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Pope embraces false prophets of doom - Why I'm disassociating myself from the Vatican and church

P Gosselin
NoTricksZone
Sun, 04 Jan 2015 18:59 UTC
Vatican
© NoTricksZone
I'm Catholic and this Sunday I'm announcing that I'm disassociating myself from the Vatican and its pope. I urge other skeptic Catholics to consider doing the same. This is not a step I've taken lightly.

I'll be opting out of Germany's Kirchensteuer (Church Tax) and will not attend any services in the future. With their latest planned encyclical they are indicating that they have shifted back to the Dark Ages of bad-weather witches, superstitions and Medieval indulgences. Worse, they are openly subscribing to nutty end-of-times theories.

This comes on the heels of a recent announcement that Pope Francis intends to issue an encyclical on climate change. I am not renouncing Catholicism, rather I am solely renouncing my recognition that the Vatican and Pope are the faith's administrator and moral compass. It's the last straw in an unending string of corruption, child sexual abuse and scandals that have raged within the Catholic Church in recent times.
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15-foot-deep sinkhole appears on Pierce Street, Omaha

Alissa Skelton
Omaha World-Herald
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 15:38 UTC
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© Rebecca S. Gratz/The World-HeraldA sinkhole has formed on Pierce Street, east of the intersection with 20th Street.
A large portion of Pierce Street near 20th Street caved in on New Year's Day, exposing a hole 15 feet deep.

The sinkhole spans both lanes of traffic, an estimated 25 feet in diameter, said Craig Christians, manager of Omaha's sewer maintenance division.

"This cave in is on a much bigger scale than we usually see," Christians said. "A big one like this we don't see very often."

The city shut down Pierce Street east of 20th Street on Christmas Day after someone noticed the street sagging, he said. Pierce is 12 blocks south of Dodge Street.

Maintenance workers who opened a manhole cover discovered that a brick manhole, more than 100 years old, had collapsed, allowing water to wash out the soil underneath the street.

Christians said a hole at the bottom of the manhole likely started everything.

City workers monitoring the street on New Year's Day saw the giant hole for the first time.

"The pavement, under its own weight and (with) no support under it, collapsed," Christians said.

Because the hole is so deep, Christians said, it could take months to repair the street.

The last major sinkhole Christians could remember was at the intersection of 20th and Farnam Streets. A leaking pipe caused that sinkhole, which spanned about a quarter of the intersection.
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Attention

Temple elephant goes berserk and kills one person in Maharashtra, India

Saurabh Gupta
ndtv.com
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 14:53 UTC
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The elephant went out of control during a procession which was part of Khandoba celebrations.
One woman was killed and another injured when a temple elephant went out of control during a temple procession in Maharashtra on Saturday. The incident took place in Pali village of Satara District, during a procession to celebrate the regionally popular Khandoba festival. Three lakh people were part of the procession and many had a lucky escape.

"There was a huge crowd. Two women were injured and amongst them one woman died. People were running helter-skelter to save their lives and that is when the accident took place," Police Sub-Inspector Mohan Tawde told reporters

"We were sitting in one place. Suddenly the elephant went out of control and trampled people," said an eyewitness.

Another eyewitness said, "The elephant suddenly charged towards us. People ran and in the chaos my son got hurt in the leg."

The incident once again brings to light the dangers of keeping elephants in captivity and using them in religious and marriage processions. While this a common practice in India it often leads to stress for pachyderms and lead to accidents.
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Bizarro Earth

2 quakes with more than a dozen aftershocks strike north of Los Angeles


RT
Sun, 04 Jan 2015 07:30 UTC
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© google maps
Two earthquakes, of 4.2 and 3.0 in magnitude, have occurred 80 kilometers to the north of Los Angeles, generating over a dozen aftershocks.

The first tremor shook the area at about 7:00 pm local time on Saturday (3:00 am GMT on Sunday). It occurred 13 kilometers from the town of Castaic, and was reported to be a foreshock to the second tremor.

It happened at 7:18 pm local time on Saturday (3:18 am GMT on Sunday), about 10 kilometers from the town of Castaic and 80 kilometers from Los Angeles, the US Geological Survey reported.

Initially, the magnitude of the second tremor was reported at 4.5.
I don't care how minor it was, my bed was rolling #laquake

- Ageless Vintage (@ageless_vintage) January 4, 2015

Comment: See also: Two earthquakes strike San Francisco Bay area in a span of-5 minutes shaking felt in South Bay

Recent earthquake in Los Angeles a warning that California overdue for a big earthquake

Four San Francisco fault lines have built up enough seismic strain to unleash destructive earthquakes

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Cow

Zimbabwean man gored by cape buffalo


iol.co.za
Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:04 UTC
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A Zimbabwean man survived an attack by a charging buffalo by hanging on to its horns, The Chronicle reported on Tuesday.

His intestines protruding from a first goring by the buffalo, Given Ndlovu, 38, claims he managed to grab hold of the animal's horns and then its nose, hanging on until it gave up the attack.

"The lone buffalo came charging towards me as I was herding cattle on Saturday. It attacked me with its horns in the stomach and I fell down.

"I then held its horns as it attempted to attack me again. I then left the other horn and grabbed its nose and held it for some time," Ndlovu reportedly said from his hospital bed.

Afterwards, in his weakened state, Ndlovu stripped off his T-shirt and bandage his stomach before calling relatives. He had surgery and was recovering in a hospital in Bulawayo.

The attack happened in the Mvuthu district, near Victoria Falls and other game-rich forestry and safari areas in western Zimbabwe.

Officials reportedly suspect Ndlovu may have been trying to poach an animal in the area.

Source: Sapa
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Snowflake Cold

Brutal arctic cold to blast Midwest and East U.S.

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 17:17 UTC
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In a pattern fitting for January, waves of cold air will flow into the Midwest and East with brutal blasts of arctic air poised to sweep southeastward next week.

Following a large storm that bring snow and ice to a large part of the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast this weekend, multiple blasts of cold air will follow.

The first blast will have many people shivering as they head back to work and school in the Midwest early next week.

Another batch of arctic air set to move during the middle to second half of next week is likely to bring the lowest temperatures of the season so far to parts of the Midwest and much of New England and the mid-Atlantic.

With the frigid air moving in, temperatures may hold in the single digits around Chicago and the teens around Chicago or lower on multiple days next week.
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It is possible temperatures fail to climb above zero F on one or more days in northern New England. Highs may be in the single digits across upstate New York and central New England with night time lows well below zero.

Highs will be in the 20s on multiple days from Boston to New York City and Philadelphia. Atlanta is likely to have highs in the 40s most days next week, despite sunshine.

Gusty winds accompanying the arctic outbreaks will produce much lower AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures. Because of this the air will be beyond painful, reaching dangerous and life-threatening levels in much of the Midwest and Northeast for those who spend a significant amount of time outdoors without proper protection.

Comment: See: Feeling chilly? It's good for you!

See also the thread on our forum on cold therapy.

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Attention

Elderly man killed by rhino in Nepal


arko.asia
Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:45 UTC
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An elderly man attacked by rhino in Chitwan district has died on Saturday night.

According to the District Police Office, Chitwan, Sadabahar Community Forest member Chaudhari was attacked by a rhinoceros while inspecting the forest.

64 year old Nathuram from Megauli-5 died while receiving treatment.

He had suffered severe injuries on the leg, chest and head.
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Phoenix

South Australia faces worst wildfires since 1983


news.com.au
Sun, 04 Jan 2015 21:11 UTC
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© Dylan CokerAn aerial view of the out-of-control Sampson Flat wildfire near Kersbrook.
Strong winds are expected to fan South Australia's worst bushfire in 30 years with dozens of homes believed destroyed by the massive blaze.

The out-of-control Sampson Flat fire in the Mount Lofty Ranges is feared to have destroyed dozens of homes and burnt out more than 11,000 hectares of scrub and farmland since Friday afternoon and no relief is in sight for Sunday.

Although temperatures are forecast to be lower on Sunday, winds will keep fire crews and residents fighting desperately to save lives and property as South Australia faces the worst fire conditions since the 1983 Ash Wednesday disaster.

Comment: See also: Catastrophic wildfire conditions across South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria

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Binoculars

Rare northern hawk owl seen south of Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Joe Knight
Leader Telegram
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:57 UTC
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© Anne GeraghtyA northern hawk owl like this one has been spotted south of Eau Claire
Since early December, a rare visitor - a northern hawk owl - has been hanging out just south of Eau Claire, to the delight of local bird-watchers.

"Usually, the crows will help you find it. There's four or five crows who like to harass it," said David Lund of rural Eleva, who has seen the bird several times in recent weeks.

The owl is only about 14 inches tall and is unusual among owls because it is just as happy hunting in the daytime as at night, which also has made the bird popular with local birders.
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Attention

Dead blue whale found dead on coast of India


The Hindu
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:34 UTC
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The whale that was found washed ashore at Valai island off Periapattinam.
A giant Blue Whale was found washed ashore on Valai island, one of the 21 islands in the Gulf of Mannar region.

Wildlife Warden, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Deepak Bilgi said the marine mammal was found dead near the shore of the island two days back and initial studies revealed that it had died long back.

As the whale was found away from the shore, post-mortem could not be conducted immediately, he said, adding the whale was expected to hit the shore on Friday. A veterinary surgeon would be taken to the island, situated six km off Devipattinam near here, for conducting the post-mortem, he said.
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