Brazil scraps bid to mine Amazon natural reserve

Yahoo – AFP, 26 Sep 2017

Brazil scraps bid to mine Amazon natural reserve

Brasília (AFP) - The Brazilian government backed off a controversial proposal to authorize private companies to mine a sprawling Amazon reserve Monday after blistering domestic and international criticism.

President Michel Temer's office will issue a new decree Tuesday that "restores the conditions of the area, according to the document that instituted the reserve in 1984," the Ministry of Mines and Energy said in a statement.

Last week, environmental activist group Greenpeace said at least 14 illegal mines and eight clandestine landing strips were already being used by miners in the Denmark-sized reserve known as Renca in the eastern Amazon.

Greenpeace said this showed the risks faced by Renca even without Temer's earlier proposal for ending a ban on large-scale foreign mining in the mineral-rich region.

Temer's decree signed on August 25 on opening up Renca was suspended days later after an international outcry.

The president had argued that lifting restrictions will allow Brazil to boost its struggling economy and also push the hugely destructive wildcat mining operations out of business.

In announcing the government was formally withdrawing the decree, the mining ministry insisted that the conditions that led to the measure in the first place were "still present."

"The country needs to grow and generate jobs, attract investments for the mining sector, including to exploit the economic potential of the region," it added.

The rainforest there is rich in gold and other valuable commodities but has been protected for decades from private industry and is home to several indigenous tribes.

Critics of Temer's decree included international environmental groups, the Catholic Church and even supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who is Brazilian.

The Renca reserve is home to the indigenous Aparai, Wayana and Wajapi tribes and vast swaths of untouched forest, covering more than 17,800 square miles (46,000 square kilometers).

Environmental groups say opening up Renca to mining would accelerate the advance of private mining and deforestation of preserved areas.

"The cancellation of the degree shows that, no matter how bad it is, no governing politician is absolutely immune to public pressure," said Marcio Astrini, public policy coordinator for Greenpeace Brazil.

"It is a victory of society over those who want to destroy and sell our forest."

He then added: "Renca is just a battle. The war against the Amazon and its different peoples, promoted by Temer and big agro business, is still on."

Puerto Rico faces floods, misery after Maria 'obliteration'

Yahoo – AFP, Hector RETAMAL and Edgardo RODRIGUEZ, September 21, 2017

San Juan (AFP) - Flash floods brought fresh misery to Puerto Rico on Thursday after its infrastructure was shattered by Hurricane Maria as President Donald Trump declared the US territory a disaster zone.

The hurricane, which Trump said had "absolutely obliterated" the island, left its 3.4 million people totally without power and officials said it may be months before it is fully restored.

The storm was blamed for 10 deaths in the Caribbean, including a man in northern Puerto Rico's Bayamon district who was struck by a board he had used to cover his windows.

"Puerto Rico is absolutely obliterated," Trump told reporters after declaring the island a disaster area in a move that will free up emergency relief funding.

"Puerto Rico is in a very, very, very tough shape," he said.

Though the storm had moved back out to sea, authorities declared a flash flood warning for all of Puerto Rico as "torrential" rains continued to lash the island.

"If possible, move to higher ground NOW!" the National Weather Service station in San Juan said in a tweet, calling the flooding "catastrophic."

Puerto Rico was expected to receive 20 to 30 inches (51 to 76 centimeters) of rain through Saturday, with some isolated areas receiving 35 inches, the National Hurricane Center said.

The rain had turned some roads in the US territory into muddy brown rivers, impassable to all but the largest of vehicles.

Toppled trees, street signs and power cables were strewn across roads that were also littered with debris.

Although Maria has now passed over Puerto Rico and lost some of its power, it is still packing winds of 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour) and moving northwards towards the Turks and Caicos Islands after brushing the Dominican Republic.

'Totally destroyed'

Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello, who called Maria "the most devastating storm in a century" said the island was having to contend with mass flooding and a total breakdown of its power and telecommunications infrastructure.

Ricardo Ramos, who heads the island's electricity board, said it could take months before power is fully restored.

"We recognize that the system, you know, has been totally destroyed," he said of the electricity network.

While the island had suffered major blackouts from previous hurricanes, Ramos said the impact would be felt much more keenly this time.

"Everybody uses, of course, their social media, and the kids play on their electronic games and video games, and now really the customer has changed," he told CNN.

"I guess it's a good time for dads to buy a glove and ball and change the way you entertain your children and the way you are going to go to school and the way you are going to cook for gas stoves other than electric."

Under curfew

In San Juan, where tens of thousands rode out the storm in shelters or else hunkered down in their homes, residents told of their terrifying ordeal.

"This was absolutely the worst experience we've had with a hurricane," Kim Neis, an American who has lived on the island for 30 years, told AFP.

"None of the others were anything like as intense as this."

Rossello imposed a 6:00 pm to 6:00 am curfew until Saturday and warned of flooding and mudslides.

"I urge the people of Puerto Rico to commit to peace, understanding, and good judgment during these difficult times for our island," he said.

There were reports of looting and authorities said 10 people had been arrested.

Dominica devastation

Maria has already torn through several Caribbean islands, leaving at least seven people dead on Dominica.

In the French territory of Guadeloupe, one person was killed by a falling tree as Maria hit, while another died on the seafront.

At least two are missing after their boat sank off the French territory, while 40 percent of households were without power.

Strong winds were recorded in the Dominican Republic on Thursday due to Maria but there were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.

'Storm of the century': Hurricane Maria pummels Puerto Rico https://t.co/1Qo3xDAszK pic.twitter.com/rxg4gCfSw1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 21, 2017

Dutch king to visit hurricane-hit Sint Maarten as relief effort picks up steam

DutchNews, September 11, 2017

Fresh water supplies reach Saba. Photo: Ministerie van Defensie / Gerben van Es
/ Hollandse Hoogte

King Willem-Alexander will visit the hurricane-hit Caribbean island of Sint Maarten on Monday as part of a short visit to meet locals and assess the relief effort. 

The king and home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk arrived on Curaçao on Sunday where they were briefed about the aid effort so far. They also visited a hospital to meet people who had been injured when hurricane Irma lashed the former Dutch colony last week.

‘I’m here in the first place to find out what has happened so far and what the coordination from Curaçao has done,’ the king told local media. ‘The only message I have so far is that we realise what has happened to you and we are doing our best to help everyone who needs it. You can count on our help.’ 

The evacuation of people injured by the hurricane has been completed and holidaymakers are now being brought out, news agency ANP said. It is unclear how many tourists are on the island. 

The US has evacuated some 3,000 tourists and American nationals who live there. 

Soldiers

Plasterk said he is impressed by what the police and military have achieved so far. He dismissed claims that the Netherlands has not done enough by pointing out that hundreds of people had already been dispatched to the islands before the hurricane hit. 

On Monday, fresh water will be distributed to people left without water supplies and equipment to turn sea water into drinking water is also being flown in. Some 550 Dutch soldiers are in the region to help with the relief effort. 

On the smaller islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius, which were not as badly hit as Sint Maarten, the roads have now been cleared of debris and made passable again, ANP said. 

Meanwhile, prime minister Mark Rutte told a news conference on Sunday that the death toll in the Dutch half of the island has risen to four, including two unidentified bodies which were washed ashore.

Trots op mijn staf en tijdelijke augmentees die 24/7 een topproduct neerzetten. Hartverwarmende aandacht voor onze inzet. @Defensie #Irma pic.twitter.com/G9jTVVFwIA

— Peter Jan de Vin (@C_ZMCARIB) September 11, 2017

French President Emmanuel Macron joins the Dutch monarch for a tour of the hurricane-hit islands of St Martin and St Barts pic.twitter.com/teY6NwjRsR

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 12, 2017

An aerial view of Hurricane Irma's destruction of Saint Martin pic.twitter.com/cKYFimcFVs

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 12, 2017

Mexico's biggest quake in century kills at least 35

Yahoo – AFP, Sofia MISELEM, Joshua Howat BERGER, September 8, 2017

A street is seen in the eastern area of Mexico City after a 8,2 earthquake
on September 8, 2017 (AFP Photo/ALFREDO ESTRELLA)

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico's most powerful earthquake in a century killed at least 35 people, officials said Friday, after it struck the Pacific coast, wrecking homes and sending families fleeing into the streets.

President Enrique Pena Nieto described the 8.2 magnitude quake as "a major earthquake in scale and magnitude, the strongest in the past 100 years."

