Der Spiegel reports CDU asks for recall of all €U-ambassadors

Unionspolitiker fordert Abzug aller EU-Botschafter aus Teheran

Der stellvertretende Vorsitzende der Unionsfraktion, Andreas Schockenhoff, hat sich dafür ausgesprochen, dass alle EU-Staaten ihre Botschafter aus Iran abziehen. Dies sei die angemessene Reaktion auf die Krise um die 15 von Iran festgenommenen britischen Seeleute.

---my transl.:

CDU-politician [CDU-CSU is the major partner in Angela Merkel´s gvt.] requests recall of all EU-ambassadors from Iran.

The Deputy President of the CDU/CSU-fraction, Andreas Schockenhoff, has spoken for recalling of all EU-countries´ ambassadors from Iran. This is a moderate reaction to the crisis of 15 kidnapped british seamen.

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Well, my suspicious mind cuts both ways: protest? Yes!

Or €U-nuchs just using this LAST chance to get as many europeans out of the Eye of the Storm... The €U should send the latest A-380 to get them all in one swoop... I have a feeling there will be no more airliners flying out of Teheran. For a long time. For ever?

Faster, Mr. Bush, faster!

The War starts on April 6th ?

GPS read-out on the fatefull Friday morning. See the geo-coordinates!


A seemingly simple hostage-taking could be how this begins.
A series of mushroom clouds could be how it ends.
That´s the opinion of a man whose book lies in front of me right here: Kenneth R. TIMMERMAN: Countdown to crisis-The coming nuclear showdown with Iran.

And now more'n'more signs of ULTIMATE tensions in the region:
The USS Nimitz and its support ships will be departing San Diego Monday, April 2, to join the John C. Stennis Strike Group in the Persian Gulf.

The occupancy at Emirate hotels has soared past 90% due mostly to the influx of US military personnel.

Nearly all the IMPORTANT players are women, and travelling and scheming:

• US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Israel Saturday amid row with Bush administration of her April 3 trip to Damascus
  
• German chancellor Angela Merkel due in Israel Saturday night from three days in Jordan.
  
• Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett has said Britain is in discussion with Iran about the sailors.
  
• Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni hosts Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
  

Since Helen of Troy the history haven't seen so much oestrogen-fuelled decision making! 
This will surely unglue the mullahs... there is nothing in the Koran  to counter this threat!

Or, more likely, will they see it as a sign the West has lost its collective mind? To stand up against the most misogynist, wife-beating, women-hating cult the Planet has ever seen ... the best we could do are these GRANDMOTHERS ?

Personal story: Horsens Sygehus - Leg operation

At last I got my leg fixed - team under Dr. Jesper Kabel removed the nepali-hospital steel-plate. Jesper communicated via e-mail few times his concern about the screws and type of the plate. After nearly 2 hr. operation, during which I was anaesthetised with spinal injection, he told me: "They used the same AO-reconstruction plates as we do in Denmark!" Ah, the pleasures and conveniences of globalization!
After all the bitching and crying in the danish MSM and (D)DR [Danmarks Radio] about the "sorry" state of danish health care it was a shock to experience hospital environment in Denmark after 32 years: a good shock I mean! The staff were compassionate, caring to the extreme; the equipment modern, clean and functional! It seems the pain is banned from danish hospitals and I was friendly reprimanded by a nurse for gnashing my teeth and lowly moaning in the one night I spent there: no, I should have asked for painkiller! And the painkiller they gave me:

OxyNorm:
This medicine contains the active ingredient oxycodone hydrochloride, which is a type of medicine called an opioid or narcotic analgesic (painkiller). It is related to morphine. Opioid painkillers work by mimicking the action of naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are found in the brain and spinal cord and reduce pain by combining with opioid receptors. Oxycodonemimicks the action of natural endorphins by combining with the opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. This blocks the transmission of pain signals sent by the nerves to the brain. Therefore, even though the cause of the pain may remain, less pain is actually felt. Oxycodone is used to relieve moderate to severe pain associated with cancer and following surgery. It is also be used to relieve severe pain of other causes that is deemed to require the use of a strong opioid. OxycodoneOxyNorm and OxyContin. OxyNorm capsules, liquids and injections are short-acting forms of the medicine. OxyNorm capsules and liquids need to be taken every four to six hours to provide continuous pain relief. The injection may be given more frequently than this, or may be given as a continuous infusion (drip). OxyContin tablets are long-acting "prolonged release" tablets, which are designed to release the oxycodone slowly over a period of 12 hours so that a dose is only needed twice a day. is available under two brand names,

After 24 hr I was discharged into glorious danish spring day, and lighter for the AO-reconstruction plate and 6-screws. A friend picked me up and on the way to Århus bought me my puja-beer: Carlsberg Elefant...
Jai Ganésh! & tak to Jesper and the team on the 5th floor!

Global Conflagration Looming: March 2007 mirrors August 1939

I'll stop posting (and bitching) about Nepal and the relentless drive to power of the MaoBadBoyz™, at least for a while. It pains me beyond sanity to see my beloved, gentle people, my in-laws, my computer students and friends dragged into beastly paws of murderous, useless and passé UTOPIA... Thats'why I am WIDE AWAKE at 4 in the morning - but there is more to it: There is larger game afoot and the dark clouds of Global Conflagration are gathering, the sky blackens and ill wind howls over the Planet. I saw the wisps on horizon - the abrupt stoppage, ABANDONMENT! of Bushehr Nuclear Power Station by the Russians (and HASTY withdrawal of ALL engineers!), rumors of evacuation, heck!, ESCPAE plans of Western Embassies in Tehran - but today´s unprovoked seizure of 15 UK Navy sailors & marines is a full grown tornado!

And the events are piling on at breath-taking speed:

1. Seizure of 15 UK Navy personel by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards - ambush really.
   
2. Unexpected appearance of French nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Gulf (now 4 western carrier groups in the vicinity:CDG, USS John C. Stennis, USS Eisenhower and USS Boxer). This is more ships and airplanes since... well pick your comparison!
3. China´s Hu suddenly apears in Moscow begging for fuel-supplies
4. Ahmadinejad after all NOT going to New York for SC-meeting!
5. UK commanders in Basra accused Iran of being behind 90% of the violence in S. Iraq and paying out $250 to anyone willing to attack British troops.
6. Kuwaiti newspaper Al Seyassah writes that the War starts on April 6th:The targets have supposedly been chosen, and will be hit on April 6 between 0400 and 1600!!! This is REALLY hard to believe -it´s
   

   Good Friday!

The best we, the Planet, can now hope that the cool heads prevail, as in Cuban Crisis in 1962. But my instincts, my reading of history is we are heading for WAR.

Yup folks, it´s just ranting of an old, tired, scared European: but this flurry of action reminds me of August 1939!

May the Gods have mercy on me and my Civilization.

... and I would prefer this posting made me a fool worldwide and a global village idiot RATHER than beeIng RIGHT!
OM MANI PADME HUM! OM SHANTI! AMEN!

Forward to the Past, Comrades!

Proposal of curriculum of Maoist Education for 9-10 year old nepali children:

As if we need more evidence of the inhuman, more: STUPID intentions of MaoBadBoyz! With competences like "How to make and use guns, General introduction to explosives, grenades and booby-traps..." and the like, the children will be "REALLY" well-equiped to live and prosper in the global economy!

