Birth defects in China could rise by 66 pct

China’s pollution-related birth defects could reach 242 per 10,000 this year

The the number of birth defects in China is increasing at an alarming rate.

According to a report published in 2009:

• The coal-mining Shanxi province had the largest number of birth defects.
• A 2007 commission report covering the five-year period from 2001 to 2006 recorded a 40% rise in the rate of defects from about 105 per 10,000 births to 146.
•  Defective births accounted for up to 6 percent of total every year,  China’s family planning agency said. About 30 percent of the victims die and 40 percent are disabled.
• A child is born with physical defects every 30 seconds because of the environmental pollution.
• “Birth defects are now the single biggest killer of infants on the mainland,” Professor Hu Yali of Nanjing University told the Nanjing Morning Post.
• At least 1.2 million babies are born in China with “visible defects” each year.

Researchers said emissions from Shanxi’s massive coal and chemical industry, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates, was responsible for the defects.

“The problem of birth defects is related to environmental pollution, especially in eight main coal zones,” said An Huanxiao, the director of Shanxi family planning office.

Ming Yuan 2/04  –  Ming Yuan is a boy who was born with hydrocephalus or more commonly, “water on the brain”.  This is a serious birth defect and can cause mental retardation if left unchecked.  Ming Yuan had received a shunt before we got him so the excess fluid is going into a body cavity, relieving pressure on his brain.  He is a fussy little guy who demands lots of attention from his caregivers as well as visitors.  I think he has become aware of the “squeaky wheel” syndrome and is becoming a master at it! Image and caption courtesy of China Dream Home

Meanwhile the energy demand in China has risen almost exponentially. The electricity demand is set to rise by about 40 gigawatts over the capacity this summer, officials said.

More than 70 percent of China’s electricity is generated in coal-burning plants, and the official announcement has prompted China’s Railway Ministry to deploy more trains to transport coal around the country.

Based on the available data on China’s ever increasing demand for electricity, and projection of previous national birth figures, FIRE-EARTH estimates that the number of birth defects over the 2006-2011 period could climb to 242 per 10,000 births, a 66 percent rise compared with the previous period.

Related Links

• China birth defects rise steeply
• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar
• Index of Human Impact on Nature
• World Problems:The Root Cause Matrix

Man-made Major Disaster Looming in China

Fire-Earth Forecast: The next wave of man-made, or human-enhanced disasters could strike China

Continued…

Related Links:

• 2010 Disasters
• 2010 Disaster Calender [May]

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Serial No 1,669. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).

Never Mind the Enviro Impact of China’s Dams

Dams on tributaries of China’s Yellow River could collapse anytime!

At least five newly built dams on branches of the Yellow River in arid Gansu province, northeast China face imminent collapse, just a year or so after they were built, said China Daily.

“Improper construction procedures, disqualified workers, embezzlement of construction funds and mismanagement of local water resource departments are threatening the safety of the dams, according to China Youth Daily.”

“One dike more than 80-m long and 20-m high, built in 2006 in Yuanxian county on the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, has developed a breach about 10 meters wide in the middle.According to nearby villagers, at least five newly-built dams are in very fragile condition, the newspaper said.”

The dams, paid for by the central government, are managed by the Ministry of Water Resource, under their “soil and water conservation project of the Yellow River” program.

“With a length of 5,464 km, the Yellow River, dubbed the “mother river” of China, suffers the most serious soil erosion in the world, especially along its middle and upper reaches. The average amount of mud and sand washed into the river every year reaches 1.6 billion tons.” China Daily said.

“Since 2003, China has poured a total of 83 billion yuan ($12 billion) into tackling soil erosion along the river and constructed more than 160,000 dams, according to Xinhua News Agency.

“As flood season approaches in July, August and September, China’s dam safety is coming under heavy pressure and inspections show many of them are not in good condition, Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said last month.”

The Chilling Statistics:

• Total number of dams, dikes and reservoirs in China: 91,500 units
• Units in potential danger: 37,000  (or just over 40 percent of the country’s total)
• Reinforced:  Under 3,650 dams
• In need of immediate reinforcement: More than  7,600 Units
• Chen Lei said that between 1999 and 2008,  some 59 dams were breached in China, 30 as a result of torrential rains and another 29 due to defects arising from poor construction.

Following quotes are from Ecology and Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong: Conservation & Management of Freshwater Ecosystems ENVM8016 (2008)

• North-south water transfer from Yangtze to Yellow River (& northern cities); seen as essential for >100 million people depending on the river
• Yellow River did not reach the sea (no measurable flow) in 22 of the years between 1972 & 1997; duration of annual dryness in lower course was ~8 days in 1970s, 11 days in 1980s & 226 days in 1997
• 3,382 dams on Yellow River can store >90% of mean annual discharge; since 1997 flow has been optimized (by controlled release) to ensure that some water flows to the sea throughout the year; involves difficult trade-offs due to absolute water scarcity
• On large scales, dams reduce the downhill transfers of material from land to sea (e.g. amount & quality of water) & trap >30% of global sediment flux (retard SW silica inputs). Other effects could include blockage of uphill transfers of material.
• Dams (& overfishing) can reduce or prevent upstream breeding migrations of salmon, with significant effects on stream & riparian ecosystems – as seen in NW North America

Related Links:

• North China on Drought Red Alert
• China Quake 1st Anniversary
• China birth defects rise steeply
• Shame on Chinese Govt
• Chinese Plight
• China’s Topsoil Nightmare Is Real

China’s Topsoil Nightmare Is Real

The world can ill-afford the cost of not helping China!

China is losing 4.5 billion tons of soil each year

About 35 % of China’s agricultural land is affected by desertification seriously threatening its ability to feed its population, a nationwide survey revealed.

Desertification in China’s virtually out of control! Photo: Xinhua

Soil erosion caused by water and wind is removing about 4.5 billion tons of soil each year, Xinhua official news agency quoted from a report by China’s bio-environment security research team.

“China has a more dire situation than India, Japan, the United States, Australia and many other countries suffering from soil erosion,” Xinhua said.

“Beijing has long been worried about the desertification of its northern grasslands, and scaled back logging after rain rushing down denuded mountainsides caused massive flooding along the Yangtze in the late 1990s.” Reuters reported.

Entire villages are being buried in China. Photo: Xinhua

Abot 1.6 million square km of land are being degraded by water erosion each year affecting almost every river basin. Additionally,  2.0 million square km are eroded by wind, the report said.

The three-year survey on soil conservation was the most comprehensive report since 1949 when the Communist Party came to power in China.

In 2003 Chinese experts  estimated that desertification cost the country  a direct loss of 64.2 billion yuan  with indirect economic losses of 288.9 billion yuan, Xinhua said. Their recent report puts the direct losses at 200 billion yuan.

NOTE: By as early as 2012 critically low levels of topsoil will seriously affect food production globally.

[$1 is about 6.8 Yuan]

Related Links:

• Topsoil
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Land degradation threatens 1.5 billion people
• China suffers great losses from desertification
• Food Crisis (Index Page)

Sanlu Was First Banned in 2004, then Reinstated

Why Both Fonterra & NZ Govt Must Have Known About Tainted Baby Formula Long Before Their  Corporate Manslaughter Case

The following article, which is reprinted in full in view of public interest, is another damning testimony why both Fonterra and New Zealand Government must have known about Sanlu tainted milk practice by as early as December 2004.

Tainted Milk Powder Banned Four Years Ago – But back on shelf with authorities’ backup

Sep 21, 2008 (Last Updated: Sep 22, 2008) –
http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/tainted-milk-four-years-ago-4573.html

By Xin Fei
Epoch Times Staff

The reprint of communist regime’s mouthpiece Xinhua News by China Pharmaceutical News on December 7, 2004, 'Sanlu Powdered Milk: Turn Crisis into Turning Point' ((Screenshot))

Deception that began four years ago continues, as the furore of tainted powdered milk causing kidney stones in babies spreads throughout China.

The public learned, earlier this month, that milk powder tainted with melamine has been found to be the cause of kidney stones in infants across China. At least four babies have died as a result.

In an incident four years ago, following the “Big Head Baby” media report in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, Sanlu’s powdered milk had been blacklisted as inferior.

Shortly after, Sanlu was removed from the blacklist, by the communist regime’s food administration, and reinstated.

Many people in Fuyang, knowing that Sanlu powdered milk had quality problems, suspected the company of manipulating the local and central government officials and using the Chinese state media in efforts to restore its reputation.

Media Reports Indicated No Crisis

A December 7, 2004 reprint of state-run Xinhua news by China Pharmaceutical News headline reading: ‘Sanlu Powdered Milk: Turn Crisis into an Advantage’ provided a clue that the group was aware the powdered milk had been tainted.

On January 16, 2004, Zhang Guangkui of Yongzhuang Village, Luzhai Town, Linquan County, Fuyang City, Anhui Province complained that the Sanlu infant powdered milk formula that he bought was tainted.

On April 22, the front page of local Fuyang newpaper Yingzhou Evening News printed a list of tainted powdered milk brands resulting from the spot check. Sanlu infant milk formula was 32nd on the list.

On the same day, Sanlu Group deputy general manager Zhang Zhenling and other high level staff members hurried to Fuyang City to negotiate with the local government. A statement said:  “ … a mistake was made by related workers” and Fuyang City apologized.

A few days after April 22, 2004, markets all over the country were compelled to remove and seal Sanlu’s powdered milk.

Sanlu’s sales fell, its losses exceeded tens of millions RMB (around US$10 million).

On April 26, the Ministry of Public Health, State Administration for Industry and Commerce, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) issued an emergency notice requesting local law-enforcing departments to allow normal sales of Sanlu powdered milk.

On the first working day after the “May 1” seven-day-long holidays that year, AQSIQ announced that as a result of a spot check, 30 companies producing powdered milk had been declared as safe.

Sanlu was the first one on the list.

Public Relations Crisis Management Efforts

According to a Xinhua News report in 2004, on April 27, Sanlu and several dozen dairy enterprises conducted good faith symposiums in several cities. The theme was  ‘Resisting Killer Powdered Milk’.

They jointly released the first ‘Dairy Business Good Faith Pledge’ in the country, firmly promising not to produce or sell inferior quality dairy products.

Within one day, Sanlu had notified 93 media nationwide, and 19 media removed Sanlu powdered milk from their blacklist reports.

On April 28, 2004, organized by Specific Association for Child Food, Chinese Society for Food Science and Technology, Sanlu and nine food security trusