Study: Farmland in Parts of Japan Too Radioactive to Grow Crops

“Farmland in parts of Japan is no longer safe because of high levels of radiation in the soil, scientists have warned, as the country struggles to recover from the Fukushima atomic disaster.

A team of international researchers said food production would likely be ‘severely impaired’ by the elevated levels of caesium found in soil samples across eastern Fukushima in the wake of meltdowns at the tsunami-hit plant.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, suggests farming in neighbouring areas may also suffer because of radiation, although levels discovered there were within legal limits.

‘Fukushima prefecture as a whole is highly contaminated,’ especially to the northwest of the nuclear power plant, the researchers said.

The study looked at caesium-137, which has a half life of 30 years and therefore affects the environment for decades.” Read more.

Study shows nuclear crisis may have polluted wider areas of Japan – “Radioactivity from a damaged nuclear plant may have contaminated wider areas of Japan than previously thought, a study by a team of researchers showed Tuesday. Radioisotopes of elements including caesium, tellurium and iodine were blown more than 500 kilometres from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, including to the northern island of Hokkaido and western parts of the country, the team said. The plant suffered meltdowns at three reactors after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. A series of blasts and fires led to the release of large amounts of radioactive material into the environment.” Read more.

Flashback: Japan: Northwest Tip of Tokyo Tainted By Unusually High Amount of Fallout, Plant Mutations Continue To Be ‘Observed Everywhere’ – “An aerial radiation survey of the capital and Kanagawa Prefecture has revealed the northwest tip of Tokyo was tainted by an unusually high amount of fallout, while most other areas showed normal levels, a science ministry official said Friday. The results, released late Thursday, show that fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant contaminated part of the mountainous Okutama region on Tokyo’s western fringe. Radiation readings in the area were the highest of the two prefectures at 100,000 to 300,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per square meter.” Read more.

Congo’s Nyamuragira Volcano Sees Its Biggest Eruption in 100 Years

“The Nyamuragira volcano, in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national park, is producing lava fountains reaching up to 400 metres. Park officials say the eruption does not pose any immediate threat to the local population, but fear tremors may disturb another volcano” – Source – The Guardian.

Turkey: Fear Runs Wild as Country is Struck by Third Earthquake, Churches From Across Turkey Coordinate Efforts to Help Victims

Turkey’s population is 99% Muslim.  If history is any indicator, it’s only a matter of time before someone begins accusing Christians of ‘exploiting’ this tragedy to spread Christianity.  Even so, the Body must continue to reach out to help those in need …

“Turkey (MNN) ― Turkey was hit by another powerful 5.2-magnitude earthquake yesterday morning.

This is the nation’s third major quake in a matter of weeks, not including the dozens of tremors and aftershocks the people in the Van area have experienced.

This quake follows another 5.7-magnitude quake last week and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed over 600 people at the end of October. The string of violent disasters littered by tremors and aftershocks has thrown the citizens of eastern Turkey into a frenzy of fear.

International Mission Board reports that most people don’t feel safe. Thousands are living in tents between damaged buildings. Many lost family and friends in the initial quake.

Survivors sleep in tents in sub-freezing weather without proper clothing. IMB notes these now-homeless people run the risk of developing bronchitis and other illnesses from the cold, as well as from the smoky fires lit inside the tents for warmth.

IMB associates met one woman who had only just fled Afghanistan as a refugee in Turkey when the first quake hit.

Buildings continue to crumble, and relief workers are doing all they can to tend to physical needs. The emotional scars of fear surrounding these disasters need a great deal of tending as well.

A local, evangelical congregation in Van is helping those sleeping in tents around their church. Other churches from across Turkey have also sent volunteers. The Van church is coordinating their efforts, which include food distribution and medical care.

Dozens of people gather at the church daily. Believers feed them and share Christ’s love.

‘There aren’t many of us, and we are tired,’ a member of the Van church told IMB, ‘but we are doing all we can. They see the love, and they are able to hear why we do this.’

Keep praying for Turkey. Pray for physical safety and spiritual healing. Turkey is a staunchly-Muslim nation, but as rampant fear spreads, people are looking for peace. Pray that believers would be a comfort to victims of the quake and would represent Christ in ways that make others want to learn more.” Source – OneNewsNow.