Or maybe the Jungali Fréres know a thing or two we mere mortals don´t have a clue about: maybe these competences will be in high demand in the uncertain future! And danish boys & girls will be poorly prepared with the nanny-state emphasis on "conflict resolution" from the age of 3!

Course	Year 4 (9 yrs old)	Year 5 (10 yrs old)
Philosophy (60 credit hours)	• Introduction to philosophy • The two classes: the exploited and the exploiters • Concept of two classes (a) consciousness and dialectical materialism (b) physical and mental labour (c) the known and the unknown	• Introduction to philosophy: identifying the classes of capitalists and workers, and feudal landlords and peasants • Concept of two classes. Physical and mental labour. Material/consciousness. Known/unknown. • Materialistic and idealistic philosophies • Introduction to materialistic philosophy: historical and dialectical materialism
Politics (40 hrs)	• Biography of Prachanda • Beginning of the People’s War • General introduction to human social development: the primitive stage, slave society, feudal society, capitalist society. • The constitution of village level People's Government, its rights and duties	• The life of Mao Tse-Tung • Biography of 4 ‘people’s war’ warriors • The Spartacus Revolt • the organization, rules and regulation, rights and duties of district people's councils
History (30 hrs)	• The history of the Communist movement in Nepal (foundation of Nepal Communist Party, its founders and beginning of the People’s War.) • Biography of Dil Bahadur Ramtel • The Dang attack	• History of Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) (From General Assembly of Unity to beginning of People’s War) • Biography of Mitramani Acharya • The Achham action
Economics (30 hrs)	• Definition of labour and wages • Introduction to types and importance of cooperatives • What is production and consumption? • Exchange and barter of goods	• Introduction to value, distribution, capital • What are the means of labour? • What are the weapons of labour? • Private and social ownership • Introduction to cooperatives • Types of cooperatives and production
Culture (20 hrs)	• The song ‘I will keep my country in my “eyes”’ • Poetry about Maoist martyrs • Children’s stories • General introduction to traditional festivals and people's festivals	• The song ‘Dear Jaljala’ • Biography and poetry by national and local poets • Short stories, science stories and children's stories • Types of culture: feudalism, imperialism, capitalism, Communism and socialism
Military science (20 hrs)	• Exercise and marching • What is roll call? • Information, counting soldiers, reporting about their conditions • Introduction to being a sentry • Introduction to homemade guns • Communication in the battlefield • Introduction to explosives and exchange of information • Introduction to war	• Important tips for sentries • Rules for route finding • Exercises and marching • How to make and use guns • General introduction to explosives, grenades and booby-traps • Student's role in military information and communication • How to guide soldiers. Roll call. • Types of war — justified and unjustified

Show whips off the camouflage net

• My kind of show: Military and Art, both in the same venue. Must see this summer, if I summon courage to visit anything in London...
  

A major London exhibition on the history of military camouflage looks at how it took to the field and ended up on the catwalk.

Dress the French army as harlequins, Picasso reportedly quipped during World War I, and the diamonds will make them harder for the enemy to see.

France, perhaps wisely, declined to kit out its soldiers as Italian clowns but was otherwise happy to apply Cubism to the war effort, on the principle that a broken-up form is harder for a spotter-plane to sight. The Section de Camouflage, staffed with minor Cubist painters and set designers, was born in 1915 and no major piece of military hardware would ever be safe again from the paint-brush.

Just finishing my face - S Korean soldier applies camouflage paint

Back in Napoleonic times, high-visibility uniforms were the battle order of the day, as French blues and Russian greens, British reds and Austrian whites marched forth.

"It was basically a way of identifying soldiers but it was also about the camaraderie that comes from wearing the same kit," Tim Newark, author of new book Camouflage, told the BBC News website.

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Camouflage runs at the Imperial war Museum from 23 March to18 November 2007.

Václav Klaus vs. Al-Gore: Answers to questions from the House of Representatives

Here is the (official from the Castle) english translation of President V. Klaus´ "Answers".
Note that this guy is talking NOT about the validity or falsehood of "Climate Change" but mostly about (sinister) aspects of this new religion and their impact on human freedom and development in the 3rd world. Couldn´t agree more...
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Answers to questions from the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, Committee on Energy and Commerce, on the issue of mankind’s contribution to global warming and climate change

Concerning mankind’s contribution to climate change and in keeping with obligations towards the welfare of our citizens: what, in your view, should policymakers consider when addressing climate change?

The – so called – climate change and especially man-made climate change has become one of the most dangerous arguments aimed at distorting human efforts and public policies in the whole world.

My ambition is not to bring additional arguments to the scientific climatological debate about this phenomenon. I am convinced, however, that up to now this scientific debate has not been deep and serious enough and has not provided sufficient basis for the policymakers’ reaction. What I am really concerned about is the way the environmental topics have been misused by certain political pressure groups to attack fundamental principles underlying free society. It becomes evident that while discussing climate we are not witnessing a clash of views about the environment but a clash of views about human freedom.

As someone who lived under communism for most of my life I feel obliged to say that the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity at the beginning of the 21st century is not communism or its various softer variants. Communism was replaced by the threat of ambitious environmentalism. This ideology preaches earth and nature and under the slogans of their protection – similarly to the old Marxists – wants to replace the free and spontaneous evolution of mankind by a sort of central (now global) planning of the whole world. (my emphasis)

The environmentalists consider their ideas and arguments to be an undisputable truth and use sophisticated methods of media manipulation and PR campaigns to exert pressure on policymakers to achieve their goals. Their argumentation is based on the spreading of fear and panic by declaring the future of the world to be under serious threat. In such an atmosphere they continue pushing policymakers to adopt illiberal measures, impose arbitrary limits, regulations, prohibitions, and restrictions on everyday human activities and make people subject to omnipotent bureaucratic decision-making. To use the words of Friedrich Hayek, they try to stop free, spontaneous human action and replace it by their own, very doubtful human design.

The environmentalist paradigm of thinking is absolutely static. They neglect the fact that both nature and human society are in a process of permanent change, that there is and has been no ideal state of the world as regards natural conditions, climate, distribution of species on earth, etc. They neglect the fact that the climate has been changing fundamentally throughout the existence of our planet and that there are proofs of substantial climate fluctuations even in known and documented history. Their reasoning is based on historically short and incomplete observations and data series which cannot justify the catastrophic conclusions they draw. They neglect the complexity of factors that determine the evolution of the climate and blame contemporary mankind and the whole industrial civilization for being the decisive factors responsible for climate change and other environmental risks.

By concentrating on the human contribution to the climate change the environmentalists ask for immediate political action based on limiting economic growth, consumption, or human behavior they consider hazardous. They do not believe in the future economic expansion of the society, they ignore the technological progress the future generations will enjoy, and they ignore the proven fact that the higher the wealth of society is, the higher is the quality of the environment.

The policymakers are pushed to follow this media-driven hysteria based on speculative and hard evidence lacking theories, and to adopt enormously costly programs which would waste scarce resources in order to stop the probably unstoppable climate changes, caused not by human behavior but by various exogenous and endogenous natural processes (such as fluctuating solar activity).

My answer to your first question, i.e. what should policymakers consider when addressing climate change, is that policymakers should under all circumstances stick to the principles free society is based on, that they should not transfer the right to choose and decide from the people to any advocacy group claiming that it knows better than the rest of the people what is good for them. Policymakers should protect taxpayers’ money and avoid wasting it on doubtful projects which cannot bring positive results.

