2016 - news

[lavender1]

cnstopstories.com/2016/02/12/pope-expresses-joy-after-meeting-russian-orthodox-patriarch/



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[lavender1]

www.spiegel.de/international/world/escalating-turkish-civil-war-sees-young-fighters-on-front-a-1076663.html

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/turkey-military-strikes-syrian-regime-kurdish-positions-syria-a6872621.html

[lavender1]

www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/tissue-printer-creates-lifelike-human-ear

www.sciencemag.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_large/public/images/sn-ear.jpg?itok=VrC4BOlc

www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nbt.3413.html

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/medizin/gewebe-aus-3d-drucker-ohren-kiefer-muskeln-a-1077677.html


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[lavender1]

www.atlasobscura.com/articles/found-evidence-that-jerusalem-is-2000-years-older-than-anyone-thought

Jerusalem has a long, long history. By the end of the Bronze Age, it was already a capital of a city-state connected to Egypt. The reign of the storied King David is supposed to have ended about 1,000 years before the birth of Christ. By the Roman era, it had become a backwater of the empire, only to gain in political importance again by the age of the Crusaders. Its modern era, as the capital of the state of Israel, counts for only about 1/100th of its 5,000 year history.

New archaeological discoveries, though, date settlements in this place even further back, to 7,000 years ago.

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists have uncovered the remains of two houses that they've dated to the Chalcolitic period, when people started using copper tools alongside stone. There's been evidence of human settlement from this period in other parts of Israel, but this is the first settlement to date back that far in the area of Jerusalem.

The site is in the northern part of the city and was initially found during the development of a new road. Archaeologists found floors of two dwellings and tools from daily life, like pottery, flint tools and bowls.

Now there are just 2,000 more years of history to fill in.

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/jerusalem-ist-7000-jahre-alt-ruinen-aus-der-kupfersteinzeit-a-1077909.html

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=j65iKifJK70

[lavender1]

weather.com/news/climate/news/record-warmest-january-global-2016

January 2016 was not only Earth's warmest January on record, but also featured the largest warm departure from average for any month, according to two separate analyses released this week.

The first month of 2016 started with a global temperature departure of 1.13 degrees Celsius above the 1951-1980 average, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

January 2016 temperature departures from average, in degrees Celsius, relative to 1951-1980 average. Brown/blue contours correspond to temperatures most above/below January averages. (NASA/GISS)

January global temperature departures from 1981-2010 average (degrees Celsius) from 1891 through 2016 shown as gray lines and dots. Five-year running mean is shown in blue. Long-term trend is shown in red. (Japan Meteorological Agency)

That may not sound impressive, but ingesting temperature data over the entire surface of the Earth, NASA's analysis found this was the largest monthly warm temperature anomaly in their database dating to 1880, topping a record set the previous month.

A separate analysis from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting also found January 2016 set a new record-warm anomaly for the globe, 0.72 degrees Celsius above the 1981-2010 average. That reanalysis, however, dates only to 1979.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency's calculations also found January 2016 was the globe's warmest on record, but the departure from average was the fourth highest on record for any month behind December (+0.66C), November (+0.54C) and October (+0.53C) all in 2015.

The global record was paced by exceptional warmth in the northern hemisphere polar latitudes, particularly from Alaska and Canada to Greenland and north-central Siberia where temperatures were at least 4 degrees Celsius (roughly 7 degrees Fahrenheit) above January averages, according to NASA.

Incredibly, NASA calculated January temperatures north of 75 degrees north latitude were over 7 degrees Celsius (12.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average.


Elsewhere, January was also much warmer than average (at least 2 degrees Celsius) over parts of southwest Asia near the Caspian Sea, western Europe, most of western Africa, western South America, Indonesia and the equatorial eastern and central Pacific, associated with the strong El Niño.

There were some colder spots in January, relative to average, including much of Scandinavia, central Russia, the Kamchatka peninsula, northeast Africa, Antarctica and the north Atlantic Ocean from off Newfoundland to Iceland, according to NASA.

The four largest monthly global warm anomalies in NASA's database have all occurred within the past four months, topped by January 2016.
Top Five NASA Global Monthly Warm Anomalies (Degrees C) Since 1880January 2016 +1.13˚
December 2015 +1.11˚
October 2015 +1.06˚
November 2015 +1.02˚
January 2007 +0.95˚

January 2016 continues a string of 371 consecutive months at or warmer than average. The last colder-than-average month in NASA's database was February 1985, and Earth's last colder-than-average January was 40 years ago, in 1976.

Five of the last eight months have either tied or set new records in NASA's database for that month, helping to set the Earth's warmest year on record in 2015.


According to international weather records expert Maximiliano Herrera, new national all-time record highs have been set so far in 2016 in Botswana (43.8 degrees Celsius at Maun), Vanuatu (36.2 degrees Celsius at Lamap Malekula) and the French South Pacific territory of Wallis and Futuna (35.8 degrees Celsius).

Interestingly, Herrera noted Hong Kong set an all-time record low for the territory, dipping to -5.7 degrees Celsius (just under 22 degrees Fahrenheit) atop Tai Mo Shan, the highest peak overlooking Hong Kong at an elevation of 957 meters (3,140 feet) above sea level.

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/klima-waermster-januar-weltweit-seit-beginn-der-messungen-a-1078047.html

[lavender1]

Feb 13, 2016 12:15:52 GMT -5 lavender1 said:

cnstopstories.com/2016/02/12/pope-expresses-joy-after-meeting-russian-orthodox-patriarch/



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www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/pope-snaps-at-pilgrim-who-caused-him-to-fall-into-boy-in-wheelchair.cfm


www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/world/americas/pope-francis-donald-trump-christian.html

abcnews.go.com/Health/pope-francis-contraception-lesser-evils-zika-virus-outbreak/story?id=37026017

www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft/papst-haelt-verhuetung-wegen-zika-virus-fuer-zulaessig-a-1078180.html

en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/02/18/popes_in-flight_press_conference_on_mexico,_ukraine,_us_/1209703

Pope's in-flight press conference on Mexico, Ukraine, U.S
Pope Francis gives a press conference on the plane back from Mexico to Rome on Thursday February 18th - AFP


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis gave a lengthy press conference on the flight back from Mexico to Rome on Thursday, sharing thoughts on many subjects including pedophile priests, Mexico’s 'desaparecidos', the Church in Ukraine and the Zika virus.

Philippa Hitchen reports:

Asked why he had not met with relatives of the 43 Mexican student teachers who went missing in Guerrero state in 2014, Pope Francis said he had spoken at length about the problems of assassinations by criminal gangs and drug traffickers. He said he was willing to meet with the relatives but there are many groups representing the 'desaparecidos' and there are also internal disputes among these groups.

Another Mexican journalist asked about the problem of child abuse and the legacy which Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries, left in the country. Pope Francis said that a bishop who knowingly moves a priest accused of abuse from one parish to another is ‘irresponsible’ and should resign from his post. He also stressed how hard his predecessor Pope Benedict had worked over the past decade to tackle the problem and pointed to the various steps he has taken with his Council of Cardinals, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Asked about immigration and the threats of U.S. presidential candidates to build walls along the southern border, the Pope said he would not comment on the U.S. elections but added “a person who thinks only of building walls anywhere – rather than building bridges – is not a Christian”.

Pope Francis also spoke at length about his historic meeting last Friday with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and about the concerns of Greek Catholics in Ukraine who feel betrayed by the encounter. He said he understood these fears, expressed by Greek Catholic Archbishop Sviatoslav Schevchuk, adding that he is entitled to his own ideas regarding the conflict in Ukraine. It’s important to take the comments in context, the Pope insists, since Archbishop Schevchuk also describes the encounter as “a good thing” which he hopes will lead to further dialogue.

Asked about responses to the Zika virus which is causing birth defects, especially across Latin America, the Pope stressed that abortion is a crime which can never be justified as a lesser evil and which goes against the Hippocratic oath that doctors must take. Using contraceptives to avoid pregnancy can be acceptable in difficult situations, he said, noting that Pope Paul VI authorized nuns in Africa to do the same half a century ago when they were threatened with rape.

The Pope also talked about the European Union, saying that he will soon be receiving the prestigious Charlemagne prize which he will offer for the future of the continent. Endorsing the concept of a ‘re-founding’ of the European Union, he asked who could be the founding fathers of today?

One American journalist returned to the question of marriage, asking how a merciful Church can forgive the sins of a murderer more easily than someone who divorces and remarries? Pope Francis said the post-Synod document on the family – which should be published before Easter – will explore in depth the question of marital breakdown and especially the need for better marriage preparation. He noted how many couples are pressured into getting marriage quickly if there is a baby on the way, saying that as bishop of Buenos Aires he instructed his priests to put off such weddings until the couples were ready to commit to each other for the rest of their lives. Divorced and remarried couples must be reintegrated into the life of the Church, the Pope stressed, adding that it is a long journey but that “all the doors are open”.

Commenting on revelations this week that Pope John Paul II had a long standing close friendship with an American woman, Pope Francis replied that a man who is unable to have such good friendships with women is “a man who is missing something” in his life. Personally speaking, he said, he likes to ask advice from women who “see things in a different way”. The Church and its priests have still not really understood how much good women can bring in terms of advice, help and healthy friendships, he added.

Speaking of future trips and meetings, Pope Francis said he’d like to travel to China and that he was hoping to meet soon with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb. Finally the Pope joined journalists in thanking Alberto Gasbarri, the organizer of papal trips for the past four decades, who is retiring at the end of the month.

[lavender1]

www.rte.ie/news/2016/0218/768983-eu-leaders-to-attend-brexit-summit/

www.france24.com/en/20160218-brexit-summit-brussels-eu-cameron-uk-referendum

www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/eu-gipfel-ueber-brexit-und-fluechtlinge-was-passiert-ist-und-was-nicht-a-1078194.html

[lavender1]

www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/02/19/what-the-pope-did-and-didnt-mean-when-he-said-trump-was-not-a-christian/?postshare=1881455896729495&tid=ss_fb
www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/02/19/vatican-says-popes-remarks-on-trump-were-not-a-personal-attack/?tid=sm_fb

www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/world/europe/in-defense-of-trump-some-point-wrongly-to-vatican-walls.html

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/19/pope-francis-beware-criticising-donald-trump-democracy-catholic-church?CMP=fb_gu

intrepidentrepreneur.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/bigstock-Dec-Character-portr-112771430.jpg



fusion.net/story/269872/donald-trump-president-heres-how-it-happens/?utm_campaign=Fusion&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

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[lavender1]

edition.cnn.com/2016/02/20/us/tropical-cyclone-winston-fiji/

www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/floaters/11P/11P_floater.html

soundcloud.com/paulakruger-2/fiji-music-caffwav

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji

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www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35623944

weather.com/news/weather/news/tropical-cyclone-winston-impacts-pacific

[lavender1]

Feb 20, 2016 11:24:57 GMT -5 lavender1 said:

edition.cnn.com/2016/02/20/us/tropical-cyclone-winston-fiji/

www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/floaters/11P/11P_floater.html

soundcloud.com/paulakruger-2/fiji-music-caffwav

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji

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www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35623944

weather.com/news/weather/news/tropical-cyclone-winston-impacts-pacific

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/zyklon-winston-auf-fidschi-inseln-schwere-schaeden-mindestens-10-tote-a-1078600.html

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/22/cyclone-winston-at-least-five-dead-as-fiji-begins-clean-up-after-massive-storm

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/22/fiji-images-of-flattened-villages-show-brutal-force-of-cyclone-winston

~~ www.newshub.co.nz/world/tonga-assesses-cyclone-winston-damage-2016022017#axzz40thWifal

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[lavender1]

Feb 11, 2016 11:44:38 GMT -5 lavender1 said:

www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/science/ligo-gravitational-waves-black-holes-einstein.html

www.theguardian.com/science/2016/feb/11/gravitational-waves-discovery-hailed-as-breakthrough-of-the-century


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www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hg7l_gravity-waves_music

oh, twins ....

cosmosmagazine.com/space/space-time-warping-black-holes-may-be-twins

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/technik/ligo-schwarze-loecher-koennten-zwillinge-gewesen-sein-a-1078995.html

[lavender1]

Jan 20, 2014 6:30:29 GMT -5 lavender1 said:

www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/25802907

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www.reuters.com/article/us-alpine-skiing-olympics-mae-idUSKCN0VX1KL

www.fis-ski.com/news-multimedia/news/article=statement-regarding-vanessa-mae.html

Statement regarding Vanessa-Mae
24 February 2016 05:05

On 19 June 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) upheld the appeal of Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, competing under the name Vanessa Vanakorn (“Ms. Vanakorn”), against the decision of the Federation Internationale de Ski (“FIS”) Hearing Panel dated 6 November 2014 (“the CAS Decision”).

FIS has not appealed and fully respects the verdict of the CAS, including its finding that Ms. Vanakorn and her entourage did not in any way fix, contrive or improperly influence the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of the FIS-approved races held in Krvavec, Slovenia on 18 and 19 January 2014.

A copy of the CAS Decision can be found on its website at:
www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/FINAL_Award_CAS_3832_3833__internet_.pdf

FIS accepts that the statements made about Ms. Vanakorn’s conduct at the Krvavec races were unjustified and unreservedly withdraws them. In settlement of Ms. Vanakorn’s claim for damages for defamation, FIS has apologised and has made an appropriate payment to Ms. Vanakorn which she intends to pay to a charity of her choice.
FIS

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[lavender1]

www.spiegel.de/reise/aktuell/china-ende-der-gaga-architektur-a-1078884.html#js-article-comments-box-pager

archinect.com/delirious-shanghai/ruins-of-an-alternate-future-jinhua-architecture-park

www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/beste-baukunst-chinesischer-architekt-erhaelt-pritzker-preis-2012-a-817944.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Shu

www.towchina.com/news/pritzker-architecture-prize-awarded-to-chinese-for-first-time.html

aliyaibadova.tumblr.com/post/116029509981/wang-shus-ningbo-museum

[lavender1]

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35652655

www.dw.com/en/migrants-stalled-as-eu-balkan-nations-argue-refugee-policy/a-19070973

www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/ungarn-warum-viktor-orban-ein-referendum-ueber-die-fluechtlingsquote-abhaelt-a-1079110.html

soundcloud.com/classical-music-playlist/franz-liszt-hungarian-rhapsody

www.wral.com/the-latest-amnesty-international-criticized-eu-on-migrants/15416870/

[lavender1]

www.atlasobscura.com/articles/will-russia-and-india-be-the-first-to-send-humans-to-mars