The southeastern Pacific coast states of Oaxaca and Chiapas appeared to have borne the brunt of the damage, with 25 people killed in Oaxaca alone, Mexico's agriculture secretary Jose Calzada said.

The worst destruction appeared to be in Juchitan, Oaxaca, where 17 people were confirmed dead, state governor Alejandro Murat said on local television.

Officials said the death toll there could rise.

"There are houses that collapsed with people inside," Luis Felipe Puente, director general of the emergency response agency, told TV news channel Milenio.

A hotel also collapsed in Juchitan, the town hall partly caved in, and many homes were badly damaged.

Seven people were killed in Chiapas and three people, including at least two children, were killed in neighboring Tabasco state, authorities said.

In Tabasco, one child was crushed by a collapsing wall. Another, an infant on a respirator, died after the quake triggered a power outage.

Map showing the epicentre of a 8.1-magnitude quake that hit the coast of Mexico

 late Thursday and countries in the Americas with tsunami warning (AFP Photo/

Laurence CHU)

Fleeing in pajamas

The quake epicenter was about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the coastal town of Tonala, in far southern Chiapas state, and hit at 11:49 pm Thursday (0449 GMT Friday), Mexico's seismologic service said.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude slightly lower, at 8.1. That is the same as a devastating 1985 earthquake that killed more than 10,000 people in Mexico City -- the country's most destructive ever.

The quake shook a large swath of the country and was felt as far north as Mexico City -- some 800 kilometers from the epicenter -- where people fled their homes after hearing sirens go off as buildings trembled and swayed.

Many of those fleeing were in their night clothes. Some clutched babies and pets as they stumbled onto the streets.

"Not another one. God, please no," said one woman, falling to her knees to pray.

"I was driving when the ground started to shake. The car was wobbling," said Cristian Rodriguez, a 28-year-old Uber driver in Mexico City.

Onelia Guerra, an anxious Oaxaca local who was in the capital, was taking a plane back to home to check on her family.

"My father and my 14-year-old son are alone there," she told AFP.

Hurricane coming

The quake injured four people and damaged homes in neighboring Guatemala, the country's state disaster authority head Sergio Cabanas told reporters.

The quake struck as Mexicans were also bracing for the impact of Hurricane Katia, which strengthened to a Category Two storm as it rumbled towards the state of Veracruz on the Gulf coast.

It is one of three active hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean alongside Irma and Jose.

Mexico is vulnerable to hurricanes, given its location and its Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, and is hit by a least a dozen weather events a year.

Residents gather on a street in Mexico City on September 7, 2017, after an 

earthquake of magnitude 8.1, according to the US Geological Survey, struck the 

south and was felt as far away as the capital (AFP Photo/Pedro PARDO)

Tsunami alert lifted

Speaking from the National Disaster Prevention Center's headquarters, where he was supervising the emergency response, Pena Nieto said that 50 million people out of Mexico's population of 120 million people felt the quake.

Mexican officials ordered schools to remain closed Friday in 11 states, including Mexico City, so they could inspect for structural damage.

The quake struck at a depth of 69.7 kilometers, according to the USGS.

Initially, authorities issued a tsunami alert for a huge stretch of coastline starting in central Mexico and spanning Central America all the way down to Ecuador.

It was later lifted, but Mexico remained on alert for aftershocks.

Since the 1985 earthquake, Mexican authorities have instituted a stricter building code and developed an alert system using sensors placed on the coasts.

Mexico sits atop five tectonic plates, whose movement makes it one of the most seismically active countries in the world.

Pope Francis, at an open air mass on a visit to Colombia, said he was praying "for those who have lost their lives and their families" in the quake.

#UPDATE #HurricaneKatia strengthens to Category Two as Atlantic tropical mega-storms break records in 2017 https://t.co/4cRbW5IkF0 pic.twitter.com/WEqzksWJ0C

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 8, 2017

Related Articles:

Hurricane records broken in 2017

Cyclones and climate change: connecting the dots

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)

(Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Weather

Let's talk about the weather. We retreat to exactly what we told you before in this very chair. The water cycle is a cooling cycle, not a heating cycle. You're going to have more severe winters and storms. It's going to get colder. But it gets warmer before it gets colder. That is the cycle, and it has always been the cycle. You can see it in the rings of the trees and the cores of the ice. Don't let your scientists pull the political wool over your eyes for their own purposes. Start seeing these things for what they are. It's a recurring cycle based on four Earth alignment attributes, including the wobble (the precession). You're in this cycle. Prepare.

The beginnings of it will be with you from now at least until the end of the 2012 36-year window, and you can watch it work. The first thing that happens is that the ice melts at the poles, but not completely. It's the way it has happened before. As the redistribution of weight from the poles to the oceans of the earth takes place, the weight is redistributed to the crust, and that creates earthquakes. And the earthquakes that will be the most powerful are the ones that are closest to the poles. We told you that some time ago. So it's not a mystery that suddenly you have some of the most powerful earthquakes that you've ever had. Not only that, but a cooling ocean creates larger storms.

What do the conspiracists do with all this? "See? We're doomed. Here it comes," they say. "Here it comes! The end is here!" Twenty-two years ago, we gave you the information that is happening today. We told you about the weather. We told you to get ready for it, but we still haven't told you why the water cycle is needed. We've hinted at it since it is very controversial, and we'll lose many readers right here and now. Here's the prediction: The scientists are going to laugh and biologists are going to scratch their heads and roll their eyes.

The Refreshing of the Cycle of Life

When you change the temperature of the waters of the planet, it changes the life cycle of the ocean and it eventually renews itself. The life cycle of the planet has a limit to its viability over time. There has to be a refreshing of the very cycle of life, and this is what the water cycle does. Are there any places you've seen too many fish lately? Yes. Millions of salmon in the north. Odd that it was in Alaska, isn't it? Alaska is very close to the poles where the water temperature is being felt first. Oh, again the experts will tell you that this is not the reason. It's about hatcheries and rivers. But nobody predicted this, did they? Science is fast to give you reasons, but slow to give you logic in advance. They always seem to be surprised.

We are saying things we haven't said before. Again, watch for this, an actual change in the life cycle of the planet's oceans because of the water temperature shift. Biologists are going to have to start redesigning the paradigm of how everything works, including reefs, ocean bottoms, and how plankton survive and reproduce. Listen, this is not the first time that the life cycle has been refreshed! But again, this may take generations of humanity to complete. In the process, you may again lose species. This is normal. Gaia is slow, and Humans are impatient. Your textbooks may someday tell of how naive humanity was back in 2011 when they tried to blame weather changes on everything but a natural cycle. Now you know why there is a water cycle.

So what does that tell you about Gaia? Gaia is beginning the cycle of refreshing life on over-fished oceans. It tells you that in the cracks, there is love and caring about the Humans who live on the earth. There's a reason you're here. There's a plan here, and a benevolent Universe and quantum energy with intelligent design. All is there for you, precious, sacred Human Being. …”

Pope urges forgiveness in divided Colombia

Yahoo – AFP, Roland Lloyd Parry and Daniela Quintero, September 7, 2017

Pope Francis (L) and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at the Nariño
presidential palace in Bogota where they discuss efforts to bring peace with
armed rebel groups (AFP Photo/Raul ARBOLEDA)

Bogota (AFP) - Pope Francis urged Colombians Wednesday to reject "vengeance" for the sufferings of their civil conflict and promote forgiveness to overcome lingering resentments as the country seeks lasting peace.

Cheering crowds greeted the 80-year-old Argentine pontiff as he prayed for the country to heal the wounds of war -- though some warned that forgiveness was hard after so much violence.

Francis spoke alongside President Juan Manuel Santos, who has overseen a controversial peace deal with the FARC rebel force and a ceasefire with the last active guerrilla group, the ELN.

"The steps taken give rise to hope, in the conviction that seeking peace is an open-ended endeavor, a task which does not relent, which demands the commitment of everyone," Francis said.

"May this determination help us flee from the temptation to vengeance and the satisfaction of short-term partisan interests."

Pope Francis is hugged by a boy during his meeting with Colombian President 

Juan Manuel Santos (L) at the Nariño presidential palace in Bogota (AFP Photo/

Alberto PIZZOLI)

Contested peace process

Santos won a Nobel Peace Prize last year for his part in the accord that has seen the FARC disarm and transform into a political party.

It was a key step toward ending a many-sided territorial and ideological conflict that has left 260,000 people confirmed dead, 60,000 unaccounted for and seven million displaced.

But the peace process has been fraught with division. Critics say the FARC rebels got off too lightly, with amnesties and alternative sentences.

"This process is a lie... I believe in God, but I do not need intermediaries," said Bogota resident Luis Eduardo Martinez, 63, commenting on the pope's visit.

"We who saw so many victims die have not lost our resentment. I hope God will allow me to let that resentment go, but it is still there."

People wait for Pope Francis at Bolivar square in Bogota, where he is 

celebrating an open air mass (AFP Photo/Luis ROBAYO)

A plea to youth

In a balcony address later to crowds of young people near Bogota's cathedral, Francis urged them to "dream big" for the country's future.

"Your youthfulness... makes you capable of something very difficult in life: forgiving. Forgiving those who have hurt us," he said.

Francis last year tried unsuccessfully to mediate between Santos and the lead opponent of the FARC accord, conservative leader Alvaro Uribe.

Uribe wrote a Twitter message welcoming "His Holiness Francis" to Colombia on Wednesday, but without commenting on the peace process.

FARC leader Rodrigo Londono also hailed the pope on Thursday, tweeting his thanks to Francis "for supporting the peace and defending social and environmental justice."

Colombians narrowly rejected the accord in a referendum last year. A reworked version was later pushed through Congress.

Santos thanked Francis for coming to "encourage us to take the first step toward reconciliation," in a speech alongside the pope on Thursday.

"There is no use in ending a war if we still see each other as enemies," Santos added.

People wait for Pope Francis at Bolivar square in Bogota, where the pontiff is 

celebrating an open air mass (AFP Photo/Luis ROBAYO)

Praying for victims

After talks with Santos at the presidential palace, Francis visited Bogota cathedral and met with bishops.

He posed for selfies with worshipers and prayed before the image of the Virgin of Chiquinquira, Colombia's patron saint, which was flown to Bogota by helicopter for the occasion.

Francis was scheduled later to celebrate a mass for thousands of worshipers in Simon Bolivar Park.

He will then make daily excursions by plane to the cities of Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena.

In Villavicencio, he will beatify two Catholic priests killed during the conflict and pray for reconciliation with victims of violence, former guerrilla members and ex-military fighters.

"The more demanding the path that leads to peace and understanding, the greater must be our efforts to acknowledge each other, to heal wounds, to build bridges, to strengthen relationships and support one another," Francis said Thursday.

He then headed inside for private talks with Santos.

In Colombia, Pope Francis sends a message of peace to the country that is healing wounds after half a century of war https://t.co/OfRyAm0RAb pic.twitter.com/fZaU6QRCsx

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 7, 2017

Monster Hurricane Irma batters Caribbean islands

Yahoo – AFP, Laurent Czerniejewski with Cécile Azzaro in Paris, 6 September 2017

This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Irma at 1145 UTC on September 6, 2017

Monster Hurricane Irma slammed into Caribbean islands on Wednesday after making landfall in Barbuda, packing ferocious winds and causing major flooding in low-lying areas.

As the rare Category Five storm barreled its way across the Caribbean, it brought gusting winds of up to 185 miles per hour (294 kilometers per hour), weather experts said.

After making landfall just before 0600 GMT in Barbuda, part of the twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, the hurricane swept on to French-run Saint Barthelemy, also known as St Barts, and Saint Martin, an island divided between France and the Netherlands.

Hurricane Irma has already caused "major damage" on several Caribbean islands, said French Overseas Territories Minister Annick Girardin, who announced she was leaving for the island of Guadeloupe on Wednesday.

The French weather office said Irma was "a historic hurricane (with) an unprecedented intensity over the Atlantic," with a French minister saying it had already "caused major damage" across St Barts and Saint Martin.

'Very scary'

Coastal areas were being "battered extremely violently" by the sea, with the weather office logging winds of 244 kph (151 mph) before its monitoring equipment was destroyed by the hurricane.

With the islands on maximum alert ahead of the arrival of the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, France had raised the alarm over the fate of some 7,000 people who refused to seek shelter.

Dutch national broadcaster NOS also reported "enormous damage" on Saint Martin, with residents speaking of widespread destruction.

Saba Island and St Eustatius, two other Dutch-run territories to the south, were also hit.

Hurricane Irma made landfall in Barbuda but is making its way north west towards

 the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

'I'm just praying'

The massive hurricane, which is beating a path northwest, was also expected to hit the larger French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.

