Author: Ron Chambers

Earth Needs Fewer People to Beat the Climate Crisis, Scientists Say

– November 5, 2019

Forty years ago, scientists from 50 nations converged on Geneva to discuss what was then called the “CO2-climate problem.” At the time, with reliance on fossil fuels having helped trigger the 1979 oil crisis, they predicted global warming would eventually become a major environmental challenge.

The scientists got to work, building a strategy on how to attack the problem and laying the groundwork for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s preeminent body of climate scientists. Their goal was to get ahead of the problem before it was too late. But after a fast start, the fossil fuel industry, politics and the prioritization of economic growth over planetary health slowed them down.

Now, four decades later, a larger group of scientists is sounding another, much more urgent alarm. More than 11,000 experts from around the world are calling for a critical addition to the main strategy of dumping fossil fuels for renewable energy: there needs to be far fewer humans on the planet.

“We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency,” the scientists wrote in a stark warning published Tuesday in the journal BioScience.

https://www.bloomberg.com

Officials block villagers as quakes shake Philippine volcano

AARON FAVILA and JIM GOMEZ – January 16,2020

LEMERY, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine volcano that erupted last weekend belched smaller plumes of ash but shuddered frequently with earthquakes Thursday, prompting authorities to block access to nearby towns due to fears of a bigger eruption.

A crater lake and nearby river on the Taal volcano dried up in signs of its continued restiveness, and officials have warned people against speculating that the five-day eruption is waning.

“We have a seeming lull, but, again, as we emphasized earlier, there is something different happening beneath the volcano,” Ma. Antonio Bornas of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told reporters, citing continued tremors, steaming and other signs of magma movement.

Renato Solidum, who heads the institute, said it may take up to two weeks for experts to assess whether the volcano’s restiveness has eased. The Taal area has remained just a notch down from the highest level of a five-step alert system the institute uses to warn the public of a volcano’s danger.

Soldiers and police blocked villagers from going back to the island volcano and nearby towns to retrieve belongings, poultry and cattle.

Many houses and farms have been damaged by volcanic ash since the eruption started Sunday, though no deaths or major injuries have been reported after tens of thousands of people evacuated.

A 65-year-old woman died of a heart attack while being moved out of Taal town in Batangas province but officials said she had been ill and may have been stressed by the calamity. Batangas province lies more than 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of the capital, Manila.

Amid warnings of a possible imminent and more dangerous eruption, police cordoned off at least four towns near shores of a lake that surrounds the volcano. The move sparked arguments with villagers.

https://apnews.com

SARS-like coronavirus spreads from China to Japan as epidemic fears grow

Anders Anglesey – January 16, 2020

Japanese officials have confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus in the country as epidemic fears grow.

A government official said today that a Japanese man in his 30s, who travelled to Wuhan in eastern China, tested positive for the virus.

The SARS-like virus has struck down dozens in China since the outbreak was first recorded in December.

It is believed an outbreak of pneumonia caused the fresh coronavirus strain.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the virus could spread further and has told hospitals across the world to be alert.

Maria Van Kerkhove, acting head of the WHO’s emerging diseases unit, said: “From the information that we have it is possible that there is limited human-to-human transmission, potentially among families, but it is very clear right now that we have no sustained human-to-human transmission.

She added: “It is still early days, we don’t have a clear clinical picture.”

Coronaviruses are infections that can cause colds to more-serious illnesses like SARS.

In all, 41 cases of pneumonia have been reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which preliminary lab tests cited by state media showed could be from a new type of coronavirus.

One of the patients has died, a 61-year-old man who had bought goods from a wholesale seafood market in Wuhan.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk

Watchlist: 260 million Christians persecuted in 50 worst nations

WND Staff – January 16, 2020

More than 300 million Christians suffer high or extreme levels of persecution around the globe today, mostly in Muslim-majority nations, according to the new World Watch list by the organization Open Doors.