How should policies address the rate and consequences of climate change and to what extent should regulation of emissions of greenhouse gases be a focus of any such policies?

Policies should realistically evaluate the potential our civilization has, as compared with the power of natural forces influencing climate. It is an evident waste of society’s resources to try to combat an increase of solar activity or the movement of ocean currents. No government action can stop the world and nature from changing. Therefore, I disagree with plans such as the Kyoto Protocol or similar initiatives, which set arbitrary targets requiring enormous costs without realistic prospects for the success of these measures.

If we accept global warming as a real phenomenon, I believe we should address it in an absolutely different way. Instead of hopeless attempts to fight it, we should prepare ourselves for its consequences. If the atmosphere warms up, the effects do not have to be predominantly negative. While some deserts may get larger and some ocean shores flooded, enormous parts of the earth – up until now empty because of their severe, cold climate – may become fertile areas able to accommodate millions of people. It is also important to realize that no planetary change comes overnight.

Therefore, I warn against adopting regulations based on the so- called precautionary principle which the environmentalists use to justify their recommendations, the clear benefit of which they are not able to prove. Responsible politics should take into account the opportunity costs of such proposals and be aware of the fact that the wasteful environmentalist policies are adopted to the detriment of other policies, thus neglecting many other important needs of millions of people all over the world. Each policy measure must be based on a cost- benefit analysis.

Mankind has already accumulated tragic experience with one very proud intellectual stream that claimed that it knew how to manage society better that spontaneous market forces. It was communism and it failed, leaving behind millions of victims. Now, a new -ism has emerged that claims to be able to manage even nature and, through it, people. This excessive human pride – just as the previous attempts – cannot but fail. The world is a complex and complicated system that cannot be organized according to an environmentalist human design, without repeating the tragic experience of wasting resources, suppressing people’s freedom, and destroying the prosperity of the whole human society.

My recommendation, therefore, is to pay attention to the thousands of small things that negatively influence the quality of the environment. And to protect and foster fundamental systemic factors without which the economy and society cannot operate efficiently – i.e. to guarantee human freedom and basic economic principles such as the free market, a functioning price system and clearly defined ownership rights. They motivate economic agents to behave rationally. Without them, no policies can protect either the citizens or the environment.

Policymakers should resist environmentalist calls for new policies because there are too many uncertainties in scientific debates on climate change. It is impossible to control natural factors causing climate change. The negative impact of the proposed regulation on economic growth is to the detriment of all other possible risks, including the environmental ones.

What will be the effect on national economies, consumer well-being, job creation, and future innovation under various climate change policy scenarios that have come to your attention?

If the policymakers accept the maximalistic environmental demands, the effects on national economies will be devastating. It would stimulate some, very small parts of the economy while leaving a bigger part of it choked by artificial limits, regulations, and restrictions. The rate of growth would decline and the competitiveness of the firms on international markets would be seriously affected. It would have a negative impact on employment and job creation. Only rational policies, making spontaneous adjustments possible, can justify government intervention.

What impact and effectiveness will so-called cap-and-trade policies have upon the reduction of climate change threats and our ability to address these threats in the future?

Cap-and-trade policies are a technical tool to achieve pollution reduction goals by more market compatible means. They can help if the general idea behind the scheme is rational. I do not believe the whole idea to combat climate change by emission limits is rational and I, therefore, consider the technicalities of its eventual implementation to be of secondary importance.

What is the moral obligation of developed countries to the developing countries of the world? Should developed countries embark on large emissions reduction schemes while developing countries are allowed to continue to increase emissions unabated?

The moral obligation of developed countries to the developing countries is to create such an environment which guarantees free exchange of goods, services, and capital flows, enables utilization of comparative advantages of individual countries and thus stimulates economic development of the less developed countries. Artificial administrative barriers, limits and regulations imposed by developed countries discriminate the developing world, affect its economic growth, and prolong poverty and underdevelopment. The environmentalist proposals are an exact example of such illiberal policies that are so harmful for the developing countries. They will not be able to cope with the limits and standards imposed on the world by irrational environmental policies, they will not be able to absorb new technological standards required by the anti-greenhouse religion, their products will have difficult access to the developed markets, and as a result the gap between them and the developed world will widen.

It is an illusion to believe that severe anti-climate change policies could be limited to developed countries only. If the policies of the environmentalists are adopted by developed countries, sooner or later their ambitions to control and manage the whole planet will spread the emissions reduction requirements worldwide. The developing countries will be forced to accept irrational targets and limitations because “earth is first” and their needs are secondary. The environmentalist argumentation gives ammunition to protectionists of all colors who try to eliminate competition coming from newly industrialized countries. Therefore, the moral obligation of the developed countries is not to introduce large emissions reduction schemes.

Václav Klaus, March 19th, 2007

Gore, not Earth has a fever!

Totally moronic performance of the Chief Pontif of the Order of St.Gaia.
Al-Gore, the "inventor" of internet and icon to the moonbats planetwide raised more then few eyebrows with his hysterical postulates:

"The planet has a fever," Gore said. "If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant. You take action."

This moron can´t even imagine notion that

• our "remedy" could make things even worse
• that geologically speaking we are here mere seconds of "Gaia´s" life and thus know shit about the atmosphere and complexity of the climate
  
• that the little we know shows that even in warmest periods of the planet there was ice on the polar caps
• and the last nail to his "theory" (news just in):

The United States emerged unscathed from the 2006 season after it spawned a below-average nine storms, of which five became hurricanes. Experts had universally -- and erroneously -- predicted 2006 would be a busy year for Atlantic storms.

None of the hurricanes hit the United States, bringing welcome relief to beleaguered residents of the U.S. Gulf Coast, where Katrina killed 1,500 people, swamped New Orleans and caused about $80 billion in damage the year before.

Gore Implores Congress to Save Planet




Former Vice President Al Gore testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 21,2007.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Al Gore, who has reversed his political fortunes to become a potential contender in the 2008 presidential race, made an emotional return to Congress Wednesday in an appeal for an even more dramatic rescue - saving the planet.

Gore - who is one of voters' top choices for the Democratic presidential nomination even though he says he's not running - implored lawmakers to adopt a list of policy prescriptions to stop global warming.

Fresh off a triumphant Academy Awards appearance in which his climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won two Oscars, Gore drew overflow crowds as he testified before House and Senate panels about a "true planetary emergency" if Congress fails to act. He said addressing the problem is a moral issue and should not be a partisan or political.

But Gore faced a more skeptical reception than the warm embrace he received from Hollywood as Republicans questioned the science behind his testimony.
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This guy is shrewd political operator and is trying to gain the Democartic Presidential nomination for 2008 by STEALTH.
That he´s spreading distortions, lies & propaganda so that small children in NZ, Norway and Minnesota get nightmares about drowning penguins (no kiddin', just heard it on i-radio!) and not so small people make wrong decisions and act on his paranoia, that doesn´t bother him...
Yeah, Václav Klaus is right: this is a cult, a guilt-trip...
And I not yet got started about his GIGANTIC el-power bill!
What a schmuck!

Cz. president Václav Klaus compared ecology to totalitarianism

During visit to the U.S. Czech maverick president, Václav Klaus, compared ecology to totalitarianism.
Today he will face Al Gore in the Congress for undoubtedly lively debate...
Sorry, take that back: for this you would have to REVIVE and confirm Al Gore has a PULSE.

My respect for Pres. Klaus and his pigheadedness is slowly rising. Yes, yes I know of his dubious "privatization" in the early 90-ies, of his complicity in breaking-up of the Czechoslovakia with Vladko Mečiar and cozing-up to czech communists to gain president. election in 2003: [Wikipedia:"with, support of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia whose parliament club he visited before the election"]!
But nothing can lessen my admiration of his Churchillian scorn on the hapless EU-bureaucrats and the still born "EU-constitution" His approval rationg is 82%, and he expresses the beliefs and aspirations of vast number of ordinary Czechs: After 41 years under Moscow they are in no hurry to change the wooden yoke of Moscow for legalistic harnesses of Bruxelles....
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I hope somebody translates this, it´s too early and only one cup of coffee... so far...
Or I ferret it from Congress Record...
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Klaus přirovnal ekologii k totalitě

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21. března 2007 2:16

Prezident Václav Klaus přirovnal ochranu životního prostředí ke komunismu. Píše to v odpovědi americkým kongresmanům, kteří ho požádali o názory k diskusi o změnách klimatu a globálním oteplování. Redakce iDNES.cz přináší Klausovy odpovědi, které zazní dnes v americkém Kongresu.

Odpovědi na otázky ze Sněmovny reprezentantů amerického Kongresu, Výboru pro energii a obchod, týkající se problematiky lidského působení na globální oteplování a klimatické změny

1. Pokud jde o to, zda a jak člověk přispívá ke klimatickým změnám a s vědomím povinností vůči našim občanům: co by podle Vašeho názoru měli zákonodárci brát v úvahu, když se zabývají klimatickými změnami?
Takzvané klimatické změny a zejména člověkem způsobené klimatické změny se staly jedním z nejnebezpečnějších argumentů směřujících k ovlivňování lidského chování a veřejné politiky na celém světě. Mým cílem není dalšími argumenty přispět do vědecké klimatologické debaty o těchto jevech. Jsem však přesvědčen o tom, že vědecká debata na toto téma dosud nebyla dostatečně hluboká a seriózní, a že proto neposkytla zákonodárcům nesporný základ pro jejich rozhodování. To, co mě skutečně znepokojuje, je způsob jakým jsou témata související s životním prostředním zneužívána různými politickými nátlakovými skupinami k útoku na principy, které jsou základem svobodné společnosti. Ukazuje se, že v diskusi o klimatických změnách nejsme svědky střetu různých názorů na životní prostředí, ale střetu názorů na lidskou svobodu. Jako někdo, kdo prožil většinu svého života v komunismu, se cítím povinen říci, že největší hrozbou pro svobodu, demokracii, tržní ekonomiku a prosperitu na počátku 21. století není komunismus nebo jeho různé měkčí varianty. Komunismus byl nahrazen hrozbou ambiciózního environmentalismu. Tato ideologie hlásá, že jí jde o ochranu Země a přírody, a pod tímto sloganem – podobně jako kdysi marxisté – chce nahradit svobodný a spontánní vývoj lidstva určitým druhem centrálního (nyní globálního) plánování celého světa. Environmentalisté považují své myšlenky a argumenty za nepopiratelnou pravdu a používají sofistikované metody manipulování médií a PR kampaní k tomu, aby vyvinuli na zákonodárce tlak k dosažení svých cílů. Jejich argumentace je založená na šíření strachu a paniky tvrzením, že je budoucnost světa vážně ohrožena. V takové atmosféře nutí zákonodárce přijímat neliberální opatření, zavádět svévolná omezení, regulace, zákazy a restrikce každodenních lidských aktivit a podřizovat občany všemocnému byrokratickému rozhodování. Řečeno slovy Friedricha Hayeka, snaží se zamezit svobodnou, spontánní "lidskou činnost" a chtějí ji nahradit svým vlastním, velmi sporným "lidským projektem".Myšlenkové paradigma environmentalistů je naprosto statické. Opomíjejí skutečnost, že příroda a společnost jsou v procesu neustálých změn, že neexistuje a nikdy neexistoval ideální stav světa, pokud jde o přírodní podmínky, klima, rozšíření živočišných druhů na Zemi, atd. Popírají skutečnost, že se klima výrazně měnilo po celou dobu existence naší planety a že existují důkazy o podstatných klimatických fluktuacích i v historii, která je známá a zdokumentovaná. Jejich úvahy jsou založené na historicky krátkých a neúplných pozorováních a na datech, která nemohou ospravedlnit katastrofické závěry, které dělají. Opomíjejí komplexitu faktorů, které určují vývoj klimatu, a obviňují současné lidstvo a celou industriální civilizaci z toho, že jsou těmi rozhodujícími faktory, které mohou za klimatické změny a další environmentální rizika. Environmentalisté se soustřeďují na to, že člověk přispívá ke klimatickým změnám a požadují okamžitá politická opatření založená na omezování ekonomického růstu, spotřeby a lidského chování, které považují za hazardní. Nevěří v budoucí ekonomický vývoj společnosti, neberou v úvahu technický pokrok, ze kterého se budou těšit budoucí generace a ignorují dávno prokázanou skutečnost, že čím vyšší je bohatství společnosti, tím vyšší je kvalita životního prostředí. Zákonodárci jsou tak nuceni podléhat této mediálně řízené hysterii, která se zakládá na spekulativních a nezvratné důkazy postrádajících teoriích. Přijímají nesmírně nákladné programy, které vedou k plýtvání omezenými zdroji proto, aby zastavili pravděpodobně nezastavitelné změny klimatu, které nejsou způsobeny lidským chováním, ale přirozenými jevy (jakým je například proměnlivá sluneční aktivita). Moje odpověď na Vaši první otázku, tj. co by měli zákonodárci brát v úvahu, když se zabývají klimatickými změnami, je, že by se zákonodárci měli za všech okolností držet principů, na kterých je založena svobodná společnost. Neměli by právo volby a rozhodování přenášet od občanů na jakoukoliv nátlakovou skupinu, která tvrdí, že ví lépe než všichni ostatní, co je pro lidi dobré. Zákonodárci by měli chránit peníze daňových poplatníků a zabránit tomu, aby se jimi mrhalo na pochybné projekty, které nemohou přinést pozitivní výsledky.

2. Jak by vládní politika měla řešit výskyt a následky klimatických změn a do jaké míry by se měla soustředit na regulaci emisí skleníkových plynů?
Jakákoliv politika by měla realisticky zhodnotit potenciál, který naše civilizace má, v porovnání s působením přírodních sil, ovlivňujících klima. Je evidentním plýtváním zdrojů společnosti pokoušet se bojovat proti zvýšené sluneční aktivitě nebo pohybu oceánských proudů. Žádný zásah vlády nemůže zastavit to, aby se svět a příroda měnily. Proto nesouhlasím s takovými projekty jakým je Kjótský protokol a podobné iniciativy, které stanovují arbitrární cíle, vyžadující ohromné náklady, bez realistických vyhlídek na jejich úspěch. Jestliže přijmeme globální oteplování jako reálně existující jev, domnívám se, že bychom se jím měli zabývat úplně jiným způsobem. Místo beznadějných pokusů proti němu bojovat, bychom se měli připravit na jeho důsledky. Jestliže se atmosféra otepluje, nemá to jen výlučně negativní dopady. Zatímco některé pouště se mohou rozšiřovat a některé břehy oceánů mohou být zaplaveny vodou, ohromné části Země – dosud neobydlené kvůli drsnému, studenému klimatu – by se mohly stát úrodnými oblastmi, kde budou moci žít milióny lidí. Je také důležité si uvědomit, že žádná planetární změna nenastává přes noc. Proto varuji před přijímáním opatření, založených na takzvaném principu preventivní opatrnosti, který environmentalisté používají jako ospravedlnění pro svá doporučení a jehož zřetelný přínos nejsou schopni prokázat. Zodpovědná politika by měla brát v úvahu alternativní náklady takovýchto návrhů, s vědomím toho, že nákladné a neúčinné environmentální politiky jsou přijímány na úkor jiných politik a že vedou k zanedbávání dalších důležitých potřeb miliónů lidí na celém světě. Každé politické opatření musí být založeno na analýze nákladů a výnosů. Lidstvo už zažilo tragickou zkušenost s jedním velmi pyšným intelektuálním proudem, který tvrdil, že ví, jak řídit společnost lépe než spontánní tržní síly. Byl to komunismus a selhal, zanechal po sobě milióny obětí. Dnes se vynořil nový ismus, který tvrdí, že je dokonce schopen řídit přírodu a skrze ní i člověka. Tato nadměrná lidská pýcha – stejně jako všechny předchozí pokusy – nemůže neselhat. Svět je komplexní a komplikovaný systém, který nelze organizovat podle environmentálního lidského projektu bez toho, aby se opakovala tragická zkušenost s plýtváním zdrojů, potlačováním svobody lidí a s ničením prosperity celé lidské společnosti. Mým doporučením proto je věnovat pozornost tisícům maličkostí, které negativně ovlivňují kvalitu životní prostředí. A chránit a podporovat základní systémové faktory, bez nichž by hospodářství a společnost nemohly účinně fungovat – tj. zajistit lidskou svobodu a fundamentální ekonomické mechanismy jakými jsou svobodný trh, fungující systém cen a jasně definovaná vlastnická práva. Ty motivují ekonomické subjekty k racionálnímu chování. Bez nich nemůže žádná vládní politika chránit občany, ale ani životní prostředí. Zákonodárci by měli odolat volání environmentalistů po nových opatřeních, protože ve vědeckých debatách o klimatických změnách existuje příliš mnoho nejistot. Není možné řídit přírodní faktory, které způsobují klimatické změny. Negativní dopad všech navrhovaných opatření vůči ekonomickému růstu je na úkor všech dalších možných rizik, včetně těch environmentálních.

3. Jaký budou mít různé scénáře politického řešení této otázky, se kterými jste se setkal, vliv na národní ekonomiky, na spotřebitele, na vytváření pracovních míst a budoucí inovace?
Jestliže zákonodárci přijmou maximilistické environmentální požadavky, vliv na národní ekonomiky bude ničivý. Stimulovalo by to snad jednu velmi malou sféru ekonomiky, ale její větší část by se dusila uměle vytvořenými limity, nařízeními a restrikcemi. Míra růstu by poklesla a zásadně by byla snížena konkurenceschopnost firem na mezinárodních trzích. Mělo by to negativní dopad na zaměstnanost a tvorbu pracovních míst. Pouze racionální politika, která umožní spontánní přizpůsobování, může odůvodnit státní intervence.

4. Jaký dopad a účinnost budou mít politiky založené na principu "omez a obchoduj" (tzv. "cap-and-trade policies") na zmírnění hrozeb spojených s klimatickými změnami a naši schopnost čelit těmto hrozbám v budoucnu?
"Cap-and-trade policies" jsou technickým nástrojem k dosažení cílů, které mají omezit znečištění, a to prostředky, které jsou aspoň částečně kompatibilní s tržními mechanismy. Mohou pomoci, pokud je celá myšlenka boje s globálním oteplováním racionální. Nedomnívám se však, že je celá idea boje proti klimatickým změnám emisními limity rozumná, a proto technické detaily její eventuální realizace mají pro mně zcela druhotný význam.

5. Jaká je morální zodpovědnost vyspělých zemí vůči zemím rozvojového světa? Měly by se vyspělé země pustit do programů, které významně omezí emise, zatímco rozvojové země mohou pokračovat v navyšování emisí v nezmenšené míře?
Morální povinností vyspělých zemí vůči rozvojovým zemím je vytvořit ve světě takové prostředí, které zajistí volnou směnu zboží, služeb a kapitálových toků, které umožní využívat komparativních výhod jednotlivých zemí a které bude stimulovat ekonomický rozvoj méně rozvinutých zemí. Umělé administrativní bariéry, limity a regulace zaváděné vyspělými zeměmi diskriminují rozvojový svět, omezují jejich ekonomický růst a prodlužují jejich chudobu a zaostalost. Environmentalistické návrhy jsou příkladem takových neliberálních opatření, které jsou pro rozvojové země škodlivé. Nebudou schopny vypořádat se s limity a standardy, které ve světě zavádějí iracionální environmentální politiky, nebudou schopny převzít nové technologické standardy vyžadované antioteplovacím "náboženstvím", jejich výrobky budou mít obtížný přístup na vyspělé trhy a v důsledku toho se propast mezi nimi a vyspělým světem bude dále rozšiřovat. Je iluzí věřit tomu, že by radikální politiky proti klimatickým změnám mohly být omezeny pouze na vyspělé země. Jestliže budou politiky environmentalistů přijímány vyspělými zeměmi, dříve či později jejich ambice kontrolovat a řídit celou planetu přeroste v požadavek na omezení emisí na celém světě. Rozvojové země budou nuceny přijmout jejich iracionální cíle a omezení, protože "Země je na prvním místě" a jejich potřeby jsou druhotné. Environmentalistická argumentace dává munici protekcionistům všeho možného, kteří chtějí eliminovat konkurenci přicházející z nově industrializovaných zemí. Proto morální povinností vyspělých zemí není zavádět programy tohoto typu.

Glass-Bottom Deck 4,000'/1220m Feet Above Grand Canyon Floor

Update 2007-03-24 12:44
There is cool video posted on YouTube:

Glass-Bottom Deck to Be Unveiled Tuesday

March 7: Tribe member Don Havatone celebrates the 'rollout' of the Skywalk over the Grand Canyon at the Hualapai reservation in Arizona.

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HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. — Visitors who have marveled at the Grand Canyon's vistas will now have a dizzying new option: a glass-bottom observation deck allowing them to gaze into the chasm beneath their feet.

The Skywalk, which will be unveiled Tuesday, is being touted as an engineering marvel. The glass-and-steel horseshoe extends 70 feet beyond the canyon's edge with no visible supports above or below.

For $25 plus other fees, people will be able to see 4,000 feet straight down to the canyon floor, a vantage point more than twice as high as the world's tallest buildings.

Hualapai Indians, who live near the rim about 90 miles west of the national park, allowed a Las Vegas developer to build the $30 million Skywalk in hopes of creating a unique attraction on their side of the canyon.

Tribal leaders are betting that people will flock here, braving the rugged terrain — including a twisty ride through unpaved roads — to walk its transparent surface. The Skywalk, they hope, will become the centerpiece of a budding tourism industry that includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes.

En stemme fra Harbin (Voice from Harbin)

This a cri-de-couer from a chinese refugee in Denmark. He´s angry and sad that Århus town will be "partnered" with Harbin. He states the obvious, and in accordance with my life-long observation of the communist religion: it´s organized thievery! And he goes further - he presents evidence that the hospitals in the city harvest (unvoluntary, of course!) organs from Falun Gong prisoners. And this is the city we should be PARTNERS with!

Strong words!

En stemme fra Harbin

Af Yang Guang, Vesterbrogade 130 B, 2., København V

Århus borgmester, Nicolai Wammen, mener ikke, der foregår tortur og organhøst i Århus venskabsby Harbin. Han tager fejl, siger Yang Guang.

MIT NAVN er Yang Guang, og jeg er født og opvokset i Harbin i Kina. Nu lever jeg i eksil i Danmark et land, der har taget godt imod mig.

De seneste dage har der været flere artikler i aviserne om min hjemby i Kina og dens venskabsforhold med Århus. Specielt har jeg mærket mig udenrigsministerens og borgmesteren i Århus udtalelser om, at tortur og organhøst ikke foregår i Harbin. De tager fejl.

Jeg har tidligere skrevet til udenrigsministeren og borgmesteren i Århus om Harbin, en by, der styres af Kinas Kommunistiske Parti. Det var med tungt hjerte, jeg læste deres udtalelser i aviserne om Harbin, min fødeby. For mig at se tager danske politikere nu endnu et skridt nærmere det kinesiske kommunistpartis embedsmænd og deres manglende vilje til at skille ret fra vrang og sandhed fra løgn.

Hvordan kan indbyggerne i et frit og demokratisk land ønske at være venner med en klike af banditter og røvere, for hvem korruption og snyd er lige så naturligt som at spise og sove? Venner, der stjæler, myrder, begår indbrud i privates hjem og mænger sig med prostituerede på folkets regning?

Venner med gangstere

Jeg har vanskeligt ved at tro, at borgerne i Århus og Danmark virkelig ønsker at kalde sig venner af de tyranniske gangstere, kommunistpartiet i Kina nu engang er.

Angående organhøst har selv det kommunistiske Kinas sundhedsminister offentligt indrømmet, at organer høstes fra levende fanger. En nær ven af mig har en fremtrædende administrativ stilling i Harbin by. Under Kulturrevolutionen blev vi begge anholdt som anti-revolutionære og tilbragte over 10 år i fængsel. I dag er han leder af en af sundhedsvæsenets afdelinger i Harbin.

Har tjent på organ-høst

Efter at anklagerne om organhøst på Falun Gong-udøvere i Kina blev rapporteret i medierne, kontaktede jeg ham for at forhøre mig om, hvordan forholdene er i Harbin. Han fortalte mig over telefon, at sundhedsvæsenet i Harbin den sidste tid havde tjent rigtig mange penge på organhøst fra Falun Gong-udøvere. Han fortalte, at ved mindst et ledende medicinsk institut er professoraterne, stipendierne og bonuserne betalt af den ulovlige indtægt fra organhøst på levende Falun Gong-udøvere.

Da der allerede eksisterer et bjerg af beviser for tortur og organhøst, kan jeg ikke forstå, hvad mere udenrigsministeren og borgmesteren forlanger. Men hvis de virkelig behøver mere, har jeg et forslag:

Hvis de virkelig har et godt venskab med Harbin i Kina, kunne de så overtale kommuniststyret i Kina til at lade mig besøge min søster og min niece i Harbin, som jeg ikke har set i tyve år? Hvis de kan garantere, at jeg ikke bliver arresteret eller myrdet, så vil jeg komme tilbage med beviser, inden ti dage er gået. Men hvis det kommunistiske Kina ikke ønsker besøg af mig, eller jeg ikke kommer tilbage til Danmark, vil de så revurdere venskabsforholdet til Harbin? Kan jeg ofre mig for jeres samvittighed?

Uskyldige liv

Kinas Kommunistparti har taget livet af mere end 100 millioner uskyldige mennesker, siden det overtog magten i Kina i 1949. Det har aldrig stoppet med at dræbe ikke kun Falun Gong-udøvere, men også utallige kinesiske akademikere, tidligere officerer fra Kuomintang-regeringen og almindelige, gode mennesker er blevet dræbt.

Dette er almenviden. Hvorfor ignoreres beviserne, der stabler sig op som gigantiske bjerge, og hvorfor insisterer man på at have et så tæt forhold til Kinas Kommunistparti? Er årsagerne af en sådan natur, at man ikke kan tale offentligt om det?

Vil kræve retsopgør

Måske var det på tide, at der blev arrangeret et møde, hvor også kinesere blev hørt. Vel at mærke de kinesere, der arbejder for et frit Kina, ikke et totalitært Kina. Uanset hvad er det vigtigt at huske, at når kommunistdiktaturet i Kina falder, vil det kinesiske folk kræve et stort retsopgør ligesom det, vi så efter Nazitysklands fald. De, som har støttet kommunistpartiets ondskab og forbrydelser, vil lede længe efter undskyldninger.

'We are being ruled by highway economic bandits'

No, no. This is not about Nepal and the MaoBadBoyz™. This is another "communist experiment" on live, breathing, human beeings. And the sorry, tragic results thereof...
Funny, if in light of the tragedy you could call that, funny thing it´s published in the bastion of lefty Bush-bashing, the pomously named GUARDIAN UNLIMITED.
Though the "hot" war is only a year ago, there is distinct simmilarity of actions of the "veterans" in both countries: property take-overs, forced contributions, beatings and torture.
Common for both countries is the IMMENSE potential: in Z. there is abundance of best agricultural land in Africa, which could feed half of it; in Nepal, the hydro-power potential... But it´s easier to raise emotions, envy and raise hell in order to steal the little there is, instead of building and creating...
I hope the honchos in DANIDA sleep well, after destroying a nice, sleepy country like Nepal.

'We are being ruled by highway economic bandits' Chris McGreal in Bulawayo Saturday March 17, 2007 The Guardian Jabulani Sibanda was once a man to be reckoned with in Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF, and he may yet prove to be again. He ran the party in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo and, for a while, headed the war veterans' association that led the seizure of white-owned farms. But he was thrown out of the party for daring to say what is increasingly heard inside Zanu-PF: that the party is little better than a mafia plundering the country while ordinary people sink deeper into poverty. "I was suspended from the party for calling all the leadership thieves. It's true," he said. "We've reached the stage where we are ruled by highway economic bandits. It's obvious to everyone what is happening." "It is not only that the nation being betrayed but the party is being misled. The entire leadership must go. Mugabe must go. They have lost the confidence of the people." Mr Mugabe's crumbling support within his traditional power base is a bigger threat to his regime than the divided and disorganised opposition. With the economy collapsing and another food crisis looming, some Zanu-PF groupings are pressing for Mr Mugabe to retire at the next presidential election due in a year, seeing it as the only way to rescue the party. Others, who fear his departure would herald the collapse of Zanu-PF rule, pressed for the presidential ballot to be delayed until parliamentary elections in 2010. Mr Mugabe backed that option but has been unable to force it on the party and has suggested he could instead run for election again next year. His critics in Zanu-PF view the uncertainty as a sign that his grip on the party is weakening. They are becoming more public as rival factions led by vice-president, Joice Mujuru, and rural housing minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, compete to succeed Mr Mugabe. But there are those such as Mr Sibanda who believe the only way the party can win a legitimate election is with a clean sweep of the leadership. His biggest gripe is over the seizure and redistribution of white-owned farms which he describes as a noble cause exploited by the ruling elite for personal gain at the expense of the peasant families who were supposed to benefit and the country as a whole because food production has fallen sharply. "What is frustrating to the war veterans is the abuse they are suffering a second time," he said. "They fought for the land and waited years for it. But the land redistribution did not benefit those it was supposed to." It is a view shared by George Mlala, a former Matabeleland provincial leader for Zanu-PF, who was thrown out of the party two years ago for allegedly plotting against Mr Mugabe. He meets regularly with its officials in Bulawayo who he said are just as unhappy with the leadership as he is. "The party is dying. We need to remove the leaders," he said. "They are no longer accountable to the people, the people are accountable to the party... I don't mind being persecuted for taking over the land from white farmers. I don't mind that we are criticised by the British and Americans. But we did not fight against colonialism to replace it with the level of corruption that is the system of government today." Challenging Mr Mugabe does not translate to support for the opposition MDC , which has split under rival wings. The leaders of the two factions, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, were severely beaten on their way to an anti-government protest on Sunday. But Mr Sibanda is suspicious of foreign support for Mr Tsvangirai who is often more highly regarded by the Foreign Office than by local voters. "People are suspicious of why the British support Tsvangirai. Is it that they want him as CEO of their company called Zimbabwe and to put their people back on the farms," he said.

