PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: MERS Contagion - Deadly MERS Coronavirus Reported In Spain, Patient Just Returned From Hajj In Saudi Arabia; As New Cases Are Reported In Abu Dhabi In The United Arab Emirates!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 08, 2013 - SPAIN </span></b>- A woman in Spain has contracted the country’s first case of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, a deadly coronavirus that affects the respiratory system. According to <a href="http://www.trust.org/item/20131106190453-511ry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, the woman had just returned from Saudi Arabia, where the disease first cropped up in September 2012. Spain’s Health Ministry announced the woman’s prognosis on Wednesday.  <br /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Deadly MERS Virus In Spain, Patient Arrives Back From Hajj.</b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9N8YC9l0lnI/Unw2CViAI5I/AAAAAAABNZ4/7Ae9gJrRwSs/s1600/mers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9N8YC9l0lnI/Unw2CViAI5I/AAAAAAABNZ4/7Ae9gJrRwSs/s1600/mers.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="slide-caption">An electron microscope image of a coronavirus. A new form of the virus emerged in the Middle East last year, <br />known as MERS, has killed 64 people, the majority of whom lived in Saudi Arabia. </span> <span class="slide-credit"> Reuters </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><br />The patient, who is originally from Morocco but lives in Spain, is being treated at a Madrid hospital and is stable, according to a statement from the health ministry. She was in Saudi Arabia in October. It is unclear whether she was there to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage, during which hundreds of thousands of faithfuls assembled in Mecca. According to <a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-11-spain-case-deadly-mers-coronavirus.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Medical Express</a>, officials monitored the pilgrimage for a MERS outbreak.<br /><br />MERS was first detected in September 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus, a common virus throughout the world of which five are known to infect people and cause illness. According to <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gcyx0QzveaIATh-qvqYGi5iCXkDQ?docId=1266ab1b-464c-4397-b0f4-54d05c61cef4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AFP</a>, MERS is considered the deadlier but less-communicable cousin of the SARS virus, which infamously spawned an outbreak in Asia in 2003, infecting more than 8,200 people. Nearly one in 10 of those individuals died.<br /><br />Of the 150 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS worldwide since 2012, 64 were deadly. The greatest number of deaths from MERS was in Saudi Arabia, according to the <a href="http://www.who.int/csr/disease/coronavirus_infections/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a>, or WHO. In Europe, there have only been a handful of cases of MERS. Three of them were in the U.K., two occurred in France and one occurred in Italy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reported</a>.<br /><br />The virus, for which there is no vaccine, is spread from ill people to others through close contact. Recently, WHO announced infections of MERS in Saudi Arabia and Oman. The cases occurred in two men and one woman, all between the ages of 49 and 83. At least one of the patients was known to have been in contact with a previous MERS patient.<br /><br />“The Centre for Health Protection of the DH will seek more information on the cases from the WHO and the relevant health authorities,” a Hong Kong Department of Health spokesperson <a href="http://vaccinenewsdaily.com/medical_countermeasures/328268-four-new-cases-of-mers-cov-reported-to-who/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">said</a>. “The CHP will stay vigilant and continue to work closely with the WHO and overseas health authorities to monitor the latest developments of this disease.”<br /><br />Symptoms of MERS coronavirus infection include a severe acute respiratory illness. Patients experience fever, coughing and shortness of breath. It differs from SARS in that it causes rapid kidney failure and has an extremely high death rate; nearly half of all MERS patients die.<br /><br />Experts are still struggling to understand MERS, which some believe is widespread among camels in the Middle East, according to <a href="http://www.trust.org/item/20131106190453-511ry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. - <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/deadly-mers-coronavirus-reported-spain-patient-just-returned-saudi-arabia-1459114"><span style="color: orange;"><b>IBT</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br />Health officials in Spain have detected a case of MERS in a woman who recently returned to the country after attending last month’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.