Tag Archives: ows

White Horse, Red Horse & World War 3: U.S. shuts down embassy in Syria, U.K. withdraws ambassador, Russia sends their own observers

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.

Russia is sending their own observer team to Syria, after joining China in blocking the U.S. backed UNSC resolution.  Russian officials say they tried to get the U.S. to wait for a report from Russian observers, before voting on the resolution: “Certain Western states are trying to obscure the developments with hysterical statements on Russia’s veto of the Syria resolution. To put the Syria resolution to a vote despite our request to wait for Russia’s report after its visit to Damascus is disrespectful.”-Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia  

Russia also insists the so called democracy movement is an insurrection by the U.S., and Arab countries not friendly with Syria: “The Russian establishment and public opinion don’t buy the picture of a peaceful pro-democracy movement suppressed by dictatorship. Well trained and heavily armed rebel groups have support from the outside, primarily from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”-Fyodor Lukyanov, Russian foreign policy analyst

Also today, the Nobel Peace prize winning U.S. President Barack Obama ordered the closing of the U.S. embassy in Syria.  Even though Obama makes statements saying foreign military intervention should not occur, closing your embassy is usually associated with an expected increase in warlike violence.

The United Kingdom has recalled its ambassador to Syria. Again, another move usually associated with war.  U.K. Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has also made a formal complaint with the Syrian ambassador in London.

Hague has also accused Russia and China of “betraying the Syrian people”.

Corporate Incompetence: Boeing says ‘Ooops’ finds structural flaw in new 787 Dreamliner

Boeing is reporting that they have found a flaw in parts used to make the troubled 787 Dreamliner.  The parts are made in a South Carolina factory.

Boeing insists the flaw will not affect the safe operation of the aircraft, but then says the parts are used to strengthen the carbon fiber structure of the aircraft.  History is wrought with examples of aircraft crashes because of weakened airframes!

All Nippon Airways is the first airline company to get the 787.   They got their jets three years behind schedule!   The reason for the delay was that Boeing kept encountering strength problems in assembling the high tech light weight components (among other things)!

What Economic Recovery? Mitsubishi to end European production, 1,500 people will lose their jobs, Thailand the winner

Mitsubishi Motors announced on February 6 that they will close their only factory in Europe.

The factory is in Netherlands, and employees 1,500 people.  Mitsubishi says the factory is outdated, and it’s not worth it to upgrade.

Also, Mitsubishi stressed that they must focus on stronger car markets, like South America, and they are giving up on any chances to increase sales in Europe.  However, they will continue to ship cars to Europe from their factory in Thailand.  They also have a new Thai factory that’s scheduled to begin production in March  (mmm, cheaper Thai labor, I wounder if that’s the real reason they’re shutting down their Dutch factory?).

Mitsubishi is now working with the Dutch government to find a buyer for their Dutch factory.

 

Pale Green Horse & Global Food Crisis: Nepal hit by H5N1

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The tiny country of Nepal has been hit with H5N1.

“We sent samples for investigation to London after chickens started to die of a mysterious disease in commercial poultry farms. We have received the test reports today that confirms infection of bird flu in poultry farms…”-Ram Krishna Khatiwada, Directorate of Animal Health

Some people reported feeling strange, but Nepal’s health officials say it is caused by fear, and that they don’t think any people have become infected.  At least 4,000 poultry will be killed in an attempt to stop the spread of H5N1 in Nepal.

 

 

1.7 million Japanese infected with H3N2

February 5, 2012

Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases has revealed that 1.73 million Japanese are infected with H3N2, a subtype of influenza A (aka Swine Flu, not to be confused with H1N1 Swine Flu).  The last time Japan was hit with H3N2 was five years ago!

According to a report from December, 2011, there were only ten cases of H3N2 reported worldwide, now Japan has 1.73 million!  All ten 2011 cases were in the United States.

There is a problem in dealing with H3N2 as there is actually two H3N2 viruses; one that is human to human, the other is pig to pig.  Back in 2011, health officials tracking H3N2 raised a warning because of the ten cases in the U.S. (mostly in Iowa).  They suspected that a new outbreak of human to human H3N2 was looming.

They were right, at least for Japan, as the 1.73 million people with H3N2 seem to have been infected just within the past month!  Japanese officials say schools have seen the most rapid spread of H3N2.  Many young people between the ages of five and 14 are infected.  All of Japan’s 47 prefectures are dealing with the infection.  So far no deaths are being reported.

 

 

 

What Global Warming? Europe & Asia suffer freezing WX, at least 420 Europeans freeze to death, even North Africa affected

“It’s awful. I had to walk two hours through freezing temperatures just to get to the metro. The area is full of trees that have fallen on cars but no one’s come to help us.”-Federico Maneski, Rome, Italy

While North America is experiencing a warmer than normal winter, Europe and Asia are breaking records.  From record snowfall in Japan and Korea, to record low temps in Europe.

Japan and South Korea had reported record snowfall, and record freezing temps, but not as freezing as the temps in Europe.

As of February 6, at least 420 Europeans, mostly homeless people, have frozen to death!  Finland has hit -40 Celsius (-104 Fahrenheit)!   The deaths of people who do not have access to heat sources range from France, Italy, Poland, Romania to Ukraine.

In Serbia, an area of 70,000 people has been cut off by record snowfall.  Police and military units have to use helicopters to fly in supplies.  In Croatia, a woman gave birth to a daughter with the help of her neighbors in her village, because the road to the hospital was blocked by snow. She named her daughter Snjezana, which means Snow White in Croatian.

The freezing temps have even hit the North African country of Algeria.  16 people were killed when their cars slid off ice covered roads.

 

 

 

 

 

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Reactor 2 at Fukushima Daiichi heating up, possibly due to a plumbing screw up!

On 27 January 2012, the temperature in reactor 2 was at 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). On 05 February it’s at 73.3 Celsius (163.9 Fahrenheit).

Tokyo Electric (now effectively state owned due to running out of money) reports that the rise in temp could be due to some recent plumbing work.  Hello!

Another problem is that two separate thermometers are giving cooler temp readings, so they’re not sure which ones to believe.  To be safe they’re going with the higher temp readings.

TEPCo is now pumping 10.6 tons of water per hour, trying to keep the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2 from overheating.

White Horse & World War 3: Russia & China Veto UNSC Resolution against Syria, U.S. & Europe might now go to war with Syria without UN support

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Just reported out of Moscow, Russia and China has officially vetoed the latest United Nations Security Council resolution against Syria.

Russia says one reason they vetoed the U.S. backed resolution was because it sanctioned only Syrian government forces, not rebel groups such as the U.S./Israeli supported Free Syrian Army (which is responsible for most of the violence in Syria).

Analysts say the United States, and European countries who want war with Syria, must now prove their claims in order to push for another try at a UNSC resolution.  It is highly likely that the U.S. and EU will act against Syria without UN support.

Pale Green Horse & H5N1: Vietnam has second 2012 human death caused by Bird Flu

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

On February 1, 2012, the Vietnamese Health Ministry announced that a 26 year old woman died from H5N1.  It’s the second human death , for Vietnam, since the beginning of 2012.

Until now, Vietnam hasn’t had any human deaths caused by H5N1 for the past two years.

At the end of 2011, Vietnam killed off thousands of poultry, due to H5N1.  In January 2012, an 18 year old man died of H5N1.  The 26 year old woman is said to have worked on one of the poultry farms that was infected with H5N1.

Pale Green Horse & H5N1: More wild birds found dead in Honk Kong. Bangladesh dealing with full blown epidemic.

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

In the past few weeks several wild birds have turned up dead, in Hong Kong, of H5N1.  On January 26, a dead goose tested positive for H5N1.  Of interest is that it was not from a poultry farm, and was no where near poultry when it was found.  Then on January 30, a dead peregrine falcon was found.  It died of H5N1, and was no where near any poultry farms.  Also on January 30, a black headed gull was found dead of H5N1, however it was found within three km (1.8 miles) of chicken farms.

In Bangladesh, officials have revealed they’ve been dealing with a full blown epidemic involving a dozen poultry farms.

From November to January 31, 67,327 birds and 69,390 eggs were destroyed, in an effort to stop the spread of H5N1.  Officials pointed out that normally the height of the H5N1 season is usually January/February, but they’ve been dealing with this latest outbreak since November!

Farmers in Bangladesh suffered such drastic poultry culling through the winter of 2009/10 as well.

Bangladesh was first hit with H5N1 in March 2007.  Many Asian countries have killed hundreds of thousands of farm birds, in an effort to stop H5N1.  Such action has to adversely affect food supply, and prices.