New TLC ‘All-American Muslim’ Series Attempts to Show All Muslims as ‘Ordinary Patriotic’ Americans, Features Terror-Supporting Imam on First Episode

Someone at TLC isn’t doing their homework. Is ‘The Learning Channel’ about the learn the hard way? …

“The brand new TV show featured on Cable TV channel TLC tries to depict Muslims as ‘ordinary patriotic’ Americans but fails to deliver in its very first episode by featuring a radical Shia Imam Husham Al- Husainy. In the first episode the Imam is featured marrying a male convert to Islam to a secular Muslim women. The Imam was exposed on the Sean Hannity Show back in February 2007. I remember listening to the actual interview live in which it was obvious the Imam supports Hezbollah a terror entity listed by the State Department. The Imam hates the the USA and Israel. You can hear in the interview what a nut job the Imam is and his gymnastics and crazy attacks in order to avoid answering simple questions.

The main stream media continues to propagate the illusion of a moderate Islam and moderate Muslims. The only moderate Muslims that can exist and based on the way the show is presented are the Muslims who act in a very secular way and the Muslims who follow the faith closely are a major problem when it both comes to sympathizing with terror or actually supporting it. Even the ‘secular’ Muslims still have tribal instinct to side with the tribe rather than side with righteousness. We will continue to monitor the show as it progresses through the season.” Source.

Video quality isn’t the best, but the audio is crystal clear:

Iran Now Denying Israel Behind Explosion at Iranian Military Base, Anti-Israel Weapons Program ‘Temporarily Stopped’ But Will Resume Soon

By Gavriel Queenann – “Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani dismissed reports that a blast at an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) base near Tehran on Saturday was related to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear or ballistic missile programs.

‘The enemies,’ Larijani said, using Iranian diplomatic code for Israel, ‘Instead of showing the realities of the incident have concocted stories about it.’

Larijani’s remarks were made at a ceremony to memorialize the 17 Republican Guards killed in Saturday’s blast at the IRGC depot in the village of Bidgoneh, some 40 kilometers to the West of Tehran.

Among those killed in the blast was General Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, who was described as the chief architect of Iran’s missile program. The IRGC has vowed to continue Moqaddam’s ‘path.’

Despite Moqaddam’s death, Laranjani sought to downplay the importance of reports about the incident, saying, ‘They continue their animosity with or without the occurrence of such incidents.'” Read more.

Iranian General: Explosion at military base ‘temporarily stopped’ weapons research program to be used against Israel – “A blast at a military base in Iran happened while the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were working on a weapon research program to be used against Israel, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff said Wednesday. Saturday’s explosion at a military base near Tehran killed 17 IRGC members. ‘The incident happened during a research program which could have become a severe punch on Israeli regime’s mouth,’ General Hassan Firouzabadi said. ISNA news agency quoted the general as saying that due to the incident ‘the program was only temporarily stopped but would resume again soon.'” Read more.

Syrian Soldiers Killed as Crisis Spins Out Of Assad’s Control, Arab League Gives Syria Three Days to ‘Stop the Bloody Repression’

“BEIRUT — Army defectors ambushed dozens of Syrian troops and regime forces gunned down civilians during one of the bloodiest days of the 8-month-old uprising, which appeared Tuesday to be spiraling out of President Bashar Assad’s control.

Up to 90 people were killed in a gruesome wave of violence Monday, activists said. The extent of the bloodshed only came to light Tuesday, in part because corpses lying in the streets did not reach the morgue until daylight.

As the bloodshed spiked, Assad’s former allies were turning on him in rapid succession — a sign of profound impatience with a leader who has failed to stem months of unrest that could explode into a regional conflagration.

Turkey, Jordan and the 22-member Arab League all signaled they were fed up with Assad’s response to the uprising and were ready to pressure him to go.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he no longer has confidence in the government led by Assad, a 46-year-old eye doctor who inherited power from his father 11 years ago.

‘No regime can survive by killing or jailing,’ said Erdogan, who cultivated close ties with Assad before the uprising began in March. ‘No one can build a future over the blood of the oppressed.'” Read more.

