Obama Warns Syria...No Chemical Weapons...Or Else



 

 

President Obama has said the use of chemical weapons by Syria would be a "red line" that would change his thinking on intervention in the crisis. He said he had "at this point not ordered military engagement". But he added: "There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons."

Earlier the new UN special envoy to Syria faced criticism for refusing to say whether President Assad must quit. President Obama, speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, said the deployment or use of biological weapons would widen the conflict in the region.
He said: "It doesn't just include Syria. It would concern allies in the region, including Israel, and it would concern us."

He warned President Bashar al-Assad and "other players on the ground" about the use or movement of such weapons.
He said: "A red line for us is if we see a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around, or being utilized. That would change my calculus."

Syria holds the world's fourth-largest stockpile of chemical weapons. Last month a Syrian foreign ministry spokesman said the weapons would never be deployed inside Syria. However,  the US has seen unconfirmed reports recently that the Syrian authorities have been moving the country's chemical arms stockpile.

Earlier on Monday, the UN's new envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi said  that he was "not in a position to say yet" whether President Assad should go, but was "committed to finding a solution."   Mr Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister, last week succeeded Kofi Annan who resigned after both sides largely ignored his peace plan. On Sunday, UN observers ended their mission to verify its implementation.

Their departure came after the UN Security Council agreed to allow their mandate to expire at midnight, and instead set up a new civilian office in Damascus to pursue political contacts that might lead to peace.  Since being confirmed as the new UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Mr Brahimi has acknowledged that he has no concrete ideas of how to end the conflict, which he believes has been a civil war for some time. On Monday, he said that he was not ready to say whether President Assad should step down despite widespread international condemnation of his government's crackdown on dissent since protests erupted in March 2011.
"I am not in a position to say yet, because I was appointed a couple of days ago. I am going to New York for the first time to see the people who I am going to work for, and I am going to Cairo see the Arab League," he explained.

After announcing his resignation, Mr Brahimi's predecessor, Kofi Annan, said: "It is clear that President Bashar al-Assad must leave office."
The main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC), said Mr Brahimi's stance showed "disregard for the blood of the Syrian people and their right of self-determination" and demanded he apologize.
Mr Brahimi stressed that he was "committed to finding a solution full stop".
"I am a mediator. I haven't joined any Syrian party. I am a mediator and a mediator has to speak to anybody and everybody without influence or interest," he added.
"Then I'll make up my mind about what to say and what to do."

The UN says more than 18,000 people have been killed in the conflict, 170,000 have fled Syria and 2.5 million need aid within the country.

Hollywood director Tony Scott Jumps to Death From Bridge

 Hollywood director Tony Scott, famous for films including Top Gun,  died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles, authorities have said. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said Scott's death was being investigated as a suicide. British-born Scott, brother of Alien director Ridley, shot to fame in the 1980s with a string of action films. The 68-year-old's films included Crimson Tide, Days of Thunder and True Romance. He also directed Enemy of the State and Beverly Hills Cop II.

"I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time," Scott's spokesman, Simon Halls, said in a statement. The coroner said Scott jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which spans San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles.  Lt Joe Bale, from the coroner's office, said the director was seen parking his car and jumping into the water at about 12:30 (19:30 GMT) on Sunday. His body was recovered from the harbour less than three hours later. A note was found in his car and another in his office, but it is not clear what they contained. 

"We will go where the facts take us. We have no reason to believe it was not a suicide," Lt Bale stated.
He said a post-mortem had not yet been performed. Actress Keira Knightley, who starred in his 2005 film Domino, said: "Tony Scott was one of the most extraordinary, imaginative men I ever worked with. It was a privilege to have spent the time I did with him. He was a fire cracker and one of the world's true originals."

Fellow director Ron Howard said on Twitter: "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day."
Sin City director Robert Rodriguez tweeted: "Damn. Great knowing you, buddy. Thanks for the inspiration, advice, encouragement, and the decades of great entertainment."
A statement from Pinewood and Shepperton studios chief executive Ivan Dunleavy said he and colleagues were "deeply saddened to learn of the tragic news".
"He was not only an incredibly gifted filmmaker and ambassador for the UK film industry, he was a significant part of the history of Shepperton Studios," said Dunleavy.
"He directed some of the most successful films of all time and at Shepperton these included The Hunger (1981), Spy Game (2001) and Tony most recently produced Prometheus (2012) directed by his brother Ridley.

Chris Hewitt, Empire Magazine: Scott was "pushing the envelope" on making action films

"He will be sadly missed and our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time."
Scott, born in North Shields in north-east England, was famous for his fast-paced blockbusters, and carved out a distinctive style to his films using fast editing and digital effects.
He made a number of films with actor Denzel Washington, including Man on Fire and most recently Unstoppable. More recently, he had been producing for television - including hit legal drama The Good Wife on CBS - as well as films.
Bafta chairman Tim Corrie said: "He was a true pioneer. A great film-maker and a wonderful human being. He will be sorely missed by people all over the world.
"History will probably always link him with his brother which considering their lifelong partnership is right ... but Tony had his own style and will stand tall in the history of British film-makers."

At the time of his death, he was rumoured to be working with Tom Cruise on a sequel to Top Gun.
He had recently completed filming on Out of the Furnace, a drama he was producing about an ex-convict starring Christian Bale. The movie is due to come out next year.
He was married three times and had twin sons with his third wife, Donna Wilson.

SCOTT'S MAJOR FILMS

• The Hunger (1983)
• Top Gun (1986)
• Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
• Days of Thunder (1990)
• True Romance (1993)
• Enemy of the State (1998)

Lost Picasso Found in Basement of Indiana Museum

After being reported lost for nearly 50 years, Pablo Picasso's masterpiece Seated Woman with Red Hat has been unearthed in the storage of an Indiana museum.
Described as sparkling 'like a jewel,' the long-lost piece was discovered after an auction house in New York inquired about the art work's gifting to the Evansville Museum in 1963. At the time of its donation it was not believed to have been an actual work by Picasso, despite its signature, and so never saw the museum's walls.

Found: Pablo Picasso's Seated Woman with Red Hat has been unearthed from the Evansville Museum in Indiana after reported lost for nearly 50 years

'When the Evansville Museum received the gift, associated documentation indicated that the piece was created by an artist named “Gemmaux”,' the museum said in a release this week. 'Gemmaux,' the plural of 'gemmail,' they explained, is an artist's technique of layering glass, while adding a clear liquid enamel across the surface before firing it up.  This technique was rare for Picasso who only produced 50 or more during his study at a studio in France. 

However, in 1963, someone at the museum, believing the artist of the piece was this unknown Gemmaux, consigned the priceless work of art to storage in the basement of the museum where it remained for nearly 50 years. This year, Guernsey's of New York, while researching Picasso's gemmaux works, came across a listing of a gemmaux piece in a catalog from the Evansville Museum and asked to see it. The representative from Guernsey's recognized the masterpiece.

 'It was undoubtedly a unique set of circumstances that uncovered this treasure within our museum,' said the museum's executive director John Streetman in a release.

Missed chance: The artwork was gifted to the museum, pictured, in 1963 but misidentified in their catalog by the donor causing it to never hang once on their walls

He described it as 'extraordinary,' and said 'it sparkles like a jewel.' The museum noted at the time that Picasso’s signature does appear on the artwork's top right-hand corner and mentioned the fact in its cataloguing.

Despite such a legendary find stashed right beneath their nose, the museum announced on Monday their plans, with heavy hearts, to take it to auction.'Now that we have a full understanding of the requirements and additional expenses to display, secure, preserve and insure the piece, it is clear those additional costs would place a prohibitive financial burden on the museum,' said R Steven Krohn, president of the museum's board of trustees in a statement.
'It is in the best interest of the Evansville Museum to sell this work of art.'


Guernsey’s will conduct a private selling of the art work with the auction house not releasing an estimation of its upcoming sale.
Still one of the world’s reigning top artists, Picasso's Garcon a la Pipe, painted when he was aged 24, is one of the most expensive works of art having been sold for $104 million (£58 million) in 2004.
In 2006 his Dora Maar au Chat sold for $95.2 million, the second-highest amount ever paid for a painting at auction at that time.

If  the gemmaux work  is sold privately, It will still never be seen  by the general public. I find that very sad and a little unfair. Surely great art belongs to us all and should be displayed where we can all appreciate it.

Pazyryk and the Ukok Ice Maiden

Tony Nicklinson Loses Court 'Right-to-Die' Case...UK

A man paralyzed from the neck down has lost his High Court case to allow doctors to end his life without fear of prosecution. Tony Nicklinson, 58, from Melksham, Wiltshire, UK, communicates by blinking and has described his life as a "living nightmare" since a stroke in 2005.

Mr Nicklinson said he would appeal the decision. The case went further than previous challenges to the law in England on assisted suicide and murder. Father-of-two, Mr Nicklinson was left paralyzed with locked-in syndrome after a catastrophic stroke while on a business trip to Athens. He said he was "devastated" by the court's decision.
"Although I didn't want to raise my hopes, it happened anyway because a fantastic amount of work went into my case and I thought that if the court saw me as I am, utterly miserable with my life, powerless to do anything about it because of my disability then the judges would accept my reasoning that I do not want to carry on and should be able to have a dignified death.
"I am saddened that the law wants to condemn me to a life of increasing indignity and misery."

Explaining the decision, Lord Justice Toulson, said all such cases were "deeply moving". However he added: "A decision to allow their claims would have consequences far beyond the present cases. To do as Tony wants, the court would be making a major change in the law."

"It is not for the court to decide whether the law about assisted dying should be changed and, if so, what safeguards should be put in place".

"Under our system of government these are matters for Parliament to decide."

The case differed from other "right-to-die" cases which have focused on assisted suicide. Mr Nicklinson would be unable to take lethal drugs, even if they were prepared by someone else.  For someone else to kill him would amount to murder. The rulings were welcomed by the group SPUC Pro-Life. Paul Tully from the organization said: "Compassion and solidarity are the humane and caring responses to locked-in syndrome. To legalize killing of those who are suffering would adversely affect many, many people.

