Massachusetts: Large Fish Kill Litters Banks Of The Quinnipiac River In New Haven, ‘I’ve Never Seen This Many Dead Fish’

By Alexandra Sanders, New Haven Register – “NEW HAVEN — Dozens of dead fish littered the Quinnipiac River banks near Front Street, coating the area in a thick, fishy scent, providing a feast for sea gulls and leaving some fishermen scratching their heads.

The fish, reportedly menhaden, could be seen among the rocks and seaweed of the river’s shore, with sunlight glinting off their silver scales. Birds were flocking to the spot, pecking at the fish and waiting for others to die.

Massachusetts resident Ismael Perez was stepping around the fish Tuesday while he cast a line with two other fishermen. When asked whether he was concerned about the high fish kill rate, he said, ‘Yeah, because I don’t know why they’re dying,’ but they are usually used as bait, not as food, so he wasn’t worried about people catching them and eating them.

‘I’ve never seen this many dead fish,’ said Perez, who fishes about three days a week in Massachusetts.

Mark Alexander, supervising fisheries biologist for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Fisheries Division, said this is the second large fish kill that has been reported in New Haven in a week.” Read more.

North Carolina: Large Numbers Of Dead Fish And Clams Reported In Neuse River, ‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It’

By Eddie Fitzgerald, Havelock News – “A large fish kill reported on the south shore of the Neuse River between Flanners Beach and Hancock Creek this past weekend has Neuse Riverkeepers concerned.

George Matthis, executive director of Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation, said Tuesday morning he was unsure what caused the fish kill or how large it was.

It was still being investigated Tuesday morning, he said.

‘People started seeing dead fish on the river late Saturday between Flanners Beach and Hancock Creek,’ Matthis said.

By Monday, the fish kill was spotted down river near Camp Don Lee in Arapahoe, he said.

Mitch Blake, Neuse Riverkeeper based in New Bern, said he does not believe there was a massive fish kill that stretched across the river to areas near the camps in Arapahoe but thought it was a large kill.

‘I think the winds shifted directions and they floated to the north side from the south side,’ he said.

Someone had reported to Blake on Monday that the dead fish consisted of flounder, croaker, menhaden and blue crab.

Blake was investigating a huge clam kill Monday in the Neuse River in Kinston that he thought could be associated with what was killing the fish.

Tuesday afternoon, Blake and a biologist working in Kinston, said Asian clams were turning up dead in the river from about Seven Springs to Kinston and the highest concentration of them was in Kinston. He did not find any in the river at Goldsboro, he said…

‘Oxygen depletion will affect a clam just like a fish,’ he said. ‘And rapid changes in water temperature will affect it. There is some kind of change happening there. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.'” Read more.

South Korea: Over 830,000 Farm Animals Die, Hot Weather Blamed

RTT News – “(RTTNews) – The current heat wave sweeping South Korea has claimed hundreds of thousands of livestock, the government said on Wednesday.

Over 830,000 farm animals, including 786,000 chickens, have perished in the heat wave that continued to scorch the country for the past three weeks, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries. The dead animals include 41,000 ducks and over 300 pigs. Such damages are often caused by power outages that can halt the ventilation and cooling systems at the farms, South Korean media reports said.

South Korea was forced to issue power shortage warnings for two consecutive days in the current week as the sweltering weather pushed up its energy consumption to new highs, driving down its electricity levels to what officials called ‘dangerous levels’ of less than three million kilowatts.

‘The number of animals killed may actually be greater, pending on a more thorough survey,’ the Yonhap news agency quoted a Ministry official as saying. The country is also experiencing its longest streak of the so-called tropical nights, where overnight temperatures stay above 25 C.” Source – RTT News.

Minnesota: Virus Kills Hundreds Of Birds – Cormorants, Pelicans, Sea Gulls, Herons And Egrets Found Dead On Two Lakes

By MARIA ELENA BACA, Star Tribune – “Hundreds of cormorants, pelicans, gulls, herons and egrets are dead on two lakes in west-central and southern Minnesota, most likely the result of a virus that strikes wild birds every other summer.

Following a tip from Ontario, Department of Natural Resources officials began investigating Minnesota lakes; they discovered carcasses and obviously ill birds at Pigeon Lake, near Litchfield, and Minnesota Lake, southeast of Mankato, said Erika Butler, a DNR wildlife veterinarian. Test results are pending, but DNR officials believe the cause is Newcastle disease, a virus that is spread by droppings and body fluids. Butler described ‘stereotypical presentation’ among diseased birds, including paralysis, drooping heads and the inability to walk or swim. Diseased birds were being euthanized; other carcasses were being quickly cleared and incinerated to prevent the spread.

As of last week, DNR officials had discovered 700 cormorants, 100 pelicans and smaller numbers of the other birds dead and diseased at Pigeon Lake. The toll amounted to fewer than 100 at Minnesota Lake.

Butler noted that the dead birds tested negative for avian influenza.

This year’s Newcastle outbreak, which is smaller than those reported previously, is not exacerbated by climate conditions; the biennial outbreaks more likely have to do with the way immunity is passed from bird to chick, Butler said. The disease does tend to strike juvenile birds hardest. This year’s relatively lower numbers could be the happy result of an early spring, she said; many juveniles already have grown enough to leave their colonies. It’s not clear why the virus hits cormorants so hard, she said, but she added that even such a large die-off will not have a big effect on the statewide population, which has been healthy.” Read more.

Mexico: 8 Million Chickens Killed Amid Bird Flu Outbreak

“Eight million chickens have been slaughtered in Mexico and another 66 million have been vaccinated in an ongoing effort to contain a bird flu outbreak that began in June in the western state of Jalisco.

Eradication efforts were stepped up after more diseased chickens were found as authorities worked to vaccinate the fowl against the disease, according to an Agence France-Presse report.

A national health emergency was declared at the beginning of July, prompting the prices of both eggs and chickens to skyrocket, AFP reported.

The western state of Jalisco produces around 11 percent of the country’s poultry meat and 50 percent of its eggs, Reuters reported in July.

At that time, officials told Reuters aid there was no risk of infection in humans from eating chicken.

The virus responsible for the outbreak, H7N3, has occasionally caused human disease in some parts of the world, but is not easily transmittable between humans, AFP said.

Health officials have been on alert for new viruses in Mexico since the 2009 outbreak of H1N1 virus, known as ‘swine flu’ that shut down the capital city for several days when it was detected in humans, Reuters reported.” Source – Chron.com.

Iranian Hatred: ‘The Most Virulent Form Of State-Sponsored Anti-Semitism Since Nazi Germany’

INN – “Columnist Colbert King issued a strong warning against Iranian anti-Semitism this week in a column for the Washington Post. King, a Pulitzer prize-winning columnist, termed Iranian hatred ‘the most virulent form of state-sponsored anti-Semitism since Nazi Germany.’

Iran ‘is more than a threat to a piece of geography called Israel,’ he said. It is ‘the greatest threat to Jews to emerge in the past 70 years.’

King quoted multiple statements from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accusing ‘Zionists’ of ‘ruling the major world affairs’ to support his argument that ‘the Iranian government is as anti-Semitic as the Third Reich.’ He also noted Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi’s claims that ‘Zionists’ and the Talmud are behind the global drug trade.

The focus must not be solely on Iran’s nuclear program, he argued, but on the regime’s threat to Jews worldwide. ‘The fingerprints of Iran were found in attacks on Jews in Bulgaria, India, Thailand and Georgia,’ he stated. ‘Contending that Iran’s threat is mainly to Israel is to ignore reality, unpleasant and challenging though it may be.’

King challenged the international community to stand up against Iranian leaders’ overt anti-Semitism. ‘It is almost beyond belief that the rest of the world would hear such an outrage and look the other way,’ he argued.

Ahmadinejad recently called for Israel’s destruction again, telling ambassadors from Islamic countries that the ‘annihilation of the Zionist regime‘ would be the ‘key to solving the world problems.’ He also accused United States presidential candidates of ‘kissing the feet of the Zionist.'” Source – INN.

Flashback: Ahmadinejad: Iran is Determined to Eradicate the ‘Infectious Tumor’ of Israel, ‘Will Never Withdraw’ From This Policy – “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel, ISNA news agency reported Thursday. ‘Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime … Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy …” Read more.

Flashback: Iranian Commander: We Must Fully Annihilate The ‘Cancerous Tumor’ Called Israel – “Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said that threats and sanctions will not deter the Islamic Republic from ‘its revolutionary causes and ideals,’ and stressed that the regime will remain committed to the full annihilation of the Jewish state, the Fars News Agency (FNA) reported on Monday… ‘The Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel,’ Firouzabadi said.” Read more.

Flashback: Iran Ayatollah: Kill All Jews Worldwide, Annihilate Israel – “The Iranian government, through a website proxy, has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people. The doctrine includes wiping out Israeli assets and Jewish people worldwide. Calling Israel a danger to Islam, the conservative website Alef, with ties to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the opportunity must not be lost to remove ‘this corrupting material. It is a ‘jurisprudential justification’ to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.’” Read more.

Iran Threatens US Over Syrian Abductions By Rebels, Ready To Change Proxy War Into Immediate ‘Direct Confrontation’

By Reza Kahlili – “Should any of the Iranians taken hostage by rebels in Syria be harmed, America should expect Iran’s intelligence agents to respond in kind, the Islamic regime has warned.

Forty-eight Iranians were seized Saturday in Damascus by rebels seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. Iran claims they are pilgrims, but Abdel Nasser Shemir, a rebel commander, in an interview with the news organization Al Arabiya, charged they were members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards whose confiscated documents proved as much.

‘They are 48, in addition to an Afghani interpreter,’ Shemir said, alleging that the captives were members of a 150-strong group sent by Iran for ‘reconnaissance on the ground.’

Iran quickly blamed America, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for the kidnapping.

Hours after the abduction, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said that, ‘America and certain countries of the region are responsible for these crimes, and they will receive the appropriate response at the right time.’

A media outlet called ‘The Youth Reporter’s Club,’ which is run by the Revolutionary Guards intelligence unit, also blamed America for the abduction, stating that America, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are involved in the events in Syria and that Iran is ready to ‘change the proxy war into a direct confrontation on an immediate basis.'” Read more.

Tensions Rise Over Iranian Hostages – “A band of 48 Iranians being held hostage by Syria’s rebel army journeyed from Tehran on a trip organized by a travel agency owned by the elite troops who support and protect the Iranian regime, people familiar with the trip said. That connection—denied by Iran, a staunch supporter of the Assad government—suggests the hostages have strong ties to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the rebels claim… ‘Everyone on this trip was either a Guard or a Basij militia. This wasn’t a regular tour group,’ said an employee of the tour agency that organized the trip, reached by telephone.” Read more.

Obama Administration Paves The Way For Sharia Law In America

By William Bigelow – “The most terrifying danger Americans face from a second Barack Obama term isn’t the economy, which is scary enough.

The most harrowing prospect is the Obama Administration’s passivity in the face of attempts to introduce aspects of sharia law into our legal system. Now there is strong and open evidence of the Obama administration collaborating with Islamist activists to ensure the path toward sharia law is accelerated.

Just last week, Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, was asked this question by Trent Franks (R-AZ), a member of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution: ‘Will you tell us here today that this Administration’s Department of Justice will never entertain or advance a proposal that criminalizes speech against any religion?’

Perez refused to answer. Four times.

And why would Franks target Perez?

Here’s why:

Last October, at George Washington University, there was a meeting between DOJ officials, including Perez, and Islamist advocates against free speech. Representatives from the Islamist side included

Egyptian Cleric: People Worldwide ‘Thirst For The Blood Of The Jews’ And Long For The Promised War Against Zion

Ezekiel 35:3, 5-6, 10-11, “… ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, And I will stretch out My hand against you And make you a desolation and a waste… Because you have had everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of the punishment of the end, therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I will give you over to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore bloodshed will pursue you… Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,’ although the LORD was there, therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your envy which you showed because of your hatred against them; so I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.'”

Isaiah 10:24-25, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, ‘O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.'”

Cleric Sallah Sultan During Gaza Sermon, Al-Aqsa TV: “I travel all over the world, and I meet supporters of Al-Aqsa, of the prisoners, of Jerusalem, and of Palestine – people who thirst for the blood of the Jews, and who are eager for the promised war against the sons of Zion, until Palestine is liberated in its entirety…”

Nigeria: Christian Pastor Gunned Down After Muslim Gunmen Enter Home In Maiduguri

By Joseph Abiodun -“Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect on Monday evening killed an evangelist with a Pentecostal church in Maiduguri, Ali Samari.

Evangelist Samari, 57, was with the Good News Church (GNC) Maiduguri and was reportedly killed at his Mafoni residence at exactly 6.30pm.

An eyewitness said the evangelist, who equally repairs wrist watches at the Post Office Area of the town was trailed to his house by two gunmen, after closing from work.

The witness also said the evangelist had sometimes this year received a stern warning from men suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect, asking him to vacate his residence.

He said though the evangelist discussed the threat to few people that were close to him, but he however dismissed it, saying ‘it is the Almighty God that protects. I leave everything in the hands of God.’

Confirming the incident, the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Gideon Jibrin, said the reports of the killing in Mafoni ward was received on Tuesday morning.

He said Mafoni is one of the black spots identified by the joint task force and police.

‘It is a place where some members of the Boko Haram sect use as a hideout and from where they launch attacks on other parts of Maiduguri metropolis,’ Jubrin stated.” Source – The Nation.