<br />The above comments confirm that the MERS case in Spain (see map) was infected while on a Hajj pilgrimage, as suggested by statements in the Spain Ministry of Health press release, which noted that she (61F) flew to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on October 1 and returned on November 1.  Shortly thereafter MERS was confirmed.<br /><br />However, media reports noted that she had been hospitalized in KSA on October 15 and diagnosed as having pneumonia.  However, the etiological agent was not identified.  Disease onset on or about October 15 raises the strong possibility that she contracted MERS somewhere along the Hajj route but KSA failed to identify MERS in the above case or the source of her infection.<br /><br />Moreover, travel after the KSA hospitalization increased the potential for transmission to other travelers and significant spread.<br /><br />KSA has maintained that no Hajj pilgrim was diagnosed with MERS, although cases in Riyadh and the Eastern Region (Jubail) were confirmed, with disease onset dates similar to the above case.<br /><br />The confirmation of a Hajj pilgrim in Spain raises serious surveillance and transparency concerns. - <a href="http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11061301/MERS_Spain_Hajj.html"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Recombinomics</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b><br /><div style="background-color: yellow;"><b><span style="color: red;">MERS Diagnosed In Patient In Abu Dhabi Hospital.</span></b></div></div></div></div> A 75-year-old Omani is in hospital in Abu Dhabi suffering from the <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/health/emirati-82-dies-in-abu-dhabi-after-contracting-mers-virus">MERS</a> coronavirus.<br /><br />The victim, who was visiting the UAE, began to suffer from respiratory symptoms last month and is now in intensive care. <br /><br />The diagnosis of Middle East respiratory syndrome was revealed by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi today, reported the state news agency Wam. <br /><br />The health authority is coordinating with the Ministry of Health and other organisations as it treats the patient. <br /><br />The authority said it had taken the necessary precautionary measures in line with international standards and recommendations set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO). <br /><br />The ministry said WHO issued the first international alert about the disease in September last year. <br /><br />So far, the organisation has confirmed 150 cases of infection of Mers.<br /><br />WHO has said the virus was now not a public health concern, and the current situation did not require travel bans to any country, screening at points of entry, or any trade restrictions. <br /><br />The ministry assured the public that it was monitoring the situation closely to ensure everyone’s health and safety. - <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/uae/health/mers-coronavirus-diagnosed-in-patient-in-abu-dhabi-hospital"><span style="color: orange;"><b>The National</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br />Her symptoms began Oct 15 with cough and fever, and she was seen at a hospital emergency department of a Mecca hospital on Oct 28 and 29, where health workers diagnosed her as having pneumonia, based on chest x-ray findings.<br /><br />According to the ECDC, the patient was sick during the flight and needed oxygen treatment while she was aboard.<br /><br />The health ministry said she was in Medina from Oct 2 through Oct 10 and in Mecca from Oct 11 through Nov 1.<br /><br />The above comments confirmed media reports which noted a disease onset date of October 15 for the above case (61F) as well as a Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) diagnosis of pneumonia.  The peak of Hajj activity was between Oct 13-18, corresponding with the patient’s travel to Mecca.<br /><br />The disease onset date of Oct 15 suggests she was infected in Medina, where KSA reported confirmed cases at the end of Ramadan, which was also linked to a Qatari who traveled from Medina to Qatar and developed symptoms on the day of his arrival, which was subsequently linked to onward transmission in Qatar.  Although WHO noted that the Qatari did not perform Umrah or visit the Grand Mosque, his MERS infection became symptomatic after his attendance at a Medina clinic.<br /><br />Thus, the presence of MERS in Medina after Ramadan raised concerns that Hajj pilgrims would be at risk and even though KSA cited the absence of any confirmed cases in Hajj or Ramadan pilgrims. MERS is widespread in KSA, including the Ramadan large cluster in Medina.<br /><br />The recent MERS case was traveling and attending the Hajj in KSA while symptomatic and flew from Jeddah (see map)  to Madrid after she was diagnosed with pneumonia in Mecca.<br /><br />This extensive travel strongly suggest the number of MERS infections in Hajj pilgrims is high, KSA detection / reporting failures notwithstanding. - <a href="http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11071301/MERS_Hajj_Journey.html"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Recombinomics</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

China Coronavirus Diseases Epidemic France Hajj Infections MERS Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Pestilences Plagues Pneumonia-Like Symptoms Qatar SARS-Related Virus Saudi Arabia Spain WHO PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: MERS Contagion - Deadly MERS Coronavirus Reported In Spain, Patient Just Returned From Hajj In Saudi Arabia; As New Cases Are Reported In Abu Dhabi In The United Arab Emirates!

November 08, 2013 - SPAIN - A woman in Spain has contracted the country’s first case of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, a deadly coronavirus that affects the respiratory system. According to Reuters, the woman had just returned from…

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WAR ON MOTHER NATURE: Mass Fish Die-Off - Disturbing Photos Of 10,000 Dead Fish Show What Happens When Waste Is Dumped Into A Lake In Shenzhen, China!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 06, 2013 - CHINA </span></b>- More than 10,000 fish were found dead near a sewage drain in a lake in the southern Chinese city of <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=shenzhen+cn&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x3403f408d0e15291:0xfdee550db79280c9,Shenzhen,+Guangdong,+China&gl=us&ei=ROl4UtKVEqPfsATqmoKQDw&ved=0CLIBELYD">Shenzhen</a>.<br /><br />This is not the first time this has happened in Shenzen — <a href="http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/05/03/2821s697139.htm">last year</a> 50,00 fish were found floating in a pond near an industrial area last year — and it won't be the last as long as sewage and industrial waste are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-water-pollution-2013-3">routinely dumped</a> into Chinese rivers and lakes.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4kBvzLw2dDc/UnsBXuk75aI/AAAAAAABNSU/h2Ih2Iqlb60/s1600/chinadeadfish01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4kBvzLw2dDc/UnsBXuk75aI/AAAAAAABNSU/h2Ih2Iqlb60/s1600/chinadeadfish01.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workers collect dead fish at a park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, November 5, 2013.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KedTLdJyHgo/UnsBbcdOFnI/AAAAAAABNSk/zCX9ftzbxrI/s1600/chinadeadfish02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KedTLdJyHgo/UnsBbcdOFnI/AAAAAAABNSk/zCX9ftzbxrI/s1600/chinadeadfish02.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">orkers collect dead fish at a park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, November 5, 2013.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UeDTlYQwq4E/UnsBYT1X6YI/AAAAAAABNSc/UazlJg63YTQ/s1600/chinadeadfish03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UeDTlYQwq4E/UnsBYT1X6YI/AAAAAAABNSc/UazlJg63YTQ/s1600/chinadeadfish03.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead fish are seen at a park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, November 5, 2013.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Shenzen is also the site of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-street-vendors-use-gutter-oil-2013-10">"gutter oil" street food</a>.<br /><br />- <span style="color: orange;"><b>Business Insider</b></span>.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

China Dead Fish Earth Changes Fish Lack of Rain Low Water Levels Magnetic Fields Magnetism Mass Die-Off Methane Migration Mother Nature Oxygen Pollution Sewage Shenzhen Sonar Temperature Drop WAR ON MOTHER NATURE: Mass Fish Die-Off - Disturbing Photos Of 10,000 Dead Fish Show What Happens When Waste Is Dumped Into A Lake In Shenzhen, China!

November 06, 2013 - CHINA - More than 10,000 fish were found dead near a sewage drain in a lake in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.This is not the first time this has happened in Shenzen — last year 50,00 fish were found floating in a pond near…

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INFRASTRUCTURE & SOCIETAL COLLAPSE: Coordinated IED Blasts - Several Explosions Rock Provincial Headquarters Of China's Communist Party Killing One Person And Injuring 8 Others!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 06, 2013 - CHINA </span></b></b></span>- At least one person has been killed and eight wounded after a series of improvised devices exploded outside an office building of a provincial headquarters of the Communist Party of China in Taiyuan.<br /><br />Seven explosions occurred at around 07:40 local time near the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, South China Morning Post reports.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xH9VCICzCOI/Uno5lefousI/AAAAAAABNKE/FjhnQPjARvE/s1600/chinaexplosion01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xH9VCICzCOI/Uno5lefousI/AAAAAAABNKE/FjhnQPjARvE/s1600/chinaexplosion01.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from weibo.com.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iu2_iPtynjA/Uno5lFIWvcI/AAAAAAABNKA/ia1_j4LrqBE/s1600/chinaexplosion02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iu2_iPtynjA/Uno5lFIWvcI/AAAAAAABNKA/ia1_j4LrqBE/s1600/chinaexplosion02.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from weibo.com.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ouFAReQ75Zg/Uno5lnLJE7I/AAAAAAABNKM/4KfywE0jmpY/s1600/chinaexplosion03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ouFAReQ75Zg/Uno5lnLJE7I/AAAAAAABNKM/4KfywE0jmpY/s1600/chinaexplosion03.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People stand on a street after an explosion outside a provincial headquarters of China's ruling Communist <br />Party in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi province on November 6, 2013. (AFP/China Out)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />One person has been killed and eight wounded and two cars damaged in the blasts, according to official reports. <br /><br /> The explosive devices were planted in roadside flowerbeds, according to CCTV, which added over 20 vehicles were damaged by the explosions including the passing buses.<br /><br />Ball bearings likely embedded within an improvised explosive device (IED) were found at the scene, Xinhua reports. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oFtdoFgLA4A/Uno51ASlOuI/AAAAAAABNKc/mj1vNT5rKbw/s1600/chinaexplosion04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oFtdoFgLA4A/Uno51ASlOuI/AAAAAAABNKc/mj1vNT5rKbw/s1600/chinaexplosion04.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Policemen cordon off a street after an explosion outside a provincial headquarters of China's ruling <br />Communist Party in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi province on November 6, 2013. (AFP/China Out)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJ9NV2KRA18/Uno51ap0KbI/AAAAAAABNKg/_zgbvqAbi2c/s1600/chinaexplosion05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJ9NV2KRA18/Uno51ap0KbI/AAAAAAABNKg/_zgbvqAbi2c/s1600/chinaexplosion05.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massive metal pellets.  Photo from weibo.com.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DDx2dm5R_L8/Uno50zKY_7I/AAAAAAABNKY/uFRJkGRaQ70/s1600/chinaexplosion06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DDx2dm5R_L8/Uno50zKY_7I/AAAAAAABNKY/uFRJkGRaQ70/s1600/chinaexplosion06.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from weibo.com.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Taiyuan is the largest city in the northern Shanxi province, with 4 million residents, located about 250 miles northeast of Beijing. <br /><br />Last week, the Chinese government pointed to Islamists after an attack in central Beijing near Tiananmen Square that left five dead. - <a href="http://rt.com/news/china-party-headquarters-blasts-279/"><span style="color: orange;"><b>RT</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

Blast China Communist Party Provincial Headquarters Crash Explosions Fire Flames IED Blasts Infrastructure Collapse Islamists Shanxi Province Societal Collapse Taiyuan Terrorism INFRASTRUCTURE & SOCIETAL COLLAPSE: Coordinated IED Blasts - Several Explosions Rock Provincial Headquarters Of China's Communist Party Killing One Person And Injuring 8 Others!

November 06, 2013 - CHINA - At least one person has been killed and eight wounded after a series of improvised devices exploded outside an office building of a provincial headquarters of the Communist Party of China in Taiyuan.Seven explosions occurr…

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PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Mysterious Disease - Six Hammerhead Sharks Suddenly Die In Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China?!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 05, 2013 - CHINA </span></b>- Six hammerhead sharks at Ocean Park died one by one in just seven hours yesterday because of a disease the park has not identified.<br /><br /><br /><div class="panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-body pos-1"><div class="pane-content"><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden clearfix"><div class="field-items"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8m6H6RbCevI/UnlJZeCDvzI/AAAAAAABNFI/4U8EKMpGMFE/s1600/chinasharks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8m6H6RbCevI/UnlJZeCDvzI/AAAAAAABNFI/4U8EKMpGMFE/s1600/chinasharks.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hammerhead shark is classified as endangered by conservationists. Photo: SCMP</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="field-item even first last"><br />The remaining eight sharks "were also at risk", the park said, and its staff would continue to closely monitor them, segregating them and administering treatment if the need arose. <br /><br />The dead sharks were first found "swimming abnormally" in the Grand Aquarium in the morning yesterday. They had shown no signs of illness before then, a spokeswoman said. Staff then moved them to a different area for treatment and observation, but from about 11am the sharks - all females weighing 45kg to 60kg - died one by one, until the last one perished at about 6pm. <br /><br />The park's chief veterinarian Paolo Martelli said the park was experiencing high morbidity - the rate of incidence of a disease - with rapid mortality in the hammerhead shark population. <br /><br />"We are now performing necropsies to better understand the cause of death," Martelli said, in a statement from the park issued yesterday evening. <br /><br />The six dead sharks - all about five years old - were among the 15 hammerheads introduced from Japan in late 2010. <br /><br />The park said that one had died already due to its inability to adjust to a new environment when it was moved into the Grand Aquarium in January 2011 from the old aquarium. But the other 14 "had doubled their weight and grown healthy over the past three years". <br /><br />Ocean Park's spokeswoman said it had reported the death to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department immediately. A spokeswoman for the department said it would follow up with the park on the matter. <br /><br />Earlier this year Ocean Park was forced to deny that <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1249943/dolphins-too-stupid-suicide">dolphins kept there were trying to commit suicide</a> after a video emerged showing 14-year-old Indo-Pacific bottlenose Pinky slamming herself at the wall of a pool. <br /><br />According to Nimal Fernando, senior veterinarian at the park: "Dolphins can't really commit suicide. The mental ability to make a decision to kill yourself is beyond a dolphin's reasoning capability." <br /><br />Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, a marine conservationist, said the dead fish were scalloped hammerhead sharks, which were listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. <br /><br />"We'd warned the park not to introduce endangered species into its captive environment, no matter whether they are blue fin tuna or hammerhead sharks," Hung said. "I hope the park will learn a lesson from such a saddening loss." <br /><br />Hung believes that the eight remaining hammerhead sharks are "in great danger", since the others died so suddenly. In June 2008, a sturgeon died at the park soon after being bitten by a barracuda kept in the same tank. Another sturgeon died six months later because of an infection induced by the poorly maintained tank water. - <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1346962/ocean-park-mystified-sudden-death-six-hammerhead-sharks"><span style="color: orange;"><b>SCMP</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>

China Danger Dolphins Endangered Species Hammerhead Sharkes Hong Kong Mysterious Disease Ocean Park Pestilences Plagues Suicide Swimming Abnormally Unidentified Disease Virus PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Mysterious Disease - Six Hammerhead Sharks Suddenly Die In Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China?!

November 05, 2013 - CHINA - Six hammerhead sharks at Ocean Park died one by one in just seven hours yesterday because of a disease the park has not identified.The hammerhead shark is classified as endangered by conservationists. Photo: SCMPThe rema…

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Today's Teamster News 10.28.13

<a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/point-seveners-new-name-millionaires-club" rel="nofollow">America’s Wealthy Are Even Wealthier And Have A New Name: Point-Seveners</a>  Alternet   ...America has 45,000 citizens worth more than $50 million...<br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/10/26/dark_money_groups_linked_to_koch_brothers_pay_1_million_in_fines_partner/" rel="nofollow">Dark money groups linked to Koch brothers pay $1 million in fines</a>  Salon   ...They allegedly spent a combined $15 million on conservative ballot proposals without proper disclosure...<br /><a href="http://www.alternet.org/education/great-voucher-fraud" rel="nofollow">The Great Voucher Fraud</a>  Alternet   ... decades of accumulated evidence paints a different story: Vouchers do not improve educational outcomes, they take money away from struggling public schools, they’re cash cows for institutions offering questionable education, they aid students already attending private institutions and they ignore the needs of special-education students...<br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/10/27/Recall-222959-pounds-of-ready-to-eat-chicken-salad-products/UPI-68441382896086/" rel="nofollow">Recall: 222,959 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken salad products</a>  UPI   ...Boston Salads and Provisions Company is recalling about 222,959 pounds of chicken salad products due to possible contamination with Listeria, officials say...<br /><a href="http://thediplomat.com/china-power/the-us-is-quietly-losing-its-innovation-edge-to-china/" rel="nofollow">The US Is Quietly Losing Its Innovation Edge to China</a>  The Diplomat   ...Between 2003 and 2013, the number of applications increased from nearly 35,000 to more than 51,000, while NIH appropriations shrunk from $21 billion to $16 billion (in 1995 dollars). As a consequence, it has become increasingly difficult for our scientists to garner an NIH grant…The story is dramatically different on the China side. The government is determined to be the next technology innovation center in the world. By 2011, China had already become the world’s second highest investor in R&D. Government research funding has been growing at an annual rate of more than 20 percent...<br /><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/10/another-reason-hate-tpp-it-gives-big-content-new-tools-undermine-sane-digital" rel="nofollow">Another Reason to Hate TPP: It Gives Big Content New Tools to Undermine Sane Digital Rights Policies</a>  EFF   ...TPP would give multinational companies the power to sue countries over laws that that might diminish the value of their company or cut into their expected future profits...<br /><a href="http://soberlook.com/2013/10/has-great-recession-created-behavioral.html" rel="nofollow">Has the Great Recession created behavioral changes in the labor markets?</a>  Sober Look   ...One of the persistent problems with the US labor markets is the current pool of unemployed people taking far longer to find work than in the past. This would suggest that the key for those without work is to enter the workforce as quickly as possible - even if it means part-time, temp, consulting, etc. The barriers to re-entry are much higher these days than any time in recent decades...<br /><a href="http://thediplomat.com/asia-life/2013/10/mizuho-banks-yakuza-scandal-more-than-30-execs-to-be-punished/" rel="nofollow">Mizuho Bank’s Yakuza Scandal: More than 30 Execs to be Punished</a>  The Diplomat   ...More than 30 executives at Mizuho Financial Group, Japan’s third largest bank, will be held accountable for making loans to the country’s organized crime syndicates, known as the yakuza...<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/magazine/could-new-york-city-subways-survive-another-hurricane.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow">Could New York City Subways Survive Another Hurricane?</a>  New York Times   ...you see what it will take to keep the system going: technological improvements, yes, but also the oldest technology of all — the knowledge of the people who run the subway, many of whom have been there for their entire working lives...<br /><a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/what-even-is-a-wisconsin-john-doe-investigation" rel="nofollow">What Is Going On in Wisconsin -- And Why Is It So Secret? </a> Talking Points Memo   ... a former federal prosecutor had been appointed to lead a "John Doe investigation" into state-level issues in Wisconsin, including the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. And this John Doe investigation reportedly grew out of an earlier John Doe probe, which closed in March after snaring six former aides and associates of Gov. Scott Walker (R)...<br /><br /><br />

bank criminality China food safety Hurricane Sandy inequality innovation Koch brothers scott walker TPP unemployment WI Today's Teamster News 10.28.13

America’s Wealthy Are Even Wealthier And Have A New Name: Point-Seveners  Alternet   ...America has 45,000 citizens worth more than $50 million...Dark money groups linked to Koch brothers pay $1 million in fines  Salon   ...They allegedly spent a com…

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It isn't the recession, stupid, it's China

China's unfair trade practices cost U.S. workers $37 billion in just one year, according to a new report by our friend Rob Scott at the <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/trading-manufacturing-advantage-china-trade/" rel="nofollow">Economic Policy Institute</a>.<br /><br />That comes out to an average of $13,505 for every U.S. worker who lost a job in manufacturing because of China's rapacity. Scott assumed (correctly, we think) that workers laid off after their factory moved to China ended up making far less money as fast-food cooks, rental counter clerks and call center workers.<br /><br />Most news reports blamed "the recession" for the disappearance of good jobs. The <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/28/how-the-recession-turned-middle-class-jobs-into-low-wage-jobs/" rel="nofollow">Washington Post</a>, for example, reported on a <a href="http://www.nelp.org/page/-/Job_Creation/LowWageRecovery2012.pdf?nocdn=1" rel="nofollow">National Employment Law Project</a> study in February:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Mid-wage occupations, paying between $13.83 and $21.13 per hour, made up about 60 percent of the job losses during the recession. But those mid-wage jobs have made up just 27 percent of the jobs gained during the recovery. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">By contrast, low-wage occupations paying less than $13.83 per hour have utterly dominated the recovery, with 58 percent of the job gains since 2010.</blockquote>Scott, though, puts the blame where it belongs: on China. He examined the impact of the U.S. trade deficit with China after it entered the World Trade Organization in 2001. Here are some of his other findings:<br /><ul><li>The increase in the U.S. trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2011 eliminated 2.7 million U.S. jobs, over 2.1 million (76.9 percent) of which were in manufacturing.</li><li>Growing U.S. trade deficits with China between 2001 and 2011 displaced a disproportionately large number of good jobs for minority workers—958,800 good jobs with excellent benefits, 35.0 percent of total jobs displaced.</li><li>China trade cost U.S. workers 997,700 good jobs with excellent benefits for workers without any college education </li><li>Workers with a bachelor’s degree or more education lost 1.057 million jobs</li><li>Rapidly growing China trade deficits cost nearly 1.1 million jobs in computer and electronic products between 2001 and 2011.</li></ul>Read the whole thing <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/trading-manufacturing-advantage-china-trade/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><div><br /></div>

China low-wage jobs It isn't the recession, stupid, it's China

China's unfair trade practices cost U.S. workers $37 billion in just one year, according to a new report by our friend Rob Scott at the Economic Policy Institute.That comes out to an average of $13,505 for every U.S. worker who lost a job in manufact…

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TPP + China = even more reason to worry

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just when you think the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can’t get any worse, it does. Now </span><a href="http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=33B91A19-6BFF-4BF3-965A-1E0084ABD1DD" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">China is making rumblings that it wants to participate</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in the TPP. You know, the country that put the “sweat” in sweatshops!<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">America has seen what China can do to U.S. jobs, and it’s not good. This nation </span><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/24/report-america-lost-27-million-jobs-to-china-in-10-years" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lost 2.7 million jobs to the Chinese</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> during the first 10 years after China was accepted into the World Trade Organization, but that is only the beginning if the world’s most populated nation is allowed to join the current 12-country Pacific Rim trade pact. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And did we mention that the </span><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/china-drives-uptick-in-us-trade-deficit-96257.html" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">U.S. trade deficit with China topped $30 billion</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for the first time in July? Good times!<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While trade negotiators are in the nation’s capital to try and work out unresolved portions of the TPP, those who support workers and their allies are </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/450001515036305/451382368231553/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">taking to the street tomorrow</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to say the public deserves to be heard on this trade agreement. There should be no quick up-or-down vote in Congress on something so important.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's make them remember that when the U.S. negotiates a trade agreement, every provision should benefit working families, not big corporations. America doesn't need anymore "free" trade deals, it needs fair trade deals.</span></div>

China fair labor fair trade TPP TPP + China = even more reason to worry

Just when you think the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can’t get any worse, it does. Now China is making rumblings that it wants to participate in the TPP. You know, the country that put the “sweat” in sweatshops! America has seen what China can do …

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Today's Teamster News 09.10.13

<a href="http://www.record-bee.com/news/ci_24054350/teamsters-paratransit-services-management-reach-tentative-deal" rel="nofollow">Teamsters, Paratransit Services management reach tentative deal</a>   Lake County Record Bee   ...Teamsters Local Union No. 665 and Paratransit Services, the company contracted to manage transit services in the county by Lake Transit Authority, reached a tentative collective bargain agreement Thursday for a new contract...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/sites/teamster.org/files/9913ABFRevoteTotals2.pdf" rel="nofollow">Local-by-Local ABF Re-Vote Totals</a>  teamster.org   ...Here are the local-by-local ABF totals for the seven supplements that were re-voted and counted on August 28...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/sites/teamster.org/files/8513Essaycontest2013.pdf" rel="nofollow">James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest</a>  teamster.org   ...Children and dependent grandchildren of Teamster members have until Sept. 30 to enter the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund Essay Contest, which gives higher-education students the opportunity to win a one-time $1,000 award from the union...<br /><a href="http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=32897&t=UPS-Teamsters-to-Vote-Again-on-Rejected-Agreements" rel="nofollow">UPS Teamsters to Vote Again on Rejected Agreements</a>  Transport Topics   ...Teamsters at UPS Inc. will vote again starting on Sept. 18 on seven of the 17 supplemental agreements that were rejected in June when the national master agreement was approved, the union has announced...<br /><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/10/judge-declares-indiana-right-to-work-law-unconstitutional/" rel="nofollow">Judge declares Indiana ‘right to work’ law unconstitutional</a>  Raw Story   ...Indiana’s much-derided “right-to-work” law was ruled unconstitutional on Monday by a state Superior Court judge, paving the way for another legal battle with the state Supreme Court...<br /><a href="http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/09/10/1281831?sac=fo.local" rel="nofollow">Moral Monday protest in Moore County, a Republican stronghold, draws hundreds</a>  fayobserver.com   ...A strong turnout at a Moral Monday event in Republican-heavy Moore County shows that the movement goes beyond party lines, the head of the state chapter of the NAACP said...<br /><a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9241749" rel="nofollow">'Moral Monday' held in Moore County </a> WTVD-TV   ... The "Moral Monday" movement moved to the Moore County and dozens showed up to support it...<br /><a href="http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/321225-labor-opens-doors-to-non-workers-to-bulk-up-as-membership-declines" rel="nofollow">Labor, with union membership declining, will woo non-workers</a>  The Hill   ...Facing what AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka called a “crisis” of membership, officials took the dramatic step at their annual convention of adopting a resolution that invites anyone in the country to join, regardless of union affiliation...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-r-shaffer/stop-tpp-protections-for-big-tobacco_b_3886771.html" rel="nofollow">Stop TPP Protections for Big Tobacco </a> Huffington Post   ...Under present trade rules, predatory tobacco corporations have new global rights to challenge important tobacco control laws and regulations in the U.S. and elsewhere that help people quit smoking, and keep kids from getting addicted, like a ban on clove cigarettes, and limitations on advertising. The TPP would perpetuate and extend these trade rules and their threats to health...<br /><a href="http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/majority-new-jobs-are-not-part-time-5364" rel="nofollow">The Majority of New Jobs are Not Part-Time</a>  Economic Populist   ... people working part-time hours as a percentage of all the new employed was 17%.  We expect this figure to be higher than official part-time jobs for people are still getting their hours cut and denied full-time hours due to the economy not really running at full throttle...<br /><a href="http://www.tradereform.org/2013/09/china-still-sucking-life-world-economy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=china-still-sucking-life-world-economy" rel="nofollow">China Still Sucking the Life out of the World Economy</a>  Trade Reform   ... China’s trade surplus is growing again because they have doubled down on sucking the life out of the global economy to feed their rapid growth.  It is parasitic.  Global imbalances in trade are bad.  That is the economics.  Persistent global imbalances in trade flows are really bad.  It shows that the market is not working...<br /><a href="http://americanmanufacturing.org/blog/cloud-computing-china-paid-us-trade-deficit" rel="nofollow">Cloud computing in China, paid for by the U.S. trade deficit</a>  manufacture this   ...Beijing plans to put $1 billion toward cloud-computing development in the coming years, and fold those advancements into its computer warfare efforts...<br /><a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/invasive-tactic-in-foreclosures-draws-scrutiny/?_r=0" rel="nofollow">Invasive Tactic in Foreclosures Draws Scrutiny</a>  New York Times   ...In suing Safeguard, Lisa Madigan, the attorney general, contends that the company broke into homes despite stark evidence that homeowners still lived in them, bullied tenants into leaving even though they had no legal obligation to do so and, in some instances, damaged the very homes they were sent to protect, according to the suit...<br /><br />

ABF China foreclosure Indiana Jobs Moral Monday right to work for less TPP UPS Today's Teamster News 09.10.13

Teamsters, Paratransit Services management reach tentative deal   Lake County Record Bee   ...Teamsters Local Union No. 665 and Paratransit Services, the company contracted to manage transit services in the county by Lake Transit Authority, reached a…

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TPP’s effect on tobacco, trade deficits is reason enough to stop deal

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facts about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) continued to dribble out and they’re not good. The latest on the secret Pacific Rim trade pact is the </span><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130822/us-not-seek-exemption-tobacco-tpp-tariff-elimination" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">U.S. backs watered-down language about tobacco</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that would allow the scourge of smoking to continue to spread globally.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As it stands, the TPP will cost U.S. jobs, put Americans’ health at risk, hurt the environment and threaten Internet freedom. But now the Obama administration is backing away from tobacco tariffs that would keep cigarette costs high and reduce the health risks of smoking. Public health officials are rightfully angry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://www.cpath.org/id51.html" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health noted</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that instead of making it easier for corporations to sell tobacco, the U.S. should be making it harder:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">U.S. laws prohibit the U.S. from using trade agreements to promote the sale or export of tobacco products. But the U.S proposes to eliminate tariffs on tobacco for TPP countries, which would mean cheaper prices for cigarettes, and increased consumption and use, especially among younger people.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, the Obama administration and some members of Congress want to plow ahead and vote on the TPP without debating its merits. No doubt multinational corporations are working hard to persuade them that the deal is good for America. It really isn’t.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just look with </span><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/china-drives-uptick-in-us-trade-deficit-96257.html" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">what’s happening with trade between the U.S. and China</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. New numbers show that America’s trade deficit with China reached a record $30.1</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> billion in July, up 13.3 percent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Behind that number are lost jobs – good manufacturing jobs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More jobs are likely to be lost under the TPP. That’s why the deal can’t just be pushed through Congress. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Top TPP negotiators from the U.S. and 11 other involved nations are expected to meet Sept. 18-21 in Washington to continue talks. American trade negotiators must oppose unfair trade rules that threaten jobs and health. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The U.S. government needs to remember that most citizens support trade, but they don't support trading well-paying American jobs and safe American products for lost jobs, lower wages and products that make our families sick.</span></div>

China public health tobacco TPP trade deficit TPP’s effect on tobacco, trade deficits is reason enough to stop deal

Facts about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) continued to dribble out and they’re not good. The latest on the secret Pacific Rim trade pact is the U.S. backs watered-down language about tobacco that would allow the scourge of smoking to continue…

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June 4 ... remembering China's Tiananmen Square

<div style="text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="270" id="flashObj" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=1526786259001&playerID=1258573841001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAABHJQC5hE~,DPHYnCOmD-8HIDq8_UIUD5BjtGcLT6-_&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=1526786259001&playerID=1258573841001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAABHJQC5hE~,DPHYnCOmD-8HIDq8_UIUD5BjtGcLT6-_&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="480" height="270" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> </div><br />On June 4, 1989, the world watched as an uprising in China's Tiananmen Square was squashed by the Chinese Army. As a military tank approached, one lone figure stood defiantly against the force, sending a message to the world the freedom and liberty were worth fighting for.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.freedomcollection.org/news/2013/06/the-freedom-collection-remembers-tianamen-square/">George W. Bush Institute's Freedom Collection</a> program coordinator, Christopher Walsh, commemorated the historical date:<br /><blockquote>The Tiananmen Square protests began as a student-led, pro-democracy uprising.  Lasting for several weeks, the demonstrations attracted people from different segments of society hoping to pressure the government on democratic reform.  The protest culminated on June 4, 1989 when the Chinese military dispersed demonstrators with tanks and lethal force.<br /><br />One of those demonstrators was <a href="http://www.freedomcollection.org/regions/asia/china/fang_zheng/">Fang Zheng</a>, who lost both of his legs in the crackdown.  For resisting government coercion to sign a written statement suggesting the incident at Tiananmen was an “accident,” Fang was denied his college degree.    This tragedy, however, did not dampen Fang’s spirit.  He became involved in wheelchair athletics and used his profile to advocate for human rights in China.  In his Freedom Collection interview, Fang remembers the moment when a Liberation Army tank ran him over, severing his legs</blockquote>Tiananmen Square. Those of us who sat in front of TV screens and watched it unfold in 1989 will never forget.

1989 China Christopher Walsh Fang Zheng freedom Freedom Collection George W. Bush Library liberty Tiananmen Square June 4 ... remembering China's Tiananmen Square

On June 4, 1989, the world watched as an uprising in China's Tiananmen Square was squashed by the Chinese Army. As a military tank approached, one lone figure stood defiantly against the force, sending a message to the world the freedom and liberty…

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