“The church is alive. The church is active. The church is growing. And that’s why the church is persecuted,” says Open Doors in its 2020 report. “The persecution of Christians is getting more severe than ever, affecting increasing numbers of believers around the world.”

In the top 50 countries on the World Watch List, a staggering 260 million Christians face high or extreme levels of persecution for their faith.

In the previous year, it was 245 million.

Open Doors estimates another 50 million Christians face high levels of persecution in a further 23 countries, including Mexico, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The worst offending country is the communist nation North Korea, followed by Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Iran and India.

Syria, where Christians have been caught in the crossfire of a years-long civil war, is No. 11.

“Of the top 50, 45 countries have been designated ‘extreme’ or ‘very high,’ in terms of the levels of persecution Christians face,”  says Open Doors. “That’s five more than last year.”

Nearly 3,000 Christians were murdered for their faith from Nov. 1, 2018, to Oct. 13, 2019.

https://www.wnd.com

Supreme Court Allows Muslims to Build Mosque on Temple Mount

David Sidman– January 13, 2020

As if the massive Al-Aksa Mosque wasn’t enough, Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a petition by the Regavim movement to prevent the construction of a mosque at the Gate of Mercy on the Temple Mount reports 0404. The court claimed that they “don’t get involved” in these types of disputes unless it is regarding “extreme circumstances”.

This is not the first time that the Muslim Waqf has illegally built structures at the expense of ancient relics on the Temple Mount that they eventually converted into mosques. In the past, the Waqf has done the same type of thing at Solomon’s Stables as well and the Huldah Gates.

The Regavim movement appealed to the Supreme Court stressing that the state itself allowed this to happen despite the fact that “the Waqf Council as well as Hamas operatives illegally broke into the compound and operated hostile activities” from there and asked for a court order to close the compound but the state didn’t enact any such measure.

Regavim responded to the decision saying: “Regarding basic laws of human dignity, the Supreme Court has nullified laws passed by the legislative branch. They have nullified the law of ‘Welcoming Committees’ which destroyed flourishing Jewish towns because they would not allow any sort of discrimination in Israel. But when there is discrimination of human dignity on a daily basis against Jews on the Temple Mount, that’s fine as far as they’re concerned.  This time, the Supreme Court has decided not to be activists, has abandoned the Jewish right to worship in their holiest place.”

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com

California Lawmakers Kill Ban on ‘Intersex’ Surgery for Young Children

Dr. Susan Berry – January 14, 2020

Lawmakers in California have killed a bill that would ban most surgeries on “intersex” infants and young children – those born with ambiguous sex characteristics.

The measure would have prohibited surgeries on children, aged six and under, born with sex characteristics that cannot easily be categorized as “male” or “female,” unless the Medical Board of California determined they were medically necessary.

A majority of state lawmakers – three Democrats and one Republican on the state Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, voted to reject the bill, proposed by Democrat State Sen. Scott Wiener, that would have banned most of the intersex procedures, reported the Associated Press (AP).

Wiener claimed the bill addresses a civil rights issue and seeks to “ensure that people who are born intersex are able to make their own choices about their health and their gender identity instead of having other people make those irreversible surgical choices for them.”

However, as AP reported, a majority of committee members considered the measure’s definition of “intersex” to be overly broad.

The committee heard the testimony of Dr. Hillary Copp, a pediatric urologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who said she opposed the bill because it would remove “all flexibility for trained medical professionals and their [sic] loved ones to do what is in the best interest of the patient.”

The committee voted to reject the legislation following a public hearing that featured testimony on both sides of the issue.

https://www.breitbart.com

US Warship Faces Aggressive Moves by Russia Ship in Mideast

Newsmax – January 10, 2020

An American warship was “aggressively approached” by a Russian Navy ship in the North Arabian Sea, the U.S. Navy said Friday.

Navy Cmdr. Josh Frey, spokesman for U.S. 5th Fleet, said that the USS Farragut was conducting routine operations Thursday and sounded five short blasts to warn the Russian ship of a possible collision. He said the USS Farragut, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, asked the Russian ship to change course and the ship initially refused but ultimately moved away.