With forecasters warning of catastrophe, including surges of up to 25 feet (7.6 metres) above normal tide levels, people evacuated tourist areas, stocked up on provisions, and packed into shelters across an area stretching as far north as Florida.

Irma, which is expected to stay in the region for days, follows hot on the heels of Hurricane Harvey which devastated swathes of Texas in late August.

Packed into shelters, many frightened residents were calling in to local radio stations to voice their concerns.

"I am just praying to God. Everything happens for a reason," said a woman called Kazia living on Antigua, where people were hunkering down in the dark after officials turned off the island's power supply as a safety precaution.

In mid-afternoon winds speeds there were logged at up to 90 mph.

Shelters packed

Category Five is the highest on the scale for hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean, and Irma is expected to reach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by nightfall Wednesday.

Hurricanes of this category are rare. They can tear off roofing, shatter windows, uproot palm trees and turn them into deadly projectiles.

Map showing the forecast track of Hurricane Irma across the Caribbean

In Guadeloupe, schools and government offices in have been closed while hospitals stocked up on medicines, food and drinking water.

Across the island, shelters were packed with a mixture of local families and tourists.

"We came here to protect our little two-year-old boy," said Ludovic, a tourist who only gave his first name. "We hadn't prepared for this disaster scenario."

Florida is expecting to face the brunt of the storm from Friday night.

As the hurricane approached, US President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, authorising federal funding to help local authorities respond.

"My team, which has done, and is doing, such a good job in Texas, is already in Florida. No rest for the weary!" he tweeted.

The Washington Post reported that Trump's luxury property on Saint Martin had been badly hit, without giving details.

Meanwhile British billionaire Richard Branson said he would be hunkering down in his concrete wine cellar to face Hurricane Irma as it hurtles closer to his private island of Necker in the British Virgin Islands.

Threat to Puerto Rico, Florida

Florida Governor Rick Scott said Irma, which comes barely a week after Harvey claimed at least 42 lives, posed "a severe threat to the entire state".

Tourists in the popular Key West islands were packing their bags on a mandatory evacuation order and were to begin leaving at sunrise on Wednesday, with a similar order for residents due to follow.

Related Articles:

Cyclones and climate change: connecting the dots

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)

(Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Weather

Let's talk about the weather. We retreat to exactly what we told you before in this very chair. The water cycle is a cooling cycle, not a heating cycle. You're going to have more severe winters and storms. It's going to get colder. But it gets warmer before it gets colder. That is the cycle, and it has always been the cycle. You can see it in the rings of the trees and the cores of the ice. Don't let your scientists pull the political wool over your eyes for their own purposes. Start seeing these things for what they are. It's a recurring cycle based on four Earth alignment attributes, including the wobble (the precession). You're in this cycle. Prepare.

The beginnings of it will be with you from now at least until the end of the 2012 36-year window, and you can watch it work. The first thing that happens is that the ice melts at the poles, but not completely. It's the way it has happened before. As the redistribution of weight from the poles to the oceans of the earth takes place, the weight is redistributed to the crust, and that creates earthquakes. And the earthquakes that will be the most powerful are the ones that are closest to the poles. We told you that some time ago. So it's not a mystery that suddenly you have some of the most powerful earthquakes that you've ever had. Not only that, but a cooling ocean creates larger storms.

What do the conspiracists do with all this? "See? We're doomed. Here it comes," they say. "Here it comes! The end is here!" Twenty-two years ago, we gave you the information that is happening today. We told you about the weather. We told you to get ready for it, but we still haven't told you why the water cycle is needed. We've hinted at it since it is very controversial, and we'll lose many readers right here and now. Here's the prediction: The scientists are going to laugh and biologists are going to scratch their heads and roll their eyes.

The Refreshing of the Cycle of Life

When you change the temperature of the waters of the planet, it changes the life cycle of the ocean and it eventually renews itself. The life cycle of the planet has a limit to its viability over time. There has to be a refreshing of the very cycle of life, and this is what the water cycle does. Are there any places you've seen too many fish lately? Yes. Millions of salmon in the north. Odd that it was in Alaska, isn't it? Alaska is very close to the poles where the water temperature is being felt first. Oh, again the experts will tell you that this is not the reason. It's about hatcheries and rivers. But nobody predicted this, did they? Science is fast to give you reasons, but slow to give you logic in advance. They always seem to be surprised.

We are saying things we haven't said before. Again, watch for this, an actual change in the life cycle of the planet's oceans because of the water temperature shift. Biologists are going to have to start redesigning the paradigm of how everything works, including reefs, ocean bottoms, and how plankton survive and reproduce. Listen, this is not the first time that the life cycle has been refreshed! But again, this may take generations of humanity to complete. In the process, you may again lose species. This is normal. Gaia is slow, and Humans are impatient. Your textbooks may someday tell of how naive humanity was back in 2011 when they tried to blame weather changes on everything but a natural cycle. Now you know why there is a water cycle.

So what does that tell you about Gaia? Gaia is beginning the cycle of refreshing life on over-fished oceans. It tells you that in the cracks, there is love and caring about the Humans who live on the earth. There's a reason you're here. There's a plan here, and a benevolent Universe and quantum energy with intelligent design. All is there for you, precious, sacred Human Being. …”

Colombia hails ceasefire with last rebel group

Yahoo – AFP, Hector Velasco, September 4, 2017

The FARC and ELN formed in 1964 to fight for land rights and protection of poor
rural communities in Colombia (AFP Photo/LUIS ROBAYO)

Bogota (AFP) - Colombia's government and the country's last active guerrilla group, the ELN, announced a ceasefire Monday, a key step toward sealing a "complete peace" to end Latin America's longest civil war.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Bogota and ELN negotiators at peace talks in Ecuador announced the ceasefire two days before a visit to Colombia by Pope Francis.

Santos said it was "great news that we are sure will delight" the Argentine pontiff.

Under the ceasefire, "there will be an end to kidnappings, attacks on oil installations and other hostilities against the civilian population," he said in a televised address.

Toward 'complete peace'

The 1,500-strong National Liberation Army has been in negotiations with the government following a separate accord that saw the main FARC rebel group completing its disarmament last month.

Under the ELN ceasefire, "there will be an end to kidnappings, attacks on oil installations and other hostilities against the civilian population," Santos said.

He said the ceasefire will be renewed depending on progress on details still to be thrashed out with the leftist rebels.

"It will come into effect on October 1, initially for 102 days, that is to say until January 12 of next year."

The ELN delegation earlier announced the deal on Twitter.

"When the days of celebration during Francis's visit to Colombia are over, we will continue determined to advance toward a de-escalation of the conflict until complete peace becomes a reality."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the ceasefire with the ELN guerrilla 

group would come into effect on October 1 (AFP Photo)

Rocky road

Analysts warn that the talks with the ELN, under way since February, risk being even more complicated than those with the FARC.

The talks that led to the accord with the FARC lasted four years. That deal was considered to have practically ended the conflict, but other risks remain.

The 7,000 members of the FARC finished disarming last month under UN supervision.

But officials say remnants of right-wing paramilitary groups are still fighting the ELN for control of the drug trade.

Authorities have also reported deadly attacks by ELN fighters against state forces over recent months.

The government must now seek agreement with the ELN on delicate issues such as ending hostage-taking; the rebel group has a looser command structure than FARC had.

"The lack of cohesion in the ELN is a big difference compared with the FARC," said Camilo Echandia, a conflict analyst from Colombia's Externado University.

Thousands slain

The FARC and ELN formed in 1964 to fight for land rights and to protect poor rural communities.

The conflict drew in leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups and state forces.

It left 260,000 people confirmed dead, more than 60,000 missing and seven million displaced.

"The sides now have to agree on means of supervising and monitoring" the ELN talks, said political scientist Victor De Currea-Lugo from Colombia National University.

They must also seek "measures to bring about a lowering of the intensity of the conflict," he added.

Pope effect

Both sides have discussed the possibility of agreeing to a temporary ceasefire before the pope's arrival.

"The visit of Pope Francis should provide extra motivation to speed up the search for an agreement," the ELN said on Twitter.

It added that the peace talks aimed above all to help poor rural communities suffering "the unfortunate consequences of the conflict."

The pope supported the long peace process with the FARC, which last week formally transformed into a new political party to compete in next year's elections.

That peace process faced heavy resistance from critics who said the rebels got off too lightly under the deal.

Some FARC fighters have received amnesties and alternative sentences for crimes committed during the conflict.