kiwipete

Bronze Age Sky Disc of Nebra Deciphered...

A group of German scientists discovered that an ancient 3,600 year-old Bronze Age artefact called the Sky Disc of Nebra was an advanced astronomical clock.

The explanation of the disc’s purpose sheds new light on the astronomical knowledge and abilities of the Bronze Age people, who used a combination of solar and lunar calendars as important indicators for agricultural seasons and passage of time.

"The sensation lies in the fact that the Bronze Age people managed to harmonize the solar and lunar years. We never thought they would have managed that," Meller said.

http://donsmaps.com/skydisc.html (Read the story and see pictures)

Cannabis extract makes brain tumors shrink, halts growth of blood vessels...

Researchers in Spain have discovered that a cannabis extract makes brain tumors shrink by halting the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumors with life. Cannabis has chemicals called cannabinoids, these are the chemicals that could effectively starve tumors to death, say the researchers.

The study was carried out at the Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.

The team used mice to demonstrate that the cannabinoids block vessel growth.

You can read about this latest research in the journal Cancer Research.

Apparently, the procedure is also effective in humans.

The Spanish team, led by Dr Manuel Guzm�n, wanted to see whether they could prevent glioblastoma multiforme cancer from growing by cutting off its blood supply. Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most difficult cancers to treat - it seldom responds to any medical intervention, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.

The scientists knew that cannabinoids will block the growth of blood vessels (to tumors) in mice - they wanted to find out whether the same thing would happen with humans.

The mice were given a cancer similar to the human brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme). The mice were then given cannabinoids and the genes examined.

The genes associated with blood vessel growth in tumors through the production of a chemical called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) had their activity reduced.

Cannabinoids halt VEGF production by producing Ceramide. Ceramide controls cell death.

Dr Guzm�n said: "As far as we know, this is the first report showing that ceramide depresses VEGF pathway by interfering with VEGF production."

They then wanted to see if this would also happen with humans.

They selected two patients who had glioblastoma multiforme and had not responded to chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. The scientists took samples from them before and after treating them with a cannabinoids solution - this was administered directly into the tumor.

Amazingly, both patients experienced reduced VEGF levels in the tumor as a result of treatment with cannabinoids.

The researchers said that the results were encouraging. In order to be sure about their findings they need to carry out a larger study, they said.

Dr Guzm�n said "The present findings provide a novel pharmacological target for cannabinoid-based therapies."

Acknowledgement: MNT

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/12088.php

The "unmeltable" weapon that could have changed WW2. A most remarkable story.

http://www.twylah.com/io9/tweets/113975300915863554

Russian researchers have spotted an extremely rare white albino orca off the coast of Kamchatka for the first time in history...

Iceberg the white Orca...

A Russian research ship has spotted an extremely rare white adult orca, or killer whale, off the coast of Kamchatka for the first time in history. The reason for the whale's unusual pigmentation is as yet unexplained.

­The scientists identified the whale by his pure white fin, swimming together with his pod, or family, all of which have the standard black and white coloration.

He has been given the nickname Iceberg, and appears to be behaving normally.
"Iceberg seems to be fully socialized; we know that these fish-eating orcas stay with their mothers for life, and as far as we can see he's right behind his mother with presumably his brothers next to him," said Dr. Erich Hoyt, who co-leads the scientific group that spotted the mammal.

Read more:

http://rt.com/news/white-killer-whale-russia-islands-751/

Compliments of The Green Planet Blog - Our World and Environment: http://worldofcae.blogspot.com

http://ecospree.com

Related articles
•White Killer Whale Spotted In Russia (buzzfeed.com)
•Rare white killer whale spotted off Russian coast - The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)
•White Killer Whale Spotted - Only One in the World? (news.nationalgeographic.com)
•First Albino Orca found off the Far East coast of Russia (beachbumblog.wordpress.com)
•First white orca seen in the wild (whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com)
•This Is The World's First Adult White Killer Whale (gizmodo.com.au)
•First all white adult killer whale spotted off Russian coast (itv.com)
•White Orca named Iceberg (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Anzac Day: the day Kiwis remember the most. Our unofficial national day...