Syria: Arab League sets deadline to end ‘repression’ – “The Arab League has given Syria three days to ‘stop the bloody repression’ of protesters and allow in teams of observers. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani said Syria faced sanctions if it did not co-operate. At a meeting of the Arab League in Morocco, he said diplomatic efforts were ‘close to the end of the road’. As the meeting took place, angry crowds in Damascus attacked the embassies of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. Morocco responded by recalling its ambassador to Syria, AFP news agency reported. Hours earlier – in another sign of Syria’s increasing international isolation – France also said it was withdrawing its ambassador.” Read more.

Mass Bond Selloff Takes Europe From Bad to Worse

By Eric Reguly – “The European debt crisis is rolling across the continent at alarming speed, proving that almost no country is immune to the contagion unleashed by Greece and Italy as confidence in the region’s ability to reduce its debt loads evaporates.

Yields on the 10-year bonds of France, Belgium, Spain and Austria all soared to record euro zone highs on Tuesday in spite of fresh data showing that the German economy is still expanding and despite the tentative launch of caretaker governments in Rome and Athens with mandates for economic reform.

The mass selloff drove up the debt yields of countries that had been considered havens, including Finland and the Netherlands. ‘Global financial markets are facing a key pivotal point,’ analysts at Barclays Capital said in a Tuesday research note. ‘A further escalation of the European debt crisis is putting at risk the nascent stabilization of global growth.’

Italy’s post-Silvio Berlusconi honeymoon proved exceedingly short-lived. Last week, yields on 10-year Italian bonds went to a record 7.48 per cent. They dipped after Mr. Berlusconi resigned as prime minister, then came roaring back, climbing back above 7 per cent on Tuesday, even as Mario Monti, his replacement, came close to forming a new, cross-party government. Mr. Monti is to unveil his cabinet on Wednesday in Rome.

The bond selloff hit France, whose triple-A credit rating is at risk.” Read more.

‘Alarm bells should be ringing for France’: Fears for Eurozone’s second-largest economy as borrowing costs soar – “Eurozone bond markets suffered from a mass sell-off yesterday – with previously healthy economies finding themselves sucked into the debt crisis. The yield on French government bonds climbed to 3.63 per cent. With the German equivalent at just 1.75 per cent, the difference between what it costs Paris and Berlin to borrow is at its highest level since the euro was established in 1999. And an influential report added to market nerves with a claim that the French economy is the 17-member eurozone’s second biggest but only the 13th healthiest. The Lisbon Council think tank and Germany’s Berenberg Bank rates France one rank above Italy, and one below Spain. ‘Alarm bells should be ringing for France,’ said Holger Schmieding, Berenberg’s chief economist. Those bells might also ring, however, for the triple-A rated countries Austria, Finland and the Netherlands, which also saw bond yields worryingly.” Read more.

A Scary Prediction for the Collapse of Paper Money, ‘We Are Only Part of the Way Through the Market Meltdown’ and Much Worse is Coming

By NEIL REYNOLDS – “What should U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke do next? London-based economist Detlev Schlichter says, succinctly: ‘Abdicate.’ What should U.S. President Barack Obama do next? Mr. Schlichter says, succinctly: ‘Abdicate.’ With Mr. Schlichter, you aren’t left with much doubt about his position. He says the world’s major currencies are destined to crash. ‘The dollar, the euro and the yen are locked in a race to the bottom,’ he writes on his website, papermoneycollapse.com. The only question is which one crashes first.

Mr. Schlichter argues that we are only part of the way through the market meltdown – and that the worst is still to come. How much worse? Considerably worse, he says, than the Great Depression.

U.S. industrial production is 12 times higher now than it was in 1929, he says; but the amount of U.S. dollars in circulation is 200 times higher.

The U.S. net debt was 150 per cent of GDP in 1973, when then-president Richard Nixon took the country off the gold standard; yet its net debt reached a record high in 2010: 370 per cent. The United States will fall further, Mr. Schlichter insists, because it has further to fall.

Mr. Schlichter is the German-born, British-based author of a provocative and disturbing new book, Paper Money Collapse: The Folly of Elastic Money and the Coming Monetary Breakdown. An investment manager with JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch and Western Asset Management for 20 years, he quit to write his stern warning of an impending dollar doom.” Read more.