Even though the Russian ship moved away, Frey said the delay in shifting course “increased the risk of collision.”

https://www.newsmax.com

Retail Apocalypse Surges Into 2020: No End In Sight

Mac Slavo – January 9, 2020

The retail apocalypse was particularly bad in 2019, and only days into 2020, Macy’s has announced it’ll begin closing stores, following a trend in the industry.  Macy’s will close a minimum of 28 stores, and one Bloomingdale’s as problems in retail continue.

With consumer spending so high, it’s hard to imagine a reason for store closures.  “We regularly review our store portfolio and will provide an update at our Investor Day on February 5th,” the company said in a statement sent to USA TODAY.

Clearance sales will begin this month and run for eight to 12 weeks, Macy’s Media Relations Manager Julianne Bartosz said in an email to TCPalm.com, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, about the Macy’s in the Indian River Mall in Vero Beach, Florida.  Most other locations to be shuttered have not yet been disclosed.  Officials also steered clear of an exact number of closings, say there would be a “minimum of 28 stores” permanently closed.

Among the government and Federal Reserve’s insistence that consumers are spending money, Macy’s reported a drop in holiday sales. Macy’s November and December sales results Wednesday, which showed holiday sales did not meet the expectations. “Macy’s, Inc.’s performance during the holiday season reflected a strong trend improvement from the third quarter,” CEO Jeff Gennette said in a news release. “Additionally, customers responded to our gifting assortment and marketing strategy, particularly in the 10 days before Christmas.”

https://www.shtfplan.com

Over 1000 Earthquakes Have Hit Puerto Rico, And Authorities Say It Is Being “Squeezed” Between Two Tectonic Plates

– January 8, 2020

The nightmarish earthquake swarm that has been rattling Puerto Rico since last month continues to make headlines all over the world.  Homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and historic structures all over the main island of Puerto Rico have crumbled, and many residents are deeply afraid of using many of the buildings that remain standing because they are afraid that they could literally collapse at any moment.  We haven’t seen this sort of shaking in the region in more than a century, and as you will see below, experts are telling us that more quakes are coming.

Traditionally, Puerto Rico has not been known for heavy seismic activity.  But now that could be changing.  According to CNN, there have been more than 500 quakes “of magnitude 2 or greater” since December 28th…

Since December 28, more than 500 earthquakes of magnitude 2 or greater have rattled the area, according to the US Geological Survey. Many of them were relatively shallow, which means they were likely felt on land.

Of the hundreds of earthquakes, 32 were magnitude 4 and above, including the ones Monday and Tuesday.

And overall, there have been “more than a thousand quakes” of all sizes since this earthquake swarm first started in December…

Since the tremors began last month, Puerto Rico has experienced more than a thousand quakes, most of them too small to feel.

The mainstream media really began to take notice when the main island of Puerto Rico was hit by a magnitude 4.7 earthquake on December 28th, and that was quickly followed by a magnitude 5.0 quake.

Then just a few days ago we witnessed a magnitude 5.8 quake, a magnitude 6.4 quake and a magnitude 6.0 quake in rapid succession.

http://endoftheamericandream.com

US on track for one of the worst flu seasons in decades

Elizabeth Cohen and John Bonifield – January 6, 2020

(CNN)This flu season is shaping up to be one of the worst in decades, according to the United States’ top infectious disease doctor.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said while it’s impossible to predict how the flu will play out, the season so far is on track to be as severe as the 2017-2018 flu season, which was the deadliest in more than four decades, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The initial indicators indicate this is not going to be a good season — this is going to be a bad season,” Fauci said.

So far this flu season, at least 2,900 people in the US are estimated to have died of the flu, according to data released Friday by the CDC. That’s 800 more deaths than estimated the previous week.

Flu cases and hospitalizations because of the flu have also risen sharply since the season began in October. CDC estimates there have been at least 6.4 million flu illnesses and 55,000 hospitalizations.

https://www.cnn.com