Anzac Day - 25 April - is observed in New Zealand as a day of commemoration for those who died in the service of their country, and to honour returned servicemen and women.

The date is the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers (known as the ANZACs) on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915 during the First World War.

The devastating event was first marked in New Zealand in 1916 when a memorial cross was erected in the tiny Wairarapa town of Tinui, in the lower North Island.

Anzac Day became a public holiday in 1921, and over time the way the day has been commemorated has changed and developed with renewed interest and respect from the younger generation.

Gallipoli landings
The Anzacs were charged with capturing the Dardanelles, the gateway to the Bosphorus and the Black Sea, but the disastrously unsuccessful campaign claimed the lives of 87,000 Turks, and 44,000 servicemen from France and the British Empire.

Among the dead were 2721 New Zealanders - representing almost a quarter of the NZ troops that served at Gallipoli - and 8500 Australians.

Historians believe the Gallipoli landings signified the beginning of a distinct identity for New Zealand as a nation.

The campaign was the first time New Zealand had stepped onto the world stage, and the Kiwi troops made a name for themselves fighting hard, against the odds, in an inhospitable environment.

Today, Anzac Day is observed with sombre, ritualistic ceremonies at war memorials across the country and in many places overseas where New Zealanders gather to remember those who served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice.

The red Flanders poppy has become a symbol of the Anzacs and is worn to show remembrance.

Poppy Day
For more than 85 years, Poppy Day has been observed in New Zealand, making it one of the oldest nationwide appeals in the country.

Poppy Day is normally held on the Friday before Anzac Day when RSA volunteers stand vigil on street corners and in public places, exchanging the distinctive red poppy buttonhole flowers in return for a donation in support of their organisation’s welfare fund.

The story of how the poppy became an international symbol of remembrance for fallen servicemen and women is linked to Canadian soldier John McCrae’s poignant poem In Flanders Fields, written in 1915.

The Flanders poppy was associated with battlefield deaths as a natural symbol of resurrection and remembrance, and dates back to the Napoleonic wars when poppies were the first plant to grow in the churned up soil of soldiers’ graves in the Flanders region.

The style of the poppies sold today has changed since the first Poppy Day Appeal in 1922, but the meaning has remained the same - remembrance and welfare.

Today most people wear their poppy for several days before Anzac Day, and traditionally place it on their local war memorial or cenotaph as a mark of respect at the conclusion of a commemorative event.

A typical Anzac Day
Anzac Day in New Zealand is typically observed with remembrance services through until 1pm followed by a relaxed, holiday afternoon.

Dawn services traditionally involve members of the armed services and are of particular significance for war veterans. Dawn is when the initial landings took place at Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915 and veterans recall the routine "stand to" of their war service.

Commemoration begins with a short parade by service men and women to their local war memorial.

The dawn service is a moving experience with the symbolism of darkness breaking into sunrise, military formality, the single beat of a drum to mark the beginning of proceedings, prayers, hymns and the haunting sounds of a lone bugler playing The Last Post.

This is followed by a minute’s silence and the sounding of ‘Reveille’.

Morning services
Mid-morning services follow a similar pattern and, while they are a more public and less emotional commemoration, the sight of returned and ex-service personnel wearing their medals and marching behind flags to their local war memorial, never fails to move crowds who line the parade route and clap each veteran as they pass by.

At the conclusion of an Anzac service, wreaths are laid as poignant symbols of mourning and remembrance.

Representatives of veterans' organisations, nations, civic authorities, and youth organisations line up to place the distinctive wreaths, most of which are made by RSA Women's Section volunteers. Families also lay personal wreaths, and many people place a poppy at the base of the memorial in honour of those who have fallen.

Most Anzac commemorative services finish with the iconic fourth verse of Laurence Binyon's For the Fallen:

'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.'

Afternoon activities
All shops remain closed on Anzac Day until 1pm, and during the afternoon many regions hold special events that range from sports fixtures to military displays, exhibitions and musical recitals.

With formalities over, veterans gather at their local RSA to reminisce and relax. Families are welcomed on what is the RSAs busiest day of the year. The atmosphere is likened to that of a wake after a funeral.

New Zealand’s Māori Television broadcasts Anzac services live throughout the day, and most other channels show reports from throughout New Zealand and overseas during the evening, as well as relevant documentaries and films.

Anzac of the Year
Established by the RSA in 2010, the Anzac of the Year Award recognises the spirit of Anzac evident in New Zealanders today.

That spirit is embodied in the 1915 story of New Zealand Gallipoli hero Private Richard Henderson. The 19-year-old went far beyond the call of duty when he repeatedly brought in wounded men under heavy fire and with total disregard for his own life.

The aim of the Anzac Award is to recognise the efforts and achievements of an outstanding New Zealander, or New Zealanders, who have given service in a positive, selfless and compassionate manner.

http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/events/events_anzac-day-in-new-zealand.cfm

http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/

http://www.anzac.govt.nz/gallipoliguide/names/chunuk-bair.html

http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/gf.htm

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/the-gallipoli-campaign/introduction

Kiwis part of an international force that marched into Madrid during the Spanish civl war

http://anzacbloggersunite.blog.co.uk/2012/04/22/kiwis-part-of-an-international-force-that-marched-into-madrid-during-spanish-civil-war-13557149/

As the Globe to Globe Festival begins in London, the director of New Zealand's version of Troilus and Cressida explains how she put Maori culture at the heart of Shakespeare's Trojan tragedy.

Of all the theatre companies who are presenting all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in 37 different languages at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, it is New Zealand's Ngakau Toa who have travelled the furthest.

The Maori version of Troilus and Cressida begins the six-week Globe to Globe season on Monday, which is also Shakespeare's birthday.

"It's a great honour to be on first - we are thrilled and quite nervous," says director Rachel House, during a break from final rehearsals in Auckland.

The play has already had several performances in New Zealand, where it has received warm reviews. Read more:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17769799

http://www.newsahead.com/124-wnf-preview/1676-united-kingdom-23-apr-9-sep-2012-world-shakespeare-festival-opens.html

A massive e-waste landfill in Guiyu, in southern China's Guangdong province, is much more than a graveyard for old computers, says an investigative US writer based in Shanghai

Electronic waste can be highly toxic and needs to be disposed safely.

Adam Minter, author of the Shanghai Scrap blog, says he found boxes of defective but unused electronic components discarded at Guiyu - still in the original packaging from HP, Panasonic and Samsung.

But Samsung Electronics denies any involvement in discarding the equipment, and says the components were manufactured many years ago.

HP and Panasonic did not comment on the specifics of the case.

Mr Minter himself says that most of the e-waste dumped in China does not come from the West as before, but from Asia and especially China itself.

The writer has highlighted the e-waste issue many times before, not only on his blog, but writing for publications like Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American.

The town of Guiyu, made up of four small villages on the South China Sea coast, first made headlines in the early 2000s, as one of the places where old computers and gadgets from the western world were getting recycled.

A steady stream of used electronics started to arrive from about 1995 and made Guiyu one of the world's largest electronic waste sites. Read more:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17782718

Hey my friends, I found the following which you should find extremely interesting and encourage you to come here for a holiday, or permanently.

A Pom's A-Z of Kiwis...

By Jeanie Davison

As a Brit emigrating to New Zealand three years ago, the language was never going to be a problem ... or was it?
As this Pom quickly discovered, Kiwis have a vocabulary all their own to describe their world. For sure, it’s all English – but the way Kiwis use the language (often referred to as “New Zild”) reveals a heck of lot about their lifestyle, culture and attitudes.

After reading many “po-faced” guides to New Zealand which didn’t capture the essence of the country at all, I decided that compiling an A to Z of “Kiwi speak” would be a great way to look at the differences I’ve encountered in settling in the country.

Having canvassed opinion from many other expat Brits in NZ, I’ve collected together the peculiarly Kiwi words and expressions that Poms seem to feel best define the country. Interestingly, many of them do not translate across the Tasman to Australia!

As well as providing an insight into Kiwis and their everyday life, I hope this will also be a useful practical handbook on how to communicate with the locals…!

http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/89/kiwi.html

Hope you enjoy reading this, my friends.

Peter from Lower Hutt, Wellington, NZ

How do I make Huttriver more popular, get more readers and make it a blogsite you want to return to on a regular basis?

Well I have two groups attached to this blog and if I haven't personally invited you to join up, then you have an open invitation to do so. And if you are a visitor not affiliated to blog.co.uk, you would have to open a blog first before you could join the group. Even a blog on how to grow and cultivate vegetables would do. LOL. Just joking! Any subject you have an interest in really.

I have posted interesting stories on a wide range of topics since 2006. It is only in recent years I have encouraged other bloggers to follow my blog as a "friend'. I have a number of blogging friends here at blog.co.uk.

Now do you have any ideas how I could make Huttriver more popular and readable and worthy of comment?

My groups:

Community bloggers evolve http://communitybloggersevolve.blog.co.uk

Anzac bloggers unite http://anzacbloggersunite.blog.co.uk

God and Agency in the Mind:

An interesting article from 2009 on why religion may be a by-product of the way our brain attributes agency to objects and persons, starting very early in childhood:

So how does the brain conjure up gods? One of the key factors, says Bloom, is the fact that our brains have separate cognitive systems for dealing with living things - things with minds, or at least volition - and inanimate objects.

This separation happens very early in life. Bloom and colleagues have shown that babies as young as five months make a distinction between inanimate objects and people. Shown a box moving in a stop-start way, babies show surprise. But a person moving in the same way elicits no surprise. To babies, objects ought to obey the laws of physics and move in a predictable way. People, on the other hand, have their own intentions and goals, and move however they choose.

Bloom says the two systems are autonomous, leaving us with two viewpoints on the world: one that deals with minds, and one that handles physical aspects of the world. He calls this innate assumption that mind and matter are distinct "common-sense dualism". The body is for physical processes, like eating and moving, while the mind carries our consciousness in a separate - and separable - package. "We very naturally accept you can leave your body in a dream, or in astral projection or some sort of magic," Bloom says. "These are universal views."

There is plenty of evidence that thinking about disembodied minds comes naturally. People readily form relationships with non-existent others: roughly half of all 4-year-olds have had an imaginary friend, and adults often form and maintain relationships with dead relatives, fictional characters and fantasy partners. As Barrett points out, this is an evolutionarily useful skill. Without it we would be unable to maintain large social hierarchies and alliances or anticipate what an unseen enemy might be planning. "Requiring a body around to think about its mind would be a great liability," he says.

This leads to beliefs that the world is constructed "for" agents with minds:

Again, experiments on young children reveal this default state of the mind. Children as young as three readily attribute design and purpose to inanimate objects. When Deborah Kelemen of the University of Arizona in Tucson asked 7 and 8-year-old children questions about inanimate objects and animals, she found that most believed they were created for a specific purpose. Pointy rocks are there for animals to scratch themselves on. Birds exist "to make nice music", while rivers exist so boats have something to float on. "It was extraordinary to hear children saying that things like mountains and clouds were 'for' a purpose and appearing highly resistant to any counter-suggestion," says Kelemen.

http://huttriver8.blogspot.com

Indian farmers are committing suicide after using GM crops - and Monsanto are involved again too. They are calling this the GM genocide.

"Human tragedy: A farmer and child in India's 'suicide belt'
Shankara, respected farmer, loving husband and father, had taken his own life. Less than 24 hours earlier, facing the loss of his land due to debt, he drank a cupful of chemical insecticide.
Unable to pay back the equivalent of two years' earnings, he was in despair. He could see no way out."

http://kiwiriverman.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/indian-farmers-are-committing-suicide.html

The Crusaders capture Jerusalem, 1099...

In the year 637 the armies of Islam lead by the Caliph Omar conquered the city of Jerusalem, the center of the Christian world and a magnet for Christian pilgrims. The city's Muslim masters exhibited a certain level of religious tolerance. No new churches were to be built and crosses could not be publicly displayed outside church buildings, but the pilgrims were allowed to continue their treks to the holiest shrines of Christendom (the pilgrims were charged a toll for access). The situation remained stable for over 400 years. Then, in the latter part of the 11th century, the Turks swarmed westward out of Central Asia overrunning all that lay in their path. Jerusalem fell to them in 1076. The atmosphere of tolerance practiced by the followers of Omar was replaced by vicious attacks on the Christian pilgrims and on their sacred shrines in the Holy City. Reports of robberies, beatings, killings, degradation of holy sites and the kidnapping for ransom of the city's patriarch made their way back to Europe. To the Europeans the Holy Land was now in the smothering grip of the Infidel and something must be done.

In response, Pope Urban II called a conference at the city of Clermont, France in 1095, concluding the eight days of deliberation with one of history's most influential speeches. Mounting a lofty scaffold, the Pope exhorted the assembled multitude to wrest the Holy Land from the hands of the Infidel and assured them that God would absolve them from any sin associated with the venture. His words fell on receptive ears as the crowd responded with cries of "It is the will of God!", "It is the will of God!". The Crusades had begun.

The First Crusade was the most successful in that it actually accomplished what it set out to do - conquer Jerusalem. But it had its problems. Responding to the Pope's challenge, thousands of peasants rallied to the cause motivated by a combination of religious fervor and the desire to escape their squalid condition at home. Led by Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless the hapless rabble marched across Europe to Constantinople, only to be slaughtered by the Turks soon after crossing the Bosphorus into Asia Minor.

In the meantime, the nobility of Europe raised an army of thousands that made its way through various routes and with much mishap to Constantinople. Unfortunately, many of these crusaders could not wait until they met the Muslims on the field of battle to demonstrate their religious zeal. As they progressed through Europe many Jewish communities became the target of their wrath and thousands were massacred.

In the spring of 1097, a host of over 100,000 crusaders joined forces on the eastern side of the Bosphorus. The combined army then fought its way along the coast of the Mediterranean reaching the gates of Jerusalem in June of 1099.

Read more: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/crusades.htm

http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=pics+first+crusade&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADFA_enNZ455NZ455&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=j06LT4a2DcSRiQeM-LS5CQ&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=508

http://www.historynet.com/first-crusade-siege-of-jerusalem.htm

The Ring Of Fire Is Roaring To Life And There Will Be Earthquakes Of Historic Importance On The West Coast Of The United States...

Michael Snyder, Contributor
Activist Post

Does it seem to you like there has been an unusual amount of seismic activity around the world lately? Well, it isn't just your imagination. The Ring of Fire is roaring to life and that is really bad news for the west coast of the United States.

Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes and approximately 75 percent of all volcanic eruptions occur along the Ring of Fire.

Considering the fact that the entire west coast of the United States lies along the Ring of Fire, we should be very concerned that the Ring of Fire is becoming more active. On Wednesday, the most powerful strike-slip earthquake ever recorded happened along the Ring of Fire. If that earthquake had happened in a major U.S. city along the west coast, the city would have been entirely destroyed.

Scientists tell us that there is nearly a 100% certainty that the "Big One" will hit California at some point. In recent years we have seen Japan, Chile, Indonesia and New Zealand all get hit by historic earthquakes. It is inevitable that there will be earthquakes of historic importance on the west coast of the United States as well. So far we have been very fortunate, but that good fortune will not last indefinitely.

In a previous article, I showed that earthquakes are becoming more frequent around the globe. In 2001, there were 137 earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater and in 2011 there were 205. The charts and data that I presented in that previous article show a clear upward trend in large global earthquakes over the past decade, and that is why what happened this week is so alarming.

Read more: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/04/ring-of-fire-is-roaring-to-life-and.html

Today is Friday the 13th, one of three in 2012. Why is this day such a superstitious one? You may have to go back centuries to answer that question; maybe back to biblical times.

People who believe Friday the 13th brings bad luck have a variety of theories as to the origins of the superstition.

Is Friday the 13th unlucky for you? Lucky you: superstitions affect consumer choices.

If the thought of merely leaving the house this Friday the 13th has you spooked, you're not alone. The Stress Management Centre and Phobia Institute, based in Asheville, N.C., estimates that $800 million to $900 million US is lost every time the 13th of the month falls on a Friday, as people avoid doing business or flying.

The official names for fear of Friday the 13th are friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia. Sufferers can have symptoms as severe as panic attacks.

Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College, said the superstition that associates Friday the 13th with bad luck is one of the most widespread in Western culture.Do you dread the 13th?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/01/12/f-friday-thirteenth.html

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/180467--very-superstitious-3-friday-the-13ths-this-year

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/281207/20120113/eight-reasons-why-americans-spooked-friday-13th.htm

Crystal Meth the Destroyer...

GBE2 Blog on:

I destroy homes, I tear families apart
I take your children, and thats just a start
Im more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold
The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold

If you need me, remember, Im easily found
I live all around you, in schools and in town
I live with the rich, I live with the poor
I live down the street, I may be next door

Im made in a lab, but not like you think
I can be made under the kitchen sink
In your childs closet, and even in the woods
If this scares you to death, it certainly should

I have many names, but theres one you know best
Im sure youve heard of me, my name is Crystal Meth
My power is awesome, try me, youll see
But if you do, youll never be free

Just try me once, and I might let you go
But try me twice and Ill own your soul
When I possess you, youll steal and youll lie
Youll do what you have to, just to get high

The crimes youll commit, for my narcotic charms
Will be worth the pleasure youll feel in your arms
Youll lie to your mother, youll steal from your dad
When you see their tears, you should feel sad

But youll forget your morals and how you were raised
Ill be your conscience, Ill teach you my ways
I take kids from parents, and parents from kids
I turn people from God and separate friends

Ill take everything from you, your looks and your pride
Ill be with you always, right by your side.
Youll give up everything, your family, your home
Your friends, your money, then youll be alone

Ill take and Ill take till you have nothing more to give
When Ive finished with you, youll be lucky to live
If you try me, be warned, this is no game
If given the chance, Ill drive you insane

Ill ravish your body, Ill control your mind
Ill own you completely, your soul will be mine
The nightmares Ill give you while youre lying in bed
The voices youll hear from inside your head

The sweats, the shakes, the visions youll see
I want you to know, these are your gifts from me
But then its too late, and youll know in your heart,
That you are mine, and we shall not part

Youll regret that you tried me, they always do
But you came to me, not I to you
You knew this would happen, many times were you told
But you challenged my power, and I chose to be bold

You could have said no and just walked away
If you could live that day over, now what would you say?
Ill be your master, youll be my slave
Ill even go with you, when you go to your grave

Now that youve met me, what will you do?
Will you try me or not? Its all up to you
I can bring you more misery, than words can tell
Come, take my hand, let me lead you to hell.

Anonymous

Explosive: Monsanto 'Knowingly Poisoned Workers' Causing Devastating Birth Defects

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

In a developing news piece just unleashed by a courthouse news wire, Monsanto is being brought to court by dozens of Argentinean tobacco farmers who say that the biotech giant knowingly poisoned them with herbicides and pesticides and subsequently caused "devastating birth defects" in their children.

The farmers are now suing not only Monsanto on behalf of their children, but many big tobacco giants as well. The birth defects that the farmers say occurred as a result are many, and include cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, psychomotor retardation, missing fingers, and blindness.

The farmers come from small family-owned farms in Misiones Province and sell their tobacco to many United States distributors. The family farmers say that major tobacco companies like the Philip Morris company asked them to use Monsanto’s herbicides and pesticides, assuring them that the products were safe. Through asserting that the toxic chemicals were safe, the farmers state in their claim that the tobacco companies "wrongfully caused the parental and infant plaintiffs to be exposed to those chemicals and substances which they both knew, or should have known, would cause the infant offspring of the parental plaintiffs to be born with devastating birth defects."

The majority of the farmers in the area used Monsanto’s Roundup, an herbicide with the active ingredient glyphosate that has shown to be killing human kidney cells. What’s more, the farmers say that the tobacco companies pushed Monsanto’s Roundup on the farmers despite a lack of protective equipment.

Read more: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/04/explosive-monsanto-knowingly-poisoned.html

Are Chinese troops amassing near US - Mexico border?

http://kiwiriverman.blogspot.com/2012/04/are-chinese-troops-amassing-near-us.html

Google is testing augmented - reality glasses.What are these you would probably ask? View the video in the link showing just how this futuristic technology might work in your life...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57409331-76/google-yep-were-testing-augmented-reality-glasses/?tag=mncol;txt

Orangutans are endangered by the destruction of lowland forests making way for palm oil plantations. Boycott products containing palm oil, including chocolate easter eggs.

http://worldofcae.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/orangutans-are-endangered-by.html

Chinese schoolboy sold his kidney for an illegal transplant to pay for Apple iPhone and iPad...

A teenage high-school student in China sold his kidney for an illicit transplant operation and used the proceeds to buy an Apple iPhone and iPad, state press said on Friday.

The 17-year-old boy, who was paid 22,000 yuan ($A3,420), was recruited from an online chatroom and is now suffering from kidney failure and in deteriorating health, the Xinhua news agency said.

A surgeon and four others have been arrested and are facing charges of illegal organ trading and intentional injury.

The kidney donor, only identified by his surname Wang, agreed to the April 2011 operation in the central province of Hunan without his parents consent, the report said.

One of those detained was a hard-up gambler identified as He Wei, who acted as a middle-man between a hospital worker and the teenager. He was paid 220,000 yuan.

Health ministry statistics show that about 1.5 million people in China need transplants, but only around 10,000 transplants are performed annually.

The huge gap has led to a thriving illegal market for organs.

Executed prisoners remain the main source of organs used in transplant operations due to the lack of voluntary donations, Vice Health Minister Huang Jiefu was quoted by state media as saying last month.

International human rights groups have long accused China of harvesting organs from executed prisoners for transplant without the consent of the prisoner or their family - charges the government has denied.

Acknowledgements: AFP

MSN NZ HomeNews

Aristotle taught that people are by nature social beings, and therefore social institutions express our true nature, instead of oppressing it.

As humans we are social beings who exist and live our lives in the company of others. We have and continue to organise ourselves into groups: families, neighbours, villages, towns and cities...and nations.

We also organise ourselves into a variety of other kinds of social groupings as well: work,trade, play, sport, leisure, socialisation, religion, and political activity. We combine socialisation with our local social behaviour as well. This organisation creates our cultural and religious beliefs.

What do you think? Comment below.

Happy Easter bloggers from Kiwipete...

Juicing cannabis miraculously saved lives after physicians gave up the battle...

(NaturalNews) At 16, Kristen Peskuski was suffering from joint inflammation and an array of autoimmune conditions which made her organs and other tissues swell, including interstitial cystitis and lupus. She was prescribed over 40 different anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and painkilling medications to combat the symptoms. Still struggling to bring the symptoms under control, Kristen developed steroid toxicity. She was told that the most she could hope for was reduced discomfort, and with luck, she might make it to her 30th birthday. Seeking alternative treatments, she began juicing raw cannabis leaves every day, and within two months, Kristen's back pain had been eliminated, and she had stopped using any other painkillers.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035400_juicing_cannabis_remedies.html#ixzz1r3m52oHz

The Whitehats and Lord James of Blackheath deliver a death blow to the Cabal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Map2wVJmDg

http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/25/british-lord-fell-for-15-trillion-federal-reserve-scam/

A video worth watching!

Divine Cosmos: Some more resource material:You will need a free afternoon to read this in one session

http://divinecosmos.com/start-here/davids-blog/1026-financial-tyranny-final

http://divinecosmos.com/start-here/davids-blog/1035-divineintervention1

Human rights groups on Sunday slammed British government plans to expand its powers to monitor email exchanges and website visits.

Under the new legislation, internet companies would be instructed to install hardware to allow the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) -- Britain's electronic "listening" agency" -- to go through "on demand" every text message and email sent, websites accessed and phone calls made "in real time, the Sunday Times reported.

The plans are expected to be unveiled next month.

Nick Pickles, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, called the plans "an unprecedented step that will see Britain adopt the same kind of surveillance seen in China and Iran"

Read more: http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/technology/13317736/rights-groups-attack-britains-snooping-plans/

http://kiwiriverman.blogspot.com