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A universe of beauty, mystery and wonder

A universe of beauty, mystery and wonder
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Thursday, July 31, 2014

THE CHANGING IDEAL OF MASCULINITY IN THE MOVIES - From self-confident John Wayne to sensitive but bumbling Hugh Grant



John Wayne — seen here in 1956's The Searchers — was an icon of traditional Hollywood manliness.
The ideal of masculinity, John Wayne
By Bob Mondello, NPR
 
Tony Curtis used to say that he'd learned how to kiss a girl by watching Cary Grant at the movies. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he wasn't just sitting behind Grant at the theater — while also noting that he's hardly alone in taking instruction from films.
 
Movies have always offered a window through which audiences, sitting in the dark, can observe human nature without being observed. A movie theater is where many a boy learned how to make things right, the way John Wayne did in so many pictures, with fists or a gun.
 
Movies taught about sacrificing for the greater good, as Humphrey Bogart did when he sent Ingrid Bergman off with a "here's lookin' at you, kid" in Casablanca. They're a place to learn about standing firm against injustice (with Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind), and about standing up for yourself (with Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun).

SPIDERS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL - UNUSUAL SPIDERS LOOK AS IF THEY WERE COVERED IN MIRRORS

mirror-spider-thwaitesia-argentiopunctata-1This isn’t a stained-glass sculpture or piece of delicate jewelry – it’s a real live spider.
 
These spiders, called mirror or sequined spiders, are all members of several different species of the thwaitesia genus, which features spiders with reflective silvery patches on their abdomen.
 
The scales look like solid pieces of mirror glued to the spider’s back, but they can actually change size depending on how threatened the spider feels.
 
mirror-spider-thwaitesia-argentiopunctata-3The reflective scales are composed of reflective guanine, which these and other spiders use to give themselves color.
 
Not much information is available about these wonderful spiders, but the dazzling specimens in these photos were photographed primarily in Australia and Singapore.
 
 
 

HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL GIVE BIRTH TO ITSELF

How Artificial Superintelligence Will Give Birth To Itself

There's a saying among futurists that a human-equivalent artificial intelligence will be our last invention.
 
After that, AIs will be capable of designing virtually anything on their own — including themselves.
 
Here's how a recursively self-improving AI could transform itself into a superintelligent machine.
 
When it comes to understanding the potential for artificial intelligence, it's critical to understand that an AI might eventually be able to modify itself, and that these modifications could allow it to increase its intelligence extremely fast.
 
Passing a critical threshold 
 
Once sophisticated enough, an AI will be able to engage in what's called "recursive self-improvement." As an AI becomes smarter and more capable, it will subsequently become better at the task of developing its internal cognitive functions. In turn, these modifications will kickstart a cascading series of improvements, each one making the AI smarter at the task of improving itself. It's an advantage that we biological humans simply don't have. 
 
Read more
 
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THE WAR AGAINST ISRAEL IN POSTERS AND CARTOONS - JULY 31, 2014









Cartoons via http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/
 
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THE BITTER TRUTH - MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES ARE UNGOVERNABLE UNLESS KEPT UNDER TIGHT CONTROL BY A TYRANT - So why does the world keep calling for a state for the Palestinian Arabs - who are afflicted by fractious, undisciplined, corrrupt, utterly hateful and violent sectors of society?

Palestinians close the main road between Bethlehem and Hebron during the funeral of three Palestinians, who medics said were killed during clashes with Israeli troops, in Beit Ommar town north of West Bank city of Hebron
Palestinian Authority Arabs  - Photo Reuters
When will the West admit that it has been wrong all along in its illusion that Islamic societies can be politically and socially transformed, and forced to love freedom, tolerance, respect for the law, democracy and human rights?
 
Wishful thinking, money, and sometimes Western invading armies have been useless when trying to influence societies that are entrenched in traditions thousands of years old.
 
Stephen Glover of The Daily Mail has the courage to admit it openly:  There are no good guys to run those countries.  They were better off with their old tyrants than with the violent chaos unleashed by regime change.  Mr Glover, however, stops short of mentioning the Palestinians. 
 
Why is it that the West considers terror objectionable -  unless it is used by Palestinians to kill Jews, and then it becomes an act by 'militants' or 'freedom fighters' in their quest for independence? 
 
Photo above shows Palestinians in their habitual explosions of rage and destruction.  There is not even an inkling that this society can rule itself in the foreseeable future.  If it ever attains sovereignty it cannot even sustain itself economically.  Regional superpowers will use them as pawns to disrupt the region, to wreak havoc with adversaries, and to destroy Israel, the only island of democracy in a region gone berserk.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I’m afraid the bitter truth is Iraq and Libya were better off under the tyrants toppled by an arrogant and naive West
 
By Stephen Glover for The Daily Mail
 
The tragic events in Gaza and Ukraine may be dominating the news, but even more terrible things are happening in Libya and Iraq. In both cases a naive and stupendously ill-conceived Western foreign policy is almost entirely to blame. 
 
Many western embassies in Tripoli, including America’s, have closed, with diplomats deserting the city as fast as their legs will carry them, leaving the Libyans to their fate. Britain retains only a reduced embassy staff. 
 
Meanwhile, in the north of Iraq — a country allegedly delivered into freedom from Saddam Hussein in 2003 — a psychopathic organisation called Islamic State (previously known as ISIS) is executing thousands of Shia Muslims and Christians as the central government in Baghdad looks on, powerless to intervene. 
 
The persecution of Christians
 
The largely untold story of the persecuted Iraqi Christian minority is especially shaming for those avowedly Christian leaders, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, who were responsible for the invasion of Iraq. For however revolting Saddam Hussein may have been, he did at least tolerate Iraq’s Christian community, which at one time was almost 1.5 million-strong. In the years following the invasion, the number of Christians dwindled to 300,000.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

ADORABLE PHOTOS OF LITTLE KIDS AND THEIR BIG DOGS

Despite their sometimes fearsome appearance, larger or even giant dog breeds can make especially good family friends, loving and protecting your children as their own. And, as this list illustrates, they look absolutely adorable together!  
 
Not all big dogs are good for families – guard dogs or herders can be anxious or over-protective around kids.  But some small breeds are also unsuitable around children because of their tendency towards nipping and aggression. The benefits of raising children with a pet are numerous – they teach responsibility, compassion and confidence, and they will protect your kids and keep them active.

cute-big-dogs-and-babies-1

cute-big-dogs-and-babies-34


cute-big-dogs-and-babies-13
 

cute-big-dogs-and-babies-12
  
Photo credits in descending order:  Jen Hendricks, Erin Vey, Mypet Guru, Imgur
 
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SATIRE - EGYPT TO BROKER TRUCE BETWEEN OBAMA AND ISRAEL

 
PM Netanyahu of Israel and President Obama
Cairo, July 30 – Increasing alienation between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama has prompted Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to propose that he mediate talks aimed at bridging the chasm separating the two administrations.

The American and Israeli leaders have long had a tense relationship personally, and that has exacerbated differences in policy goals and assumptions about the ongoing Israeli conflict with the Palestinians and the Muslim world in general. In contrast, the Egyptian president’s views and policies have dovetailed to an unprecedented degree with those of the hawkish Netanyahu, while he has maintained friendly, if not close, ties to the US. That evolution has placed Sisi in the unique position of mediating the simmering dispute.

THE WAR AGAINST ISRAEL IN POSTERS AND CARTOONS - JULY 30, 2014

 

 



 







 
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/07/president-obama-defends-killing.html

 

 Cartoons and posters  -  http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/

See more cartoons and satire on this blogJerrylaughs-vi
 
 
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

MUSLIMS OFFENDED - USE OF SCOTTIE DOG AS A MASCOT AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES IN GLASCOW, SCOTLAND, REGARDED AS DISRESPECTFUL TO ISLAM - Apology demanded

The Scottish Terrier accompanying the Singapore team during the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Some Malaysian Muslim politicians have criticised the use of the dogs, which they consider unclean

Malaysian Muslim political leader demands an apology.

Breitbart - The use of Scottish terrier dogs as mascots at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has been branded "shameful" and "offensive" by Malaysian politicians.

Around 40 of the black "Scottie" dogs were used as mascots to lead out each team at last Wednesday’s opening ceremony at the Celtic Park stadium. The dogs, which wore tartan coats with the name of each competing country on, proved popular on social media, with Hamish – the dog who led out Team Scotland – receiving the largest cheer.
 
However, some politicians and religious leaders in Malaysia have taken exception to the dogs, claiming that associating them with Muslim countries is "disrespectful".  Some Muslims view dogs as "unclean" in Islamic culture, with more extreme Islamist groups even advocating jihad against the animals.

Mohamad Sabu, deputy president of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party called for an apology and said the dogs were 'disrespectful' to Muslims
Mohamad Sabu
The Telegraph reports that Mohamad Sabu, deputy president of Malaysia’s opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party said:

"Malaysia and all Islamic countries deserve an apology from the organiser. 

"This is just so disrespectful to Malaysia and Muslims – especially as it happened during Ramadan. Muslims are not allowed to touch dogs, so the organiser should have been more aware and sensitive on this issue.
 
"It is hoped this incident can teach other Western countries to be more respectful in the future."

Dato Ibrahim Bin Ali, founder the even more extreme Perkasa movement, added: "I think it is unbecoming. The hosts have not been sensitive enough – especially in a so-called knowledgeable and civilised society like Britain.
 
"It is shameful and has offended not only Malaysia as a Muslim country, but Muslims around the world."

A Glasgow 2014 spokesman told the Telegraph: "Glasgow 2014 have received no complaints from the Commonwealth Games Associations of the competing nations and territories following the Opening Ceremony."

Link to article -
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/07/28/Commonwealth-Games-Scottie-Dogs-Disrespectful-to-Muslims

RELATED

Animal Rights organizations SILENT about Muslim hatred and contempt for dogs and other animals

Pronouncements about dogs are not in the Quran but are numerous in the various hadiths, collections of traditions containing sayings and deeds of the prophet Muhammad which form the basis of Islamic law.  Dogs for Muslims are “impure,” “unclean” and “evil.”
Read more - http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/enza-ferreri/islamic-dog-hatred-animal-rights-activists-silence/

 
And just as SILENT
about Muslim sadistic ritual abuse of animals
 
Read more and access video
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/04/video-horrible-sadistic-cruelty-by.html

 
The yearly EID FESTIVAL is just starting

Millions of animals will be slaughtered all over the world in the most cruel manner.  Their throat is slashed and they are left to slowly agonize and die.  But before that the animals are terrorized, injured and beaten.

Watch videos of this routine animal cruelty, and listen to the silence of the major animal rights organizations
Compilation of videos about animal abuse in the Muslim world
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/04/video-horrible-sadistic-cruelty-by.html

slaugh3


Picture  - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2013/10/dozens-of-gazans-injured-as-they.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/PDbq+(Elder+of+Ziyon)#.U9iVKsog-M9

The truth in more graphic images: 

eid


http://www.barenakedislam.com/2013/10/31/this-is-how-muslims-celebrate-eid-the-festival-of-sacrifice-and-one-of-the-holidays-for-which-muslims-are-demanding-u-s-public-schools-be-closed/
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PHOTOGRAPHY OF TIME TRAVEL CONTRASTS - D-DAY SITES THEN AND NOW - War and destruction then, serenity now

Streets of change: A French tank gets a warm welcome passing through Sainte Mere Eglise ¿ today the bombed building is a clothes shop
Serene streets in 2014, unless you happen to meet one of those frequent hordes of European Muslims rioting  and shouting murderous chants against Jews and Israel.
(Blogger)

War and peace: The incredible photographs that contrast the horror of the D-Day battlefields in 1944 with their present-day serenity
 
  • This year marks 70 years since Allied invasion of France in 1944 with thousands of troops landed in Normandy
  • Here photographs show the incredible transformation of battlefields from the invasion to the present day
  • Tanks are replaced by caravans while sunbathers relax where wounded troops were carried ashore by comrades.


  • Watching history: Residents look on as a Canadian bulldozer clears the Rue de Bayeux after the battle for Caen ¿ the church towers somehow survived the Allied bombing, but much of the city had to be rebuilt
     
    See more pictures:
     http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2710134/War-peace-The-incredible-photographs-contrast-horror-D-Day-battlefields-1944-present-day-serenity.html

    More D-Day articles on this blog
    http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/06/d-day-together-one-last-time-photos-of.html
     
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    HAMAS KILLED 9 ARAB CHILDREN YESTERDAY - NO ONE SEEMS UPSET AT THEM.

    The evidence that two Hamas rockets were wildly fired and killed at least ten people yesterday is overwhelming.

    The first and best piece of evidence is that the IDF denied doing anything in that area to begin with. Usually they say they were targeting terrorists and it takes them many hours to even begin to release results of an investigation, but in this case they knew immediately that it wasn't them - because they weren't there.

    In every case I can recall of that sort of categorical denial by the IDF, it always ended up being proven true.

    Here is what the IDF investigation found.

    Presumably this came from the Iron Dome radar that calculates the trajectory of every rocket that is fired from Gaza in seconds. Given that one of the rockets headed for Ashkelon, and that terrorists shoot the same kinds of rockets in each volley, we can see that all of the rockets were probably Grad-types - Qassams don't reach Ashkelon.

    The destruction we saw was consistent with a Grad rocket.

    Other bits of evidence came in. A WSJ reporter tweeted (and then deleted) that the damage to the hospital was inconsistent with an airstrike.

    An early tweet that may have been deleted from a reporter said that he saw a "shallow crater" at the Shati camp, again inconsistent with an Israeli airstrike.

    Hamas barred the media from the area as they presumably cleaned up any evidence of the rocket - something they have done in the past when there was a high-profile misfire that they want to blame on Israel.

    Reporters in Gaza still give credence to Hamas claims as if the terror group that brags about targeting millions of civilians is trustworthy.


    It is also worth noting that,
    yet again, "eyewitnesses" say they saw an airstrike and it was not. This has happened countless times but lazy reporters keep quoting "eyewitnesses" who have no idea of what they are saying (or that are lying, as often happens.)

    The funny thing is that no one has ever protested about the children Hamas kills. UNRWA isn't protesting Hamas' disregard for the lives of the people they say they are protecting.

    No NGO is calling this a potential crime against humanity. Probably because they only accidentally killed Gazan children while they were aiming at Israeli children, which isn't a problem at all for these hypocrites. The NGOs manage to read the minds of Israeli generals to determine intent, yet they ignore direct terrorist threats against civilians and policies designed to endanger their own people as not quite enough evidence.
    Link to this article - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2014/07/hamas-killed-9-arab-children-yesterday.html#.U9hicsog-M9
     
     
    RELATED
     
    UPDATE - CONFIRMED BY JOURNALIST:
     
    HAMAS ROCKET KILLED CHILDREN AT GAZA PLAYGROUND - Hamas cleaned the area of rocket evidence and blamed Israel - Confirmed by Italian journalist in Gaza, who had to flee in fear of Hamas retaliation
     
    Read more - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/07/hamas-rocket-killed-children-at-gaza.html
     
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    ISRAEL AND MIDDLE EAST NEWS ROUNDUP - JULY 29 to 31, 2014 - Being updated


    The Elder of Ziyon website outdoes all other news sites in their twice-a-day extended compilation of Israeli-related news from all over the world.  They also produce their own investigative reports.


    Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal ping-pongs in his safe luxury villa far from Gaza where phone calls from the IDF in the middle of  the night are of no concern. [Image Source] Since he surely authorized the release of this photo, what message was he aiming to send to his own people? 
    Read more - http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.ca/2014/07/21-jul-14-for-hamas-friends-accusing.html
     
     
    NEWS ROUNDUP

     These links contain dozens of links to articles along with brief summaries.



    JULY 31 - Part 2 07/31 Links Pt2: B-H Levy: The ugly tide washing across Europe; Obama's Walter Cronkite Moment

    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0731-links-pt2-b-h-levy-ugly-tide.html#.U9rF8cog-M8


    JULY 31 - Part 1  Richard Kemp: Double standards, moral cowardice; Joan Rivers Strikes Again

    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0731-links-p1-richard-kemp-double.html#.U9p6Xsog-M8

    JULY 30 - Part 2 - 14 Ways Hamas Weaponizes Women, Children, Animals, Against Israel http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0730-links-pt2-14-ways-hamas-weaponizes.html#.U9neH8og-M8

    JULY 30 - Part 1 - With Israel, the world is blaming the victim; Netanyahu's Popularity Soars to 82%

    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0730-links-pt1-with-israel-world-is.html#.U9kuH8og-M8


    JULY 29 - Part 2Why Anti-Zionism Is Modern Anti-Semitism; 8 Times Kerry Betrayed Israel

    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0729-links-pt2-why-anti-zionism-is.html#.U9gnasog-M8

    JULY 29 - Part 1Excuse Me For Living; US diplomacy is going bankrupt; It's terrorism, stupid 

    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0729-links-pt1-excuse-me-for-living-us.html#.U9gpecog-M8

    Photo above - Ynet via This Ongoing War
    http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.ca/2014/07/21-jul-14-for-hamas-friends-accusing.html

    ISRAEL'S NEWS SOURCES

  • A - Elder of Ziyon
  • B - Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
  • C - Jewish Press
  • D - Times of Israel
  • E - Jerusalem Post
  • F - Algemeiner
  • G - Israpundit (Commentary)
  • H - Abu Yehuda Blog
  • I - Palestinian Media Watch (Very good)
  • J - This Ongoing War (monitoring war and terror in Israel)
  • K - Israel Matzav
  • L - PreOccupied Territory (satire)
  • M - Martin Sherman (analysis)
  •    
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    TERRORIST HAMAS THREATENING JOURNALISTS WHO EXPOSE ABUSE OF CIVILIANS IN GAZA - Reporters have capitulated to Hamas harassment

    Media representative broadcasting from Israel's border with Gaza, on the second day of Operation Protective Edge, July 9, 2014. (illustrative photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
    Photo Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
    Reporters are bullied, have equipment confiscated, barred from sensitive sites… but they don’t report it. ‘They’re too scared,’ says Israeli official, lamenting capitulation to harassment

    Several Western journalists currently working in Gaza have been harassed and threatened by Hamas for documenting cases of the terrorist group’s involvement of civilians in warfare against Israel, Israeli officials said, expressing outrage that some in the international media apparently allow themselves to be intimidated and do not report on such incidents. 
     
    The Times of Israel confirmed several incidents in which journalists were questioned and threatened. These included cases involving photographers who had taken pictures of Hamas operatives in compromising circumstances — gunmen preparing to shoot rockets from within civilian structures, and/or fighting in civilian clothing — and who were then approached by Hamas men, bullied and had their equipment taken away. Another case involving a French reporter was initially reported by the journalist involved, but the account was subsequently removed from the Internet.

    HAMAS ROCKET KILLED CHILDREN AT GAZA PLAYGROUND - Hamas cleaned the area of rocket evidence and blamed Israel - Confirmed by Italian journalist in Gaza, who had to flee in fear of Hamas retaliation

    Breakng news by Elder Of Ziyon website

    A tweet from Italian journalist Gabriele Barbati tells the truth about the incident at Shati and Shifa yesterday, and it reveals even more than that:
     
    In this one tweet, we have confirmation:

    gabrielebarbati@gabrielebarbati
    Out of far from retaliation: misfired rocket killed children yday in Shati. Witness: militants rushed and cleared debris

    See tweet - https://twitter.com/gabrielebarbati/status/494131918732926976
    • The rocket that killed the 9 children came from Hamas.
    • When Hamas made the area off limits to reporters, it was cleaning the area from any debris that could show the truth.
    • Hamas intimidates even good journalists from telling the truth, so much so that they won't report what they see while they are in Gaza. 
    This is more than an independent confirmation of what the IDF said.    It is more than a confirmation that the IDF tells the truth and that Hamas knowingly lies.   This is a scandal: Every single Gaza reporter who was there in Shati and Shifa is keeping his mouth shut.

    Yesterday I wrote that
    every reporter got it wrong. I was too kind. Every reporter knowingly trampled on the truth.

    If reporters being in Gaza only promotes Hamas propaganda and willfully ignores the truth, then what value is there to send "journalists" there to begin with? You might as well just translate the Hamas Ministry of Information webpage and call it a day. Because that is exactly what the reporting out of Gaza has been like.

    Every single report on TV from Gaza should have this disclaimer:
     "Our reporters have been threatened, implicitly and perhaps explicitly, by Hamas to only report one side of the story.Viewers must not trust anything they are saying."

    There is an assumption of fairness in journalism, a contract between the media and the viewers. This contract has been broken, as far as I can tell, by nearly every single reporter in Gaza in nearly every report, with a couple of rare exceptions.

    I understand that it isn't easy to report from a war zone. But when reporters are so willing to follow the dictates of the local government, and to allow themselves to be threatened without reporting that fact, then their reporting is nearly worthless, and they simply cannot be trusted.


    Link to this article - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/italian-journalist-confirms-hamas.html#.U9gLDsog-M8


    RELATED
     
    WHAT REPORTERS NEED TO  KNOW DURING THIS GAZA WAR

    Mistake #1: Assuming that all Gaza casualties are the result of Israeli airstrikes
    Mistake #2: Assuming that Gaza casualties and damage are the direct result of Israeli airstrikes
    Mistake #3: Believing that victims are civilian when they are not

    Read more - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2014/07/what-reporters-need-to-know-during.html#.U9gO0Mog-M8


    More articles on the media covering this war

    Media doesn't challenge Norwegian doctor's lies
    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2014/07/media-doesnt-challenge-norwegian.html#.U9gOB8og-M8

    Lies outweigh facts in Palestinian Arab media
    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2014/07/lies-outweigh-facts-in-palestinian-arab.html#.U9gOPMog-M8

    Media treats Gaza war as a sporting event
    http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2014/07/media-treats-war-as-sporting-event.html#.U9gOZ8og-M8

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    GORGEOUS PICTURES OF GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IN SAN FRANCISCO as it emerges from the fog in a golden sunset

    Eery sight: The iconic Gold Gate Bridge emerges after being shrouded in San Francisco's famous fog

    It is one of America's most iconic sights, and a spectacular photo opportunity at the best of times.  But one lucky traveller managed to capture San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in all its glory as it became shrouded in fog at sunset.
     
    The Californian city is famed for its fog that comes rolling in from the sea, and 27-year-old photographer Stefan Forster captured the perfect moment as the bridge and city glowed in the eerie light.  The Swiss traveller managed to capture the magic of moment the sun set and the fog crept in. 
     
    He said: 'For five months of the year I travel the world on the hunt for the perfect image. These pictures were taken about one hour after a truly amazing sunset, during a five day stay in San Francisco.  I drove up to the bridge viewpoint about four times a day hoping for the ultimate shot.  My main aim was to take a photograph of the bridge coming out of fog and I was lucky- on the last of this five days I saw the bridge appearing out of the mist and I grabbed my camera to take these shots.'
     
     
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    MAGICAL CAVES ILLUMINATED BY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GLOW-WORMS - The walls look like galaxies - Located in Waitomo, New Zealand

    Magical: Tourists watch in wonder at the roof of glowworms in the caves of Waitomo in New Zealand
    The starry night sky from underground: Incredible images of glow-worms which light up pitch-black caves

    The caves, which are thought to be 30 million years old, were only discovered in the 1940s, and were previously thought to be just Maori legend. 

    But tourists and nature lovers are now able to journey down and travel by boat to marvel at the natural phenomenon. 

    More pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2037028/The-starry-night-sky-underground-Incredible-images-glowworms-light-pitch-black-caves.html
    Photo - Caters, Daily Mail 
    Waitomo Caves webpage - http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx

    THE SIBERIAN LUMINOUS BLUE EARTHWORM

    Scientists in Siberia have decrypted the structure of an earlier unknown luminous protein, it has been announced.

    'This protein is 'responsible' for luminescent ability of tiny - 15 mm long - earthworms living in the soil of Siberian taiga,' said the media centre of the Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, explaining the breakthrough in Krasnoyarsk.

    'One earthworm weighs some 2 milligrams, and each gram of its weight has only 0.1 micrograms of luminous protein. During several years of work, scientists managed to gather several dozens of thousands of earthworms which helped them to gather five micrograms of protein. That quantity was enough for scientists to figure out the structure of the substance'.

    Intriguingly, the luminous system of Siberian taiga earthworms is different from that of similar types of species, which means that not only have scientists found one more luminous protein, but they have made a step towards decrypting the whole new luminous system. 
     
    Crucially it is revealed that 'the protein is simple in chemical synthesis, exceptionally stable and not toxic, which means it can be widely used in applied bioluminescence'.
    The results of the studies were published by Angewandte Chemie scientific magazine on 15 April 2014.  The remarkable image was taken by photographer Alexander Semenov.

    Link to this article
    http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/the-worm-has-turnedluminous-blue/

    RELATED

    The Waitomo, New Zealand, caves illuminated by hundreds of thousands of glow-worms.
    http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/07/magical-caves-illuminated-by-hundreds.html

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    GAZA IS NOT OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW - What the law says - ALSO: The history of Gaza - And the dark reasons why the government expelled all Jews from Gaza

    By  Elder Of Ziyon website
     
    A number of so-called "fact checks" have been written that claim (among other things) that Israel legally occupies Gaza.

    This is a topic I have discussed
    many times, so here are the highlights.

    The Hague Conventions definition of 1907 is the only legal definition of occupation. That's it. The Fourth Geneva Conventions does not define it at all.
    And here it is:  Art. 42. Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army.  The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised.
    Amnesty International 
    expanded on this definition when the US invaded Iraq:
    The sole criterion for deciding the applicability of the law on belligerent occupation is drawn from facts: the de facto effective control of territory by foreign armed forces coupled with the possibility to enforce their decisions, and the de facto absence of a national governmental authority in effective control. If these conditions are met for a given area, the law on belligerent occupation applies. Even though the objective of the military campaign may not be to control territory, the sole presence of such forces in a controlling position renders applicable the law protecting the inhabitants. The occupying power cannot avoid its responsibilities as long as a national government is not in a position to carry out its normal tasks.

    The international legal regime on belligerent occupation takes effect as soon as the armed forces of a foreign power have secured effective control over a territory that is not its own.It ends when the occupying forces have relinquished their control over that territory.

    The question may arise whether the law on occupation still applies if new civilian authorities set up by the occupying power from among nationals of the occupied territories are running the occupied territory’s daily affairs. The answer is affirmative, as long as the occupying forces are still present in that territory and exercise final control over the acts of the local authorities.
    Clearly, Gaza has a government that is not controlled by Israel, and just as clearly, occupation requires a physical presence on the territory itself.

    PRESIDENT OBAMA DEFENDS KILLING CIVILIANS - WHEN THE USA IS DOING THE KILLING


    By Elder Of Ziyon website
     
     The rules for Israel are, as always, different than the rules for the rest of the world.
    President Obama and aides
    From The New Yorker, January 27, 2014:

    “I think any President should be troubled by any war or any kinetic action that leads to death,” Obama told me when I brought up Yousafzai’s remarks. “The way I’ve thought about this issue is, I have a solemn duty and responsibility to keep the American people safe. That’s my most important obligation as President and Commander-in-Chief. And there are individuals and groups out there that are intent on killing Americans—killing American civilians, killing American children, blowing up American planes. That’s not speculation. It’s their explicit agenda.

    Obama said that, if terrorists can be captured and prosecuted, “that’s always my preference. If we can’t, I cannot stand by and do nothing. They operate in places where oftentimes we cannot reach them, or the countries are either unwilling or unable to capture them in partnership with us. And that then narrows my options: we can simply be on defense and try to harden our defense. But in this day and age that’s of limited—well, that’s insufficient.

    EIGHT TIMES SECRETARY JOHN KERRY BETRAYED ISRAEL - White House officials fuming at Israel for daring to criticize Kerry - Obama calls PM Netanyahu and DEMANDS an immediate cease fire

    President Obama and PM Netanyahu
    By Ben Shapiro, for Breitbart

    Secretary of State John Kerry has long been considered an integral part of President Obama’s foreign policy team. And for just as long, he has been an anti-Israel advocate par excellence, an opponent of the Jewish State’s right to defend itself, a man dedicated to pressuring our only ally in the Middle East to concede to terror.
     
    It comes as no surprise, therefore, to see the terms of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel proposed by Kerry in his latest round of anti-Israel maneuverings.
     
    His ceasefire proposal was so unacceptable that it was unanimously rejected by the Israeli cabinet, including leftists Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid; even Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan see the proposal as disastrous. The Palestinian Authority doesn’t even like the proposal, given their jockeying for power in the Gaza Strip.
     
    According to Ha’aretz, Israel’s leftmost newspaper, the terms of the ceasefire included: