Mr Earnest also hinted at the possibility of paying victims and their families, a Department of Defense policy.

He said he could not say legally whether the bombing was a war crime but the US "goes to great lengths to limit the loss of life" of civilians.

In a statement, MSF said they received the apology but it was still demanding the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) investigate.

MSF has said it would not trust internal military inquiries into the bombing.

The IHFFC was set up in 1991 under the Geneva Conventions.

MSF says the co-ordinates of the hospital were well-known and its bombing could not have been a mistake.

A number of inquiries have been ordered - by the US justice department, the Pentagon, Nato and an American-Afghan team.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 11, 2015, 12:58:44 AM10/11/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Have compassion for Jews and Muslims who will will not be able to benefit from this progress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/318161-pig-gene-modification-organs/

Pigs get closer to becoming organ donors for humans after new gene modification

© Igor Zarembo

Researchers in the US have modified dozens of pig genes to enable their organs to be transplanted into humans. The viruses embedded in the pig genome, which have been feared to cause diseases in human recipients, have now reportedly been disabled.

In what is believed to be a big step forward in cross-species transplantation, a common pig virus that could invade human cells and cause disease has been dealt with. Called porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV), the molecules responsible for the disease were identified in pigs over a decade ago, creating a problem for using pigs – whose organs including hearts, kidneys and livers are close in size to human body parts – for transplants.

Over 60 PERVs, which are part of all pig genomes and cannot be treated, have been deactivated in pig embryos by a team led by geneticist George Church of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Nature journal reported this week. Calling such gene-edition a record – the number of genes edited in pigs is ten times more than for any other animal – the international weekly journal of science said the research “may have produced a suitable non-human organ donor.”

Previous efforts to grow transplantable organs for humans in pigs have been hindered by the presence of these PERVs. Such pig viruses are feared to be dangerous for humans and could infect the organs to be transplanted. They have been deactivated by Church and his colleagues by using so-called CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. The result was presented this week at a meeting of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington on human gene editing, Nature reported.  

Another problem for scientists working on making pigs suitable for growing organs for humans is possible rejection by the human immune system. In an effort to prevent this, the researchers also modified more than 20 genes in a separate set of pig embryos. The changed chromosomes include ones that encode proteins on the surface of pig cells that are known to trigger a human immune response or cause blood clotting, the report said.

Both sets of edited pig embryos are almost ready to implant into mother pigs, Nature cited the US researcher as saying. A company in Boston is now working on making the process as cheap as possible, he added.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 11, 2015, 1:04:14 AM10/11/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: It’s amazing and so funny to see how fast the doomsday fanatics were talking on the Internet about another "end of the world” when this asteroid will be passing at 67 times the distance of the moon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/318154-asteroid-not-collide-earth/

2km-wide asteroid approaching Earth, NASA warns

© NASA
© NASA / Reuters
An asteroid big enough to kill millions of people is on its way to Earth but is expected to brush past, missing by a mere 25 million kilometers – a narrow distance by space standards, NASA said.

The celestial object, called Asteroid 86666 (2000 FL10), was first observed 16 years ago. On Saturday it will pass Earth, one of the biggest asteroids to approach our planet so closely.

The rock’s exact size is unknown, but it could be as wide as 2.6 kilometers, according to estimates. It will zip past at a speed of more than 64,000 kilometers an hour at a distance of about 25 million kilometers – about 67 times further than the moon.

The size of 2000 FL10 makes it large enough to be considered a potentially hazardous object (PHO). If it were to hit our planet, the effect would be devastating. The impact of such a PHO collision would potentially be similar to that of many thousands of atomic bombs blowing up at once.

As such an unwelcome guest from space is more likely to hit the ocean than land (as more of the Earth’s surface is covered with water), it would instantly send a huge quantity of water into the atmosphere, while at the same time causing devastating tsunamis and huge tidal waves. Sunlight would also be blocked out, possibly for years, by clouds of dust, dirt, and water sent into the atmosphere by the blast. During the resulting artificial winter, many species would face danger of extinction.

The good news is that, although 2000 FL10’s size meets PHO standards, it is still not listed as a threat, because it won’t come close enough to Earth. The asteroid will pass our planet by at a distance well outside the 7 million kilometer zone that would indicate a risk of collision.

NASA says there are no asteroids or comets observed that pose a threat of impact in the foreseeable future and estimates the chance of a PHO collision in the next century at less than 0.01 percent. But collisions with PHOs have happened in the past. While small meteorites invade our planet’s atmosphere every day, the last really big impact was 65 million years ago. Scientists believe that a comet hit the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico at that time, causing such catastrophic damage to the environment that all the dinosaurs died out.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 14, 2015, 2:21:39 AM10/14/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: What a wonderful decision!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34513175

Japan's Okinawa governor revokes permit for US base move

  • 13 October 2015

The governor of Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture has revoked a permit allowing the controversial move of a US military base.

The permit, given by his predecessor, allowed a coastal area to be reclaimed for the Futenma airbase relocation.

But a central government spokesman said there is "no change" in plans to proceed.

Tokyo has been engaged in a long-running stand-off with local authorities on the issue.

The government wants to move the Futenma airbase, which is in a densely populated area, to a more remote area of Okinawa on reclaimed land.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported that the regional bureau of the defence ministry is expected to file a legal challenge against Gov 

Takeshi Onaga's decision.Image caption Futenma air base is located in a densely populated area of Okinawa

Many Okinawans want the US base moved away permanently from the island.

They believe the relocation will damage the environment and associate US bases with accidents and crime.

In March, Gov Onaga had also issued a stop-work order on the relocation, which the central government overruled.

Graphic

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 25, 2015, 1:34:22 AM10/25/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is very good news!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.rt.com/politics/official-word/319553-brics-internet-us-monopoly/

US monopoly on internet may end in 3 to 7 years – Russian communications minister

(R) Russian Minister of Telecom and Mass
                Communications Nikolay Nikiforov © Vitaliy Belousov
(R) Russian Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications Nikolay Nikiforov © Vitaliy Belousov / RIA Novosti
It won’t be easy, but a joint effort by BRICS nations may see the US monopoly on the internet coming to an end in the next 3 to 7 years, Nikolay Nikiforov, Russia’s communications minister, told RT after the block’s first ministerial meeting in Moscow.

RT:This was the first meeting of its kind. What key issues were you able to tackle this time?

Nikolay Nikiforov: I fully agree. This is quite unique just because the BRICS platform was used by many, many industries – agriculture, health care, finance ministers; they had their own meeting – but, you know, never ever ICT ministers – those who are responsible for communications, for implementing IT, well, managing internet infrastructure – they never ever met. So this is a historic event. It happened for the first time. That was the proposal of the Russian Federation and was supported by the heads of state, our leaders at the summit in Ufa.

So now we had our meeting. First, we had some kind of an IT forum: ministers from BRICS countries, they came not alone, not only with formal delegations. They also brought with them their leading IT companies. The Russian Federation also showed those solutions – those outstanding, outperforming companies that we have here in Russia. We showed Yandex; we showed our Russian microprocessors – many, many other solutions that we do have here today.

But for every small company, every national leader, it’s still impossible to fight for the global market. And the key issue here is monopolization. And we really require some kind of diversification of the IT solutions that we have today. That’s why we need joint efforts by all BRICS nations, because we represent just about half of the population of the planet and we realize that every citizen will be finally connected online with this or that smartphone or tablet. That’s why it’s potentially half of the world global market of these devices and software ecosystem.

And we really want it to be balanced, not to depend on one country or several companies. We really want fair competition and, actually, this is probably the major discussion topic on our agenda. But also we’re concerned, for example, with such issues as the management, the governance of the critical internet infrastructure. It’s also, by the way, an issue of monopolization. As you know, today it’s still under a particular government contract between the government of the US and a legal entity also located in the US, which is called ICANN. It’s the internet corporation which is assigning domain names, internet addresses. But, still, it’s a legal entity under the US law. 

That’s why the whole global society is really widely discussing some kind of a transition time frame for it to be transferred to some kind of a real multistate holder approach, where it’ll be managed by all interested parties, including national governments, because they’re finally responsible for security and for national law on their territories, as well as different NGOs, academic organizations. So, we really are expecting this process.

Unfortunately, it was promised that it would be finished by the end of September this year, but it didn’t happen, and, still, the critical infrastructure is just under the management of one country in the world and one particular legal entity in this country. So, this was also a kind of a topic.

RT:How does internet monopoly or IT monopoly affect the security of BRICS countries?         

NN: Well, I think that, probably, Snowden’s disclosures showed exactly the harmfulness of the monopoly, because it would not be possible if the world IT market should be structured in a more balanced way – where no country and no particular company controls like 90-95% percent of  this or that market – it would be impossible just to come to several companies and to force them, from the position of this or that security agency, to actually provide absolutely illegal access to hundreds of millions records of private data of users globally. This is the harmful factor of monopolization.

The other harmful factor is the economic issue. When you have monopolization, the monopolist could dictate you a certain price level. And we realize that the ICT market is about… well, it’s not about millions – it’s about already billions of dollars. Each country in the world is actually sending out billions of dollars outside its national economies as license fees for this or that payment for these key technologies. And we really want it to be balanced. We want every citizen; we want every company to have a fair approach to different alternative solutions.

We don’t want to prohibit anything. We don’t want to use any sanctions approach that is becoming, unfortunately, so popular in the Western world. We’re just talking about supporting our national developers, taking the strongest companies that we have in our national economies.  I think, well in India and Russia, we do have some strong competence in software. In China, we really see how Chinese companies are, you know, reshaping the whole world. The same strength we see in Brazil, in South Africa. By the way, we don’t actually limit our efforts just to the BRICS ecosystem. We are ready to [work] with any countries in the world, but we should join our efforts, finally, to create a more balanced solution. And I believe it could be possible to be done in just maybe three to five years from now.

RT:How does geopolitics influence the World Wide Web these days? And how does it affect the decision by BRICS nations?

NN: Definitely, everybody sees this or that sanctions decision. Sanctions mean, also, blocking sanctions to this or that technology that companies or individuals were using for many years. We had it in many cases. We had the example recently in Iran. We’ve just got our own Russian example with Crimea when, well, it’s kind of almost impossible to use this or that popular internet service there from a legal framework. We think it’s not a kind of a fair approach when our customers don’t have adequate alternative solutions. And we are ready to provide it.

It could be done in the area of mobile operating systems. It should be done in the field of search engines, and we see the unfair competition in these areas. It should be done in the area of microprocessors, which is also a very much controlled and monopolized market, and so on and so forth. So, for every market niche there could be a separate action plan for BRICS countries to support this or that company, including some kind of strategic investors, including some kind of special regulation from the national governments, and so on and so forth, finally to create a balanced ecosystem. We believe not only BRICS countries would win. Actually, it’ll be the whole of mankind, the whole IT ecosystem of the global world will finally benefit from that.

RT:Have the ministers discussed the potential of the new BRICS bank in the development of the global network? 

NN: Exactly, the BRICS Bank was mentioned a couple of times. Probably, it was first mentioned when we’ve been discussing the direct undersea cable connection between BRICS countries. Why [do] we need that? The answer is also simple. We just need stable and reliable basic internet infrastructure that’s not dependent on this or that existing internet hub, and somehow could be influenced by this or that geopolitical decision. So, probably this undersea cable with a direct and high-speed connection between BRICS nations could be one of the first infrastructure projects funded by the BRICS Bank. We definitely need to prepare all the business case descriptions, all the calculations. We need to bring in private business here as well. But, probably, yes – that’s the type of the project that could be invested [in].

We also think that we have to invest a lot in our joint efforts to diversify, de-monopolize the existing microelectronics because, still, even though China and India are trying to fight back the market for these tablets and smartphones, still, they highly depend on the actual microchips – the very, very fundamental bricks of which these devices are made. And it’s really some kind of state-of-the-art technology, and we really need to have a joint effort of our engineers, as well special microchip fabs, to actually produce that. It’s also a kind of intensively invested industry that could probably require BRICS Bank’s support.

RT:How far away are we from actually balancing the global IT market?   

NN: Our dream is about, you know, that every market niche is not controlled by more than 50 percent by this or that country or company. Today unfortunately, usually, it’s about 90-95 percent. Let’s be realistic. Even though that software sounds simple, these are really state-of-the-art technology solutions. We require thousands of engineers. We require the joint efforts of governments in order to do that. But if we work hard, I believe that in three, maybe five, maybe seven years from now, this market structure could be reshaped. And the major power here is, actually, our own internal market. BRICS is probably the largest politically consolidated market. If we do our best, take joint decisions; if we have a special work group or task force of our experts working together, as well as from ministries and from industries as well – that could be a solution to doing that. We see that our IT companies are willing to do that. They do have this ambition, which is very good. And we have this human capital and technology potential to do that.  But they could do nothing without this government support because of unfair competition in this area. And we’ll do our best to provide them with some kind of a foundation in order to succeed.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 25, 2015, 1:36:15 AM10/25/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: Polyamory is the way, and it's not sexually discriminatory. It’s the opposite: it’s women having a men's harem!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34612919

China professor's wife-sharing proposal sparks ire

  • 23 October 2015

A Chinese professor's controversial suggestion that poorer men could share wives has sparked debate online on how to solve China's gender imbalance.

Zhejiang University economics professor Xie Zuoshi's proposal has been met with heavy criticism that it is immoral.

China has one of the biggest gender imbalances in the world, with about 118 boys born to every 100 girls.

The imbalance is largely due to the one-child policy and cultural preferences for male children.

Increasing wealth and population movement also means many women are leaving the countryside to work in cities, with men who stay behind struggling to find partners.

'Value of women'

In a piece that was widely picked up by local media, Prof Xie noted there were reports that China could possibly have 30 to 40 million bachelors by 2020.

The huge demand for women and the lack of supply would result in the "value of women going up", he wrote.

"Men with high incomes will have an advantage in finding women, because they can afford the high price.

"And what about the low income men? One way is for several men to band together to find a wife. This isn't some pie-in-the-sky idea of mine. In some remote and poor areas there are cases where brothers jointly marry one wife, and they can live happily and harmoniously."

Image copyright AFP
Image caption More Chinese bachelors have taken to marrying women from neighbouring countries, including this Vietnamese woman

He also advocated for greater economic growth so that poorer bachelors could earn more income and could thus attract women from other regions such as South East Asia or Africa.

The shortage of wives in some rural parts of China has led to more men marrying women from neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar, but has also fuelled human trafficking. and wedding scams.

'Serious social problem'

Prof Xie's essay, which was published last week and later picked up by Chinese media, attracted mostly appalled derision from readers, who criticised his idea as immoral and illegal.

"If you can't find a mate then don't bother, if women are just only meant for producing heirs and have to mate with many men just to solve the population growth issue, how does this make us any different from animals?" said Weibo user Superelfjunior.

Jing Xiong, a project manager with Chinese women's rights group Media Monitor for Women Network, told the BBC that the gender imbalance problem "is basically a problem stemming from teachings that prioritise men over women".

"And now the solutions are still very much male-centred. This is extremely ridiculous."

"Prof Xie's suggestion ignores the wishes and rights of women, and casts women as tools used to satisfy men's needs for sex, marriage and reproduction... this suggestion is basically sexual discrimination."

Image copyright Sina
Image caption Prof Xie's blog essay was entitled "30 million bachelors is a groundless fear"

In a subsequent essay, Prof Xie said he had been bombarded with angry phone calls and comments on social media.

But he stuck to his guns, arguing that laws and morals were mutable.

"If we wave the big stick of morality, keep to the one-husband-one-wife social contract, and let 30 million bachelors have no women and no hope, they hate society, then we would have a serious social problem."

"So please don't talk to me about morals. If we don't let the 30 million bachelors have women, their lives would have no hope and then they may go around raping, killing, setting off bombs... (let me emphasise that this is a possibility, I'm not saying they would definitely do that). Don't tell me that is your morality?" he said.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Oct 31, 2015, 3:40:51 PM10/31/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: And Isra-hell has even more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/320211-biological-weapons-russia-us/

US bioweapons labs, billions in research is a ‘real problem’ – Russian security chief

Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian
                Security Council. © Sergey Guneev
Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council. © Sergey Guneev / RIA Novosti
The head of Russia’s Security Council has warned of “a real problem” posed by the growing number of US-controlled laboratories that produce biological weapons. Nikolay Patrushev estimated that Washington allocates “tens of billions of dollars” to this research.

Speaking after Russia’s Security Council meeting, Patrushev mentioned the threat stemming from biological weapons laboratories that operate on the territories of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

“There are also other problems, such as the production of military oriented biological weapons and the very large funding allocated to this,” Patrushev said. “This is tens of billions of dollars. Additionally, the number of laboratories under US jurisdiction or control has increased 20 times.”

What is more worrying is that some of such laboratories “operated and operate” on CIS soil, said Patrushev.

“This is why the problem is real,” he said.

The head of the Security Council has also mentioned the chemical weapons issue, saying that Russia will dispose of its remaining arsenal by 2020 – eight years earlier than the US.

“We are putting into practice a program to get rid of chemical weapons. Russia will dispose of these weapons by 2020. It was expected that the US will also destroy these weapons by that time, but according to today’s plans, it will carry out the disposal by 2028,” Patrushev told journalists.

In June, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US of encircling Russia with bioweapons labs, as well as obstructing international efforts to eradicate biological weapons.

One of Russia’s particular concerns is the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public and Animal Health Research, a research facility for high-level biohazard agents, located near Tbilisi, Georgia, a CIS member and Russia’s neighbor.

“American and Georgian authorities are trying to cover up the real nature of this US military unit, which studies highly dangerous infectious diseases. The Pentagon is trying to establish similar covert medico-biological facilities in other countries [in Russia's neighborhood],” the Russian ministry said in June.

At the time, Moscow also blamed the US for derailing “decades of international effort to strengthen” the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), a 1972 international treaty aimed at eradicating bioweapons worldwide.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Nov 1, 2015, 1:15:05 AM11/1/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: This is corporate censorship, proving that we live in a real plutocracy. It’s like a paint factory refusing to sell paint “if it’s to be used for political statements," or a printing company refusing to print a book for the same reason. I'm calling for a boycott of Lego products. Consumers also have a political statement to make: about what kind of toys they will buy for their children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34630829

Artist Ai Weiwei hits out over Lego 'censorship'

  • 25 October 2015

Artist Ai Weiwei has accused Lego of "censorship and discrimination" after the company refused to allow him to use its bricks in a new exhibition.

Lego refused a bulk order for bricks that were to be used in a new artwork about political dissidents as part of an exhibition in Melbourne, Australia.

Toymaker Lego said it never sold directly to anyone wanting to use its product to make a political statement.

The artist has since been deluged with offers of Lego from supporters.

Ai used Lego last year to create portraits of 175 dissident figures who had been jailed or exiled, from Nelson Mandela to Edward Snowden, on the site of the former Alcatraz prison near San Francisco.

He planned a similar work for the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, but a bulk order placed by the museum was rejected by the Danish company.

The Chinese artist said the company told the museum its bricks could not be used for artworks containing "any political, religious, racist, obscene or defaming statements".

Referring to The Lego Movie's slogan "everything is awesome", Ai wrote on Twitter: "Lego will tell us what to do, or not to do. That is awesome!"

He added: "Lego is giving us the definition of what is 'political', and all the big corporations are telling us what to love or hate. That is awesome."

In an Instagram post, he wrote: "As a commercial entity, Lego produces and sells toys, movies and amusement parks attracting children across the globe.

"As a powerful corporation, Lego is an influential cultural and political actor in the globalized economy with questionable values.

"Lego's refusal to sell its product to the artist is an act of censorship and discrimination."

Long-standing policy

Lego spokesman Roar Rude Trangbaek would not comment directly on the case but said that, as a principle, Lego "respects any individual's right to free, creative expression".

But he added that the company had a long-standing policy not to directly sell to anyone if it knew that its bricks would be used to make a political statement.

The artist also linked Lego's stance with plans for a new Legoland in Shanghai.

Lego said the theme park was being built by Merlin Entertainment and not Lego, but that Lego does have some ties with Merlin because it uses the Lego brand.

Ai Weiwei is known for his criticism of the Chinese government as well as for being one of the world's leading contemporary artists.

He was arrested during a crackdown on political activists in China in 2011 and was released without charge after 81 days. The Chinese authorities kept his passport for four years, but it was returned earlier this year.

Selected by Rael

unread,
Nov 11, 2015, 2:09:33 AM11/11/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: After  the joke of  "attention deficit disorder," now they are trying to make laughing a sign of disease! Laugh for no reason! Laugh all the time! It’s seriousness and conformism that should be treated as disease!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34766361

Change in sense of humour 'a sign of impending dementia'

By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
  • 10 November 2015

An increasingly warped sense of humour could be an early warning sign of impending dementia, say UK experts.

The University College London study involved patients with frontotemporal dementia, with the results appearing in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Questionnaires from the friends and family of the 48 patients revealed many had noticed a change in humour years before the dementia had been diagnosed.

This included laughing inappropriately at tragic events.

Experts say more studies are now needed to understand how and when changes in humour could act as a red flag for dementia.

There are many different types of dementia and frontotemporal dementia is one of the rarer ones.

The area of the brain it affects is involved with personality and behaviour, and people who develop this form of dementia can lose their inhibition, become more impulsive and struggle with social situations.

Dr Camilla Clark and colleagues recruited 48 patients from their dementia clinic at University College London.

And they asked the friends or relatives of the patients to rate their loved one's liking for different kinds of comedy - slapstick comedy such as Mr Bean, satirical comedy such as Yes, Minister or absurdist comedy such as Monty Python - as well as any examples of inappropriate humour.

Nearly all of the respondents said, with hindsight, that they had noticed a shift in the nine years before the dementia had been diagnosed.

Many of the patients had developed a dark sense of humour - for example, laughing at tragic events in the news or in their personal lives. The dementia patients also tended to prefer slapstick to satirical humour, when compared with 21 healthy people of a similar age.

Dr Clark said: "These were marked changes - completely inappropriate humour well beyond the realms of even distasteful humour. For example, one man laughed when his wife badly scalded herself."


'More and more erratic'

Image copyright ALzheimer's Research UK
Image caption Lee Pearce (right) with his mum and brother

Lee Pearce, from Sheffield, was not involved in the study, but he can relate to the findings.

He first noticed a change in his mum's behaviour when she was 55, but it took four years before she received the correct diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.

"She'd always been very loving and family-focused but became increasingly uninvolved and emotionless," he says.

"As she had a history of depression, we put it down to that, and her doctor agreed.

"Mum's behaviour became more and more erratic, and we began to question the diagnosis.

"She'd forget family birthdays, laugh if someone had an accident or she heard someone was unwell and was even sacked from her job - all completely out of character."


Dr Simon Ridley, of Alzheimer's Research UK, said anyone concerned about changes in their behaviour should speak to their GP.

"While memory loss is often the first thing that springs to mind when we hear the word dementia, this study highlights the importance of looking at the myriad different symptoms that impact on daily life and relationships," he said.

"A deeper understanding of the full range of dementia symptoms will increase our ability to make a timely and accurate diagnosis."

Selected by Rael

unread,
Nov 11, 2015, 2:13:52 AM11/11/15
to rael science
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAEL'S COMMENT: As long as it is illegal to boycott Israeli products in France, I ask the entire world to boycott French products, services and tourism.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://revitalisinglabour.blogspot.jp/2015/11/the-anti-israel-boycott-is-illegal-in.html

Sunday, November 1, 2015

The anti-Israel boycott is "illegal" in France

Below is my rough translation of the recent article in the French left-wing paper Libération on the decision by France's Court of Cassation to uphold conviction against activists involved in the French Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against the Israeli occupation Palestine.

The anti-Israel boycott is "illegal" in France
Alexandre Hervaud
Originally published in Libération
October 28, 2015

The Supreme Court last week upheld the conviction of a dozen activists from the BDS campaign. There are voices in protest against "an attack on freedom of expression."

The anti-Israel boycott is "illegal" in France
Last week, the Court of Cassation, the highest court in the French judiciary, upheld the conviction of twelve activists from Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) who participated in 2009 and 2010 in actions calling for a boycott of Israeli products. The militants had twice invited customers of an Alsatian supermarket not to buy Israeli products under BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions).

As Libération recalled this summer, the initiative launched in 2004 intends to convince people not to use Israeli products and funding as Israel does not easily change its "colonial policy". The controversial campaign, fueled by the operation "Tel Aviv on the Seine", had subsequently led to an exchange in our pages by tribunes interposed between Laurent Joffrin [editor of Libération] and [Omar Barghouti] co-founder of the BDS movement.

The newspaper Alsace recalls that involved activists were acquitted by the high court of Mulhouse in December 2011 and sentenced by the Court of Appeal of Colmar end of 2013 for  "incitement to discrimination, national, racial and religious". With, the key, the payment of 32,000 euro fine, damages and legal costs. In a statement,the militants,  "stunned", wrote: "After the conviction, it would become impossible today to boycott South Africa to fight against apartheid? Yet in the years 70-80, the boycott of South Africa conducted against this racist state was a key factor that led to the abolition of apartheid, victory of human progress. "

Restriction of freedom of expression
"Let it be said once and for all: the boycott of Israeli products is illegal!" enthused the lawyer Pascal Markowicz, member of the steering committee of CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France). For him, "the highest court of our judiciary [confirm] so that freedom of expression may be subject to restrictions or penalties which are necessary in a democratic society for the prevention of disorder and the protection of rights of others ". This notion of freedom of expression with variable geometry has been criticised by American journalist Glenn Greenwald, to whom we owe the revelations about the massive surveillance NSA documents leaked via by Edward Snowden.

On his website The Intercept, Greenwald, who has denounced for months the "fraud" of the mobilisations on January 11 in France as not so Charlie, writes: "Where are all the new found free speech activists who insisted after the Charlie Hebdo murders that a defense of free expression was so vital to all that is good and just in the Western world? Why isn’t the #JeSuisBDS hashtag trending in defense of these activists who have been persecuted — prosecuted — by France for their political views? The answer is clear: Many who reveled in wrapping themselves in the “free speech” banner earlier this year — beginning with France itself and extending throughout the West — have no genuine belief in that right. That’s why these countries not only stand silent in the face of such a fundamental assault on free speech, but aggressively perpetrate those abuses."


Echoing the rostrum massively relayed Greenwald, the American NGO Freedom House has released its annual report on the degree of digital freedom 65 countries (available here in PDF). Telerama reports that if France is still considered "free" in digital expression, it is however the Western country in which freedom has deteriorated the most in the last year. Globally, only Libya is worse. According to the report, "the situation in France has declined mainly due to problematic measures adopted in the wake of the attacks of Charlie Hebdo, just like the prohibition of content that can be described as advocating terrorism, prosecution of online and the significant increase in surveillance ".

Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages
Search
Clear search
Close search
Google apps
Main menu