WcP Blog - World Culture Pictorial

Why no bailout ($3 trillion so far) for Arizona? 21 out of 30 state parks...entire parks system to close due to budget cuts

WcP.Watchful.Eye — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:01:11 -0500

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Arizona decides to close most state parks
Facing a multibillion-dollar shortfall, the state will shut 13 parks by June. Several had already been closed. Wrestling with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, Arizona decided Friday to close nearly all of its state parks, including the famed Tombstone Courthouse and Yuma Territorial Prison. The State Parks Board unanimously voted to close 13 parks by June 3. Eight others had already been closed, and the decision would leave nine open -- but only if the board can raise $3 million this year. The action represents the largest closure of state parks in the nation, although several other states are considering similar moves.

21 of 30 state parks will be closed: The Arizona State Parks Board voted unanimously Friday to begin shuttering state parks, a move that will leave the parks system with fewer than one third of its properties open by June 3 read more »

"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet, Philosopher..1749-1832)

WcP.Common.Sense — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:59:32 -0500

There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet, Philosopher... 1749-1832)

Solar brings light & hope to Haiti after earthquake catastrophically destroyed infrastructure.. Nation rebuilding

WcP.Scientific.Mind — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:50:10 -0500

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Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, was catastrophically affected by the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake read more »

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. - George Bernard Shaw

WcP.Poetic.Thought — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:25:22 -0500

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

— George Bernard Shaw

Photo: Indignity. Humiliation. Horror to innocent people, millions. History: January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day

WcP.Observer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:28:05 -0500

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On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet troops, a day commemorated around the world as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

World War II in the Pacific - Liberation of Allied Prisoners of War in the Tokyo Bay Area.

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Photos courtesy of History.com and U.S. Navy

"The best prophet is common sense, our native wit. " - Euripides (Ancient Greek playwright, c. 480-406 BC)

WcP.Philosophy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:51:29 -0500

The best prophet is common sense, our native wit.

— Euripides (Ancient Greek playwright, c. 480-406 BC)

Arctic: pollution on its way. Oil drilling in Chukchi Sea threatens clean air, water, ocean resources & sea life

WcP.Observer — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:12:31 -0500

Shall we protect Nature as it is,
reserve some land, ocean, resources
for coming generations, for our children’s children?
Shall we, or shall we not? In words, or in action?

(quote) Approval of oil drilling in Chukchi Sea fails to include recent science and violates laws that protect clean air, water, and ocean resources. Oceana, together with Arctic communities and other conservation groups filed a legal challenge in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to the Minerals Management Service’s (MMS) approval of Shell Offshore Inc.’s proposed exploration drilling in the Chukchi Sea. The groups argue that MMS and Shell have not complied with federal laws that require thorough analysis of potential impacts and protections for clean air, water, and marine life. read more »

"We must never be driven by fear but by our values." ... "To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."

WcP.Philosophy — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:40:39 -0500

"We must never be driven by fear but by our values."
"To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."

— 1st quote by Viviane Reding, 2nd by Bertrand Russell

2010 International Year of Biodiversity. Ongoing extinction at 1000 times natural rate: most species to disappear in <100 years

WcP.Watchful.Eye — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:36:12 -0500

Green sea turtles, whose ancestors evolved on land and took to the sea to live about 150 million years ago, are one of the few species so ancient that they watched the dinosaurs evolve and become extinct.

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World's biodiversity crisis needs action, says UN. With species extinction running at about 1,000 times the "natural" or "background" rate, some biologists contend that we are in the middle of the Earth's sixth great extinction - the previous five stemming from natural events such as asteroid impacts.

The United Nations has launched the International Year of Biodiversity, warning that the ongoing loss of species around the world is affecting human well being. Eight years ago, governments pledged to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, but the pledge will not be met. read more »

Bomb-dumb body scanner, blind to hazards, make airlines more secure, or less? German scientist gets lots of explosives through

WcP.Scientific.Mind — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:19:30 -0500

German scientist gets a lot of explosives through a body scanner

Blue Roses to Earthrace Ady Gil: 100% biofuel, spirit of ocean, stands for life, saves crew, sunk by whaler, rests in sea..

WcP.Observer — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:12:55 -0500

Body scanner ineffective to single out hazards. No safe dose of ionizing radiation. THz waves rip DNA, harm health of billions

WcP.Common.Sense — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:26:52 -0500

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Ben Wallace, an ex Army officer & former overseas director in the security & intelligence division at UK defense firm QinetiQ - one of the companies making the full body scanner technology - said, the "passive millimetre wave scanners", which QinetiQ helped develop, probably would not have detected key plots affecting passengers in the UK in recent years. Mr. Wallace said the scanners would probably not have detected the failed Detroit plane plot of Christmas Day. He said the same of the 2006 airliner liquid bomb plot and of explosives used in the 2005 bombings of 3 Tube trains and a bus in London. read more »

The Golden Rule. "When you treat people with dignity & respect all the time, you can work through anything." - John Bacon

WcP.Common.Sense — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:06:29 -0500

It comes down to the way you treat people. When you treat people with dignity and respect all the time, you can work through anything.

— John Bacon

Full-body scanner cannot replace diplomacy but imposes indecency on billions. Law says indecent exposure is crime, doesn't it?

WcP.Common.Sense — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:19:28 -0500

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Friday, January 8, 2010 - The full body scanners that President Obama last night authorized to be rolled out in airports across the country at a cost of over $1 billion dollars not only produce detailed pictures of your genitals, but once inverted some of those images also display your naked body in full living color. Airport screeners will have access to huge high definition images that, once inverted, will allow them to see every minute detail of your body. TV viewers have been misled by blurring of faces and genitals of people in the images. When it comes to the real thing, your sexual organs and those of your children will be on full display to officials sat alone in back rooms, and with a simple inversion trick, your daughter’s naked body in full living high definition color will be there to be enjoyed by screeners. read more »

"If we do not spare Health of Earth, Earth spares none." - LuCxeed

WcP.Common.Sense — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:51:20 -0500

If we do not spare Health of Earth, Earth spares none.

— LuCxeed

TV host Bob Barker donates $5mil to help end destruction of habitat & slaughter of wildlife, preserving ecosystems & species

WcP.Story.Teller — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:10:35 -0500

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Bob Barker said, 'I'm delighted to be able to help the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in its mission to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans,' 'There is lot of talk about preserving our ecosystems and species, but this is one organization that puts these words into action.'

Filmmaker to swim across Pacific & Garbage Patch, floating mass of plastic junk size of North America, 10-meters deep

WcP.Watchful.Eye — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:33:07 -0500

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The floating mass of plastic junk - almost the size of the Northern Territory - in the Pacific is an environmental catastrophe: "...the nature of the problem is so immense and the fact it doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of any particular country means as a cause it's kind of like the runt of the litter, something that no particular country wants to take responsibility for." According to the United Nations Environment Program, it causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 mammals including whales, dolphins, turtles and seals.
read more »

Photos: "New Year Twins born decade apart", "Tiger sweeping snow", "ice swimming", "cracked plane: narrow escape"

WcP.Story.Teller — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:01:55 -0500

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"Merry Rabbits on Parade". What a grand thing, to be loved! What a grander thing still, to love! - Victor Hugo

WcP.Humor — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:35:37 -0500

What a grand thing, to be loved! What a grander thing still, to love!
- Victor Hugo

Blue Moon will watch our New Year celebrations & deer may visit your backyard. Take a moment to look into Nature, into Future

WcP.Poetic.Thought — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:26:18 -0500

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Exactly once in a Blue Moon.

How often does a full moon occur twice in a single month? Exactly once in a Blue Moon. In fact, the modern usage of the term "Blue Moon" refers to the second Full Moon in a single month. Tonight's Blue Moon will be the first since November 2001. A Blue Moon typically occurs every few years. The reason for the rarity of the Blue Moon is that the 29.53 days between full moons is just slightly shorter than the number of days in the average month. Don't, however, expect the moon to look blue tonight! The term "Blue Moon" has recently been traced to an error in a magazine article in 1946. It is possible for the Moon to appear tinged by a blue hue, sometimes caused by fine dirt circulating in the Earth's atmosphere, possibly from a volcanic explosion. The above picture was taken not during a full moon but through a morning sky that appeared dark blue. The bright crescent is the only part directly exposed to sunlight - the rest of the Moon glows from sunlight reflected from the Earth. In this dramatic photo, however, the planet Jupiter is also visible along with its four largest moons.

On 2010 New Year eve: take a moment & look into the night sky read more »

War: defend or kill endangered ocean life? Who stands between 750-ton whale-killing machine w/ military-class LRADs & its prey?

WcP.Observer — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:35:32 -0500

"Whale Wars: Season 2" is coming soon, in the week of Dec. 29. 2009 - "This time they've gone too far".

Don't you think that there must be someone with great courage to stand between 750-ton whale-killing machines & their prey to end Japanese whaling once & for all? Ocean depletion is faster & faster...

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Holidays may well cherish modern Robin Hood, German banker who helped poor from losing homes at cost of her own

WcP.Story.Teller — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:18:55 -0500

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A German bank manager who secretly transferred millions of pounds from rich clients to debt-ridden customers has been spared jail.

The 62-year-old, dubbed the "Robin Hood banker", was found guilty of moving a total of 7.6 million euros (£6.85m) between 2003 and 2005. The bank's rich clients reportedly hadn't touched their accounts in years. She carried out 117 separate transfers to try and stop people's accounts closing due to lack of funds.

As a rule, the banker - whose name was not reported under German media conventions - moved the money back when the indebted clients were solvent again. But 1.1 million euros (£991,000) was lost when certain customers were unable to pay their debts. The banker has begun reimbursing the bank through her pension. read more »

ThinkAhead™ Calendar 2010 series to Health of Earth: ice, forest & ocean. Free download. Happy Holidays to all!

WcP.Publisher — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:25:11 -0500

From the publisher: if "habit is the nursery of errors", let ThinkAhead™ Calendar be the nursery of greatness, particularly as the coming new year is greeted by an increasing urgency to save the planet - our Home.

On the left are links to the three calendars in this release, our New Year’s gift to all, free to download.

Solar plane, 1st of its kind, Airbus-sized, around the world without fuel & with zero emissions: prototype runway debut

WcP.Scientific.Mind — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:50:31 -0500

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The prototype of a solar-powered plane, the size of an Airbus and the weight of a mid-sized car, destined for a record round-the-world journey has made its 1st trip across a runway. The plane covered at least 2km at speeds of up to 5 knots on the landing strip in Switzerland. This test run saw the Solar Impulse plane outside its hangar for the first time, with tests of its motors and computer. As wide as a jumbo jet but weighing just 1,500 kg, the plane's maiden flight is scheduled for February in 2010, and a final version will attempt to cross the Atlantic in 2012. HB-SIA’s mission is to demonstrate the feasibility of a night flight making sole use of solar energy. It is a “no frills” plane built solely for verifying our technological choices. It is a true “flying lab”. The results gained from it will be used for optimizing the construction of the HB-SIB, whose mission it will be to fly around the world without fuel and with zero emissions as from 2012.

Photos: Santa Claus running in blizzard; White Christmas in London; skis in Capitol Hill; snow-covered Great Wall

WcP.Humor — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:09:27 -0500

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Runaway Snow. Cold spell: very cold Arctic weather from the North Sea & 1st white Christmas in last 10 years since London and the South-East last saw snow on Christmas Day

Air passengers are facing delays and cancellations as freezing temperatures and heavy snow sweep across Britain and much of Northern Europe. Many flights in and out of Manchester airport were cancelled today as staff cleared the runway of snow and ice. Many homes have been without power since Thursday night as a result of snow, an energy supplier said today. About 330 homes in the east of England were still without power supplies this morning, an EDF Energy spokesman said. He said staff had worked tirelessly to restore the power for thousands of homes affected by the severe weather. 'With snow and ice still across the region, travel between faults remains difficult,' he added.