24th June 2011

The Week magazine -- 18th June – Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch has experienced its biggest aftershocks since the 6.3 magnitude quake in February in which 181 people were killed. This week’s aftershocks measured up to 6.0 in magnitude. Cars sank into roads as liquefaction bubbled up before resolidifying, panic-stricken residents ran into the streets, and 50,000 people were left without power or water. Officials said that the latest quake, which injured 45 people and killed one, confirmed fears that at least 10,000 homes in Christchurch will have to be destroyed.

Our comment: One’s heart does go out to the people in Christchurch who have suffered so much and now have to face their homes having to be destroyed. It is to be hoped however that the government will ensure that new building will take into account that New Zealand sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has suffered from bigger earthquakes in the past. Australia has been known to refer to New Zealand as “the shaky isles” – In Britain we constantly build on flood plains and then get agitated when there is a flood and homes are ruined. A lot of homes in Queensland, Australia were flooded last year – but many in the same area were not, simply because they were not built on known flood plains. People adopt the same attitude to world news, to the bible and its prophecies and instead of heeding warnings, take little notice and then are surprised when the reality arrives! Added to which we can expect these things to be at a greater intensity the closer we get to the return of Jesus Christ.

The Independent – 18th June – regarding China – Flood waters to rise! Torrential rains which have left more than 170 people dead or missing in China are forecast to continue. A flooded river in eastern China is at its highest level in more than 50 years, the government said, as thousands of passengers were stranded after landslides buried parts of a railway line in the south-west of the country.

The Independent – 18th June -- “Oceans on brink of catastrophe” Marine life facing mass extinction within one human generation. State of seas ‘much worse than we thought’, says global panel of scientists. If they didn’t know we must question their competence! Charles Clover and many others knew! The world’s oceans are faced with an unprecedented loss of species comparable to the great mass extinctions of prehistory, a major report suggests today. It continues…! The seas are degenerating far faster than anyone has predicted, the report says, because of the cumulative impact of a number of severe individual stresses, ranging from climate warming and sea-water acidification, to widespread chemical pollution and gross overfishing. The coming together of these factors is now threatening the marine environment with a catastrophe “unprecedented in human history.” According to the report, from a panel of leading marine scientists brought together in Oxford (that is Oxford University) earlier this year by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Our comment: In 2007 Charles Clover wrote an excellent book with the title “End of the Line” – in it he pinpointed the problems and what would happen as a result of the mistreatment of the seas and oceans around this world. As a result of that book and from everything we know about protecting the world in which we live youwould have thought every government on the planet would have been doing all it could to protect those oceans and seas. The result is that we have 3 islands of plastic in the main oceans instead of one. It surely was not beyond the ability of the human mind and brain to see that to use non-degradable plastic bags in the thousands of millions as we have done, to allow them to end up in the sea was the action of a madman! Don’t people, and governments, understand that this planet is the only one we’ve got! And despite all the space probes that have been sent out we have not found another one like this one! In other words, we have nowhere else to go. When is the proverbial penny going to drop.

NOT JUST THE OCEANS…

The Guardian – 6th June – The world may have to resort to technology that sucks greenhouse gases from the air to stave off the worst effects of global warming, the UN climate change chief has said before talks on the issue beginning today. “We are putting ourselves in a scenario where we will have to develop more powerful technologies to capture emissions out of the atmosphere,” said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change. “ We are getting into very risky territory,” she said, stressing that time was running out. The UN climate talks starting today in Bonn, which run for the next

two weeks, will try to revive the negotiations before the next climate conference, taking place in Durban, South Africa, in December. But little progress is expected, as the negotiating time is likely to be taken up with details such as rules on monitoring emissions.

Figueres tried to inject a greater sense of urgency into the proceedings by pointing to research from the International Energy Agency that found that emissions had soared last year by a record amount. The strong rise means it will take more effort by governments to curb emissions. …. However, as the latest talks begin, the world’s leading climate change official has upset governments by insisting that the aim of the negotiations ought to be to hold warming to less than 1.5C. That would be a much tougher goal than that set by governments last year, which seeks to limit the temperature rise to no more than 2C – the safety threshold, scientists say, beyond which warming becomes catastrophic and irreversible. …. She further reported that the only real support was from the world’s least developed countries, most of Africa, and small island states. There was support from the President of the United States but strong resistance from the Republican opposition in Washington. Figueres said “It’s very evident that the legislative body in the US has disengaged, but … the administration continues to be engaged.”

Our comment: Many still refuse to admit the reality of what is happening! People or governments! It’s time we all woke up to the fact that there is now more than one way by which all life on earth could end. It just requires any one factor to reach the point of no return. We just focussed upon one which is quickly reaching that point! That would be a world temperature rise to 2 degrees centigrade It would seem the American Republican party is in denial! But at least the president isn’t! Another way would be world famine. An enormous amount of food is supplied by the seas and oceans – there are, however, a number of authoritative reports showing how the oceans and seas are not far from the extinction of all sea life, and with it probably the most important source of food for the world. -- Another factor is the bible! Ignore its warnings and statements – it clearly warns in the gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, chapter 24 that unless God stepped in no one would survive on the planet. But, it says, for the sake of those who have turned to Him and look to Him, those events that would result in the ending of all life would be cut short.

We already see events that, unless mankind takes meaningful action, will result in the ending of life on earth. This isn’t a game! These things are serious! It isn’t going to happen! It is ALREADY happening. The gospel of Matthew and chapter 24 listed those events that indicate the beginning of major disasters. What are they? Major wars and conflicts everywhere; famines, that is severe food shortages; disease worldwide; and earthquakes! We have mentioned some of these things in this Newsletter – we have mentioned others in previous Newsletters. This is not a game we’re playing!

But again, what does the bible say? Matthew chapter13, verse 15 says that people’s ears have become dull of hearing, that their eyes are closed. It isn’t that people can’t see, can’t understand, it is simply they don’t want to! They are in denial! So where do you stand!

CHINA APPLIES PRESSURE
The Independent – 21st June – Rare-earth metal prices spike as China stockpiles supplies. Prices for rare-earth metals, which are used in everything from iPods to flat-screen TVs to missiles, are rising sharply as China builds up a stockpile and cuts quotas, so much so that some industries fear global supplies may be in serious jeopardy. …. Japan and the U.S, the world’s biggest importers of rare earths, are concerned that China, which produces more than 95 per cent of the world’s supply is trying to limit supplies, and urged Beijing not to use the elements as a trade weapon.

Our comment: The Chinese government has introduced restrictions on exports. This has had the effect of large increase in the prices of the rare-earth. There are 17 elements which make up the rare earth metals and they are vital to the production of some of the most technologically advanced products – products which are important to both Japan and the U.S. As a result prices have doubled recently with some prices going up y 400 to 500 per cent in just this year. China has also reduced exports by 40%. China, surprisingly does have a point! There’s only about 15 years supply left in the ground. So far there is nothing to replace these rare metals. Yet another point of friction.