Secular Islam Summit

The St. Petersburg Declaration

March 5, 2007, 15:15

We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.

We affirm the inviolable freedom of the individual conscience. We believe in the equality of all human persons.

We insist upon the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights.

We find traditions of liberty, rationality, and tolerance in the rich histories of pre-Islamic and Islamic societies. These values do not belong to the West or the East; they are the common moral heritage of humankind.

We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called “Islamaphobia” in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights.

We call on the governments of the world to

reject Sharia law, fatwa courts, clerical rule, and state-sanctioned religion in all their forms; oppose all penalties for blasphemy and apostasy, in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights;

eliminate practices, such as female circumcision, honor killing, forced veiling, and forced marriage, that further the oppression of women;

protect sexual and gender minorities from persecution and violence;

reform sectarian education that teaches intolerance and bigotry towards non-Muslims;

and foster an open public sphere in which all matters may be discussed without coercion or intimidation.

We demand the release of Islam from its captivity to the totalitarian ambitions of power-hungry men and the rigid strictures of orthodoxy.

We enjoin academics and thinkers everywhere to embark on a fearless examination of the origins and sources of Islam, and to promulgate the ideals of free scientific and spiritual inquiry through cross-cultural translation, publishing, and the mass media.

We say to Muslim believers: there is a noble future for Islam as a personal faith, not a political doctrine;

to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Baha’is, and all members of non-Muslim faith communities: we stand with you as free and equal citizens;

and to nonbelievers: we defend your unqualified liberty to question and dissent.

Before any of us is a member of the Umma, the Body of Christ, or the Chosen People, we are all members of the community of conscience, the people who must choose for themselves.

Endorsed by:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Magdi Allam
Mithal Al-Alusi
Shaker Al-Nabulsi
Nonie Darwish
Afshin Ellian
Tawfik Hamid
Shahriar Kabir
Hasan Mahmud
Wafa Sultan
Amir Taheri
Ibn Warraq
Manda Zand Ervin
Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi

New species of leopard with largest fangs in cat world discovered

by FIONA MACRAE

16:51pm on 15th March 2007

This clouded leopard which feasts on monkeys, deer and pigs has been discovered living deep in the Borneo rain forest.

Video...see the clouded leopard in its natural habitat
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New species: The Bornean clouded leopard

Long thought to be identical to the clouded leopards living on mainland South East Asia, genetic analysis has shown that the Bornean big cat is in fact a separate species.

Scientists have counted at least 40 key differences in the DNA of the two felines - making the two species of clouded leopard almost as different as a lion is to a tiger.

Some of the differences are clear to the naked eye, with the elliptical spots or 'clouds' which give it its name, being smaller and darker on the island variety.

The Bornean clouded leopard also has darker fur than its mainland cousin.

Dr Andrew Kitchener, of National Museums Scotland, said: "The moment we started comparing the skins of the mainland clouded leopard with the leopard found on Borneo, it was clear we were comparing two different species.

"It's incredible that no one has ever noticed these differences."

The research, which forms part of the WWF's Heart of Borneo conservation project, brings the number of new species to have emerged from the island's jungles in the last year to over 50.

Plants and animals new to science include two species of tree frog and 30 types of fish, including a catfish with an adhesive belly that allows it to stick to rocks.

The scientists say the remote, and for a long time, inaccessible, forests of the world's third largest island are one of the 'final frontiers for science - a Lost World that must be preserved from threats from the logging and rubber industries.

The Heart of Borneo, an 84,000 square mile, wild, mountainous region, covered with equatorial rain forest in the centre of the island, is the last great home of the Bornean clouded leopard.

The island's most fearsome predator, the clouded leopard has the longest canine teeth of any feline, with fully-grown cats boasting fangs that are up to two-inches long.

Only the long-extinct sabre-tooth tiger had longer canine teeth for its body size.

Tails as long as their bodies allow the secretive and solitary creatures to balance in trees, where they perch to pounce on their prey.

Monkeys, barking deer and bearded pigs can be killed with a single bite, with the leopard having no fear of seeking out prey that is bigger than itself.

Such adept hunting skills put the clouded leopard, which at 35 inches from head to start of tail is about the size of a small Labrador, right at the top of the island's food chain.

Stuart Chapman, of the Heart of Borneo programme, said: "Who said a leopard can never change its spots?

"For over a hundred years, we have been looking at this animal and never realised it is unique.

"The fact that Borneo's top predator is now considered a separate species further emphasises the importance of conserving the Heart of Borneo."

It is thought there are up to 11,000 of the new species of clouded leopard, Neofelis diardi on Borneo and a further 3,000 to 7,000 on the neighbouring island of Sumatra.

It is estimated the Bornean and Sumatran populations broke away from mainland populations around 1.4 million years ago.

Some Leopard facts:

• With a body that measures just over a foot, the clouded leopard is the smallest of the 'big cats'.

• It is also the best tree-climber, with flexible ankle joints and keen claws allowing it to run down tree trunks head first. It can run along the underside of branches and hang by the back feet alone - freeing up their front paws to snatch at prey.

• Its two-inch canine teeth are the longest of any living feline and lead to comparisons with the long-extinct sabre-tooth tiger.

• Its jaws can open wider than those of any other cat and the fangs are as big as a tiger's, even although tigers are ten times bigger.

• They often ambush their prey from the treetops, landing on the taget's back before delivering one fatal bite.

• The young, which are born with solid spots, rather than mottled 'clouds', are weaned at five months and become independent at nine months.

• The creatures, which live up to 11 years in the wild and 17 in captivity, emit calls ranging from pet cat-like purrs, to roars, growls and hisses.

• Although protected by law, the clouded leopard is still hunted for its beautiful pelt and the supposed healing powers of its bones and teeth.

Guitarist flies... outa´ window...

clipped from www.tonyrogers.com
A teenage guitarist got so carried away while bouncing up and down on his bed mimicking a rock star that he flew out of a third floor window to his death, a Singapore newspaper reported Wednesday. The Straits Times said Li Xiao Meng, a 16-year-old from China who was studying at Singapore's Hua Business School, was a keen musician who liked to jump up and down while playing his guitar in his hostel room. "But on November 17 he took things a bit too far," the newspaper said, reporting on a coroner's court findings. Ruling death by misadventure, the court said evidence "points to the deceased unintentionally falling out of the window to his death when he was hyped up with exhilaration, jumping up and down on the bed placed against an open window while mimicking a rock guitarist." Normally the windows were locked, the newspaper said, but students sometimes forced them open so they could smoke, something prohibited by the hostel.

Lurte døden i isen

Tough guy from Alta:
----

Lurte døden i isen

Lang erfaring som pilot reddet livet til Svein Tangen Andersen (60) da sjøisen brast under tråkkemaskinen han kjørte på Svalbard.

Nepali Orphanages in 'children for sale' racket

F*%&king NGOs !

The greatest scourge of the country after the MaoBadBoyz and the Murdering Bus Drivers, and probably more destructive in the long run, are the estimated 15,000 NGOs scams!

Orphanages in 'children for sale' racket

By Thomas Bell in Kathmandu

Last Updated: 1:55am GMT 10/03/2007

Dishonest agents and orphanages in Nepal are running a multi-million-pound international adoption racket, frequently sending children abroad without their birth parents' consent.

	The child offered by the agent. The infant, with his mother, was not eligible for adoption as both parents are alive and not destitute

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has uncovered the extent of the malpractice as Kathmandu prepares to host an international adoption conference this weekend, aimed at attracting foreign adoptive parents and lobbying for deregulation.

Posing as a British couple seeking to adopt, reporters found one agent who demanded cash advances in an attempt to, in effect, sell us a Nepali baby.

One victim of the trade is Padam Bahadur Shahi, 31, a forest guard from the remote Himalayan region of Humla. He had two children to support on a salary of £23 a month when his eldest son, Kobi Raj Shahi, then aged three, fell ill two years ago.

A friend told him that a children's home in Kathmandu would help him care for the child. "They promised education and well-being," he said. "There was no agreement about adoption."

Maoists continue to kidnap children!

Can leopard change his spots? Do Tibetans walk with thermoses? Is Pope catholic?

The hypocrit murderers bid their time to TOTALLY enslave nepalis. The terror continues, and the agreements signed with SPA (Seven-Party-Aliance) are just fig leaf for the tired, dying PM Koirala...

And this is the country Denmark paid billions (kroner, not rupees!) in the past 30-35 years. It went to such benign, human uses as financing education of these maoists - brahmin - leaders. Another crime to our NYBORG Tribunal for traitors from Anker J. to Svein A. to charge with. Not to forget the head idiot, Poul N. I hope I can live to that day and that I witness the crime in court.

What was built and achieved for this money? Besides the good lives of so called DANIDA experts? The only thing Nepal got from these billions are...

the MaoBadBoyz!

Father of missing Maoist recruit demands whereabouts of his ward

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, March 1 - Parents of a missing 13-year-old whom the Maoists had drafted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have urged the concerned authorities and media to make an effort to publicize her whereabouts.

Father of the missing, Yubaraj Rai of Phedi VDC, Diktel has claimed that the Maoists had disappeared his daughter, Aashakala Rai, a student of Saraswati Higher Secondary School in Diktel to have her recruited in the PLA and urged the media and the concerned authorities to take initiatives for her safe return.

Rai, who is a 7th grader, has been missing since February 26.

After it emerged that their daughter had been taken by the Maoists to be recruited in the PLA, the father had gone to the Maoist party office in the district headquarters in hope of meeting his daughter there, only to be denied from meeting her.

Maoist party secretary Uttar Rai, meanwhile, maintained that the girl had joined the PLA by her own volition.

The Maoists, however, have not revealed details of her whereabouts to anyone.

The Royal Moustache

The Royal Moustache and Baluwataar Tea Pary

25 01 2007

Gyanendra, the ‘ousted’, rejected and ejected (any other words out there?) king, has sported the mustache, huh? Don’t dare to dismiss this as yet another Gyanendra bashing cheap joke but that was the talk of the town today after newspapers in Kathmandu came up with front page image of the monarch in question. Gyanendra with moustache? No serious answer was received though. Honestly, people in my circle hate to even pronounce the name Gyanendra, such is the intensity of hatred towards the monarchy that is on the verge of disappearing from Nepal. Or, so we like to think about! Anyway, moustache for Birendra, Gyanendra’s brother and the king till the palace massacre in 2001, seemed unmovable part of the facial structure. Birendra’s son Dipendra also used sport junga (and occasionally beard or daari). I don’t claim this is the first time I have seen Gyanendra with moustache but I think I don’t remember seeing him with mustache before. Paras occasionally sports junga but haven’t seen him with daari so far. Anyway, I don’t remember if seeing a dariwal Paras. Am I already giving 197 words to junga of Gyanendra, who according to news reports, have been removed from the bank notes?

On the serious note, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today hosted a tea party for leaders of Seven Party Alliance and Maoist party in his residence in Baluwataar. Was that just a chiya party? No way, Koirala actually wanted to thrash Prachanda, the chairman of the Maoist party, for the latter’s irresponsible and deplorable behavior in Lahan, Siraha recently. Yes, telephone conversations between Koirala and Prachanda are taking place almost regularly but the chiya meeting was needed because something serious is happening in Siraha and other parts of Terai and that needs to be addressed collectively by the SPA and Maoist leadership. This is the chance to make something difference. There is no way you can ignore it and move ahead as if you are unaffected. That is exactly why these words came from Koirala, otherwise a hardliner, in today’s meeting:

“All of us have our right to speak and express our views as this is a nation which has unity in diversity. Therefore all our problems should be resolved through dialogue. So, I request the people of Madhes to resolve their problems through talks. If we tried to walk away from dialogue, the reactionary forces could rise and the nation could be in danger. The ‘regressive forces’ could take advantage of any protests for the time being.”

Koirala is right in his words and intentions. They are raising some valid issues but Goit, Jwala and Madhesi Peoples’ Rights Forum and a few other known/unknown groups are increasingly turning into the weapons of reactionary forces (who are sporting jungas and may be daaris) and Indian religious fundamentalists. I know what Maoists did in Lahan (fired upon a crowd) was deplorable but I think Prachanda must be taken seriously when he says “Hindu extremists are behind Terai unrest.” He said:

“A few days ago some Hindu followers had a gathering at Gorakhpur in India (bordering Nepal). Some elements, who were involved in terrorizing Madhes, also participated in the gathering, which has already been publicized in the media. These incidents (recent unrest) happened after that. Therefore some Hindu extremists, not through religious belief but acting as extremists and royalist forces, who are against the Constituent Assembly elections, are involved in the incidents.”

Unfortunately Prachanda didn’t feel responding to the question, at least publicly, why on Earth his —- cadres were roaming around armed in Lahan and killed the boy. -Wagle

For the record: Monitoring of Maoist arms management at Shaktikhor, Chitwan was halted abruptly on Tuesday (23 Jan) as a string of arguments arose between the UN team and Maoist cadres, Kantipur reports. Sources said the UN team refused to register those Maoist cadres who seemed to be of the ages of 12 to 15 – but the team was pressurized to register them as 18-year-olds – which gave rise to an argument, with the UN team ultimately deciding to stop the registration process. Maoist deputy commander Barsha Man Pun ‘Ananta’ confirmed the news and informed that from Wednesday (24 Jan) the registration process will resume.