"We trust that today's judgment will help end the insidious campaign in the British courts to change the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia." The British Medical Association said the court had made "the right decision".
Dr Tony Calland, from the BMA's medical ethics committee, said "The BMA does not believe that it would be in society's best interests for doctors to be able to legally end a patient's life.
"The BMA is opposed to the legalization of assisted dying and we are not lobbying for any change in the law in the UK".

Prof John Saunders, Royal College of Physicians: ''This is not about the right-to-die, this is about a right to enable a third party to actively terminate his life for him''

The case was contested on the issue of "necessity" arguing that the only way to end Mr Nicklinson's suffering is to allow him to die. Mr Nicklinson's team also argued that his case is covered by Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights which deals with the right to respect for private and family life.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! Granted, someone would have to assist Mr. Nicklinson, actively, to terminate his life but a doctor should be allowed to do that. We do not have the right to prolong someone's agony and suffering when all they long for is peace and release. Often, the family suffers just as much as the patient and the patients feel like a tremendous burden to their loved ones. They also feel like a financial drain on the family resources. And as Mr Nicklinson so poignantly put it, he is now condemned to a life of increasing misery and indignity. Can we not allow people who apply for  the 'right-to die' some control over their own lives, if they are of sound mind, and  allow them to pass from life with  dignity? We are not making God-like decisions by allowing them the right to die. We are making God-like decisions by forcing them to live against their wills.

Completely New Family of Spider...California Cave

WASHINGTON: A team of amateur cave explorers and arachnologists has found a new family of spiders in caves and old-growth redwood forests in Oregon and California, US researchers said Friday.

Entomologists at the California Academy of Sciences said the spider, named Trogloaptor — or “cave robber” — (for its lethal front claws), had such unique evolutionary features that it represented not just a new genus or species, but also a new family of spiders.

The study, published in the journal ZooKeys, noted that finding a new, previously unknown family was rare, even for species-rich insects and arachnids.
Trogloraptor hangs beneath rudimentary webs spun below cave ceilings. It measures about 1.6 inches wide when its legs are extended.

The spider’s impressive claws “suggest that they are fierce, specialized predators,” though scientists have not yet determined what they eat and how they attack and kill their prey, according to the study. It pointed to strong evidence suggesting Trogloraptor was a close relative of goblin spiders.

Citizen scientists from the Western Cave Conservancy and arachnologists from the California Academy of Sciences found the spiders living in caves in southwestern Oregon. Scientists from San Diego State University found more of the creatures in old-growth redwood forests in far northwestern California.

The California specimen has dusky markings that differ from the cave species, leading scientists to believe that there may be at least one more Trogloraptor species.
Research on the spiders at the California Academy of Sciences was paid in part by the National Science Foundation, along with a private fund.

The forests in the coastal regions from California to the Canadian province of British Columbia are known for hosting unique and ancient flora and fauna, including tailed frogs, mountain beavers and coast redwoods.
“If such a large and bizarre spider could have gone undetected for so long, who knows what else may lurk undiscovered in this remarkable part of the world,” the study said.

 I agree there may be other unknown species in those coastal regions and they should keep the studies on-going. I just hope they don't find more over-sized arachnids...Yeesh!

Arctic Sea Ice 'Melting Faster'

Esa's Cryosat spacecraft uses radar to measure ice thickness

Arctic sea ice is vanishing much faster than generally expected, according to preliminary data from European Space Agency satellite Cryosat.  Scientists combined results from Cryosat, which uses radar to measure ice thickness, with data from Nasa's IceSat, which uses lasers.

Their preliminary analysis suggests an annual ice loss of up to 900 cubic km a year from 2004. Projections of Arctic ice melt vary widely. But the new results are some 50% higher than projected in most scenarios.

The ice loss is pronounced in areas to the north of Greenland where thickness has fallen from 5-6m a decade ago to around 3m last year. The analysis was done by Dr Seymour Laxon, reader in climate physics at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling. He said the figures might change slightly when all the data had been analyzed but that the broad thrust of the research showed a clear and dramatic thinning of the sea ice.

At the end of last summer 7,000 cubic km of ice remained.  The satellite figures were cross-checked against data from planes over-flying the Arctic and submerged buoys sending sonar signals to measure ice thickness. Dr Laxon said the results were thought to be accurate within 10cm (3.5in).
"We have to be cautious until our data has been properly analyzed as part of a climate model, but this does suggest that the Arctic might be ice-free in summer for a day at least by the end of the decade,"
"But the past is not always a guide to the future."

The Arctic is warming much faster than the rest of the planet and the loss of sea ice affects populations.  The light-coloured sea ice bounces back warmth into space. If it disappears, the Arctic Ocean will absorb more heat.
That will cause more warming which will in turn contribute to sea level rise. It may also affect Europe's weather because of the link between sea ice and the jet stream which dominates some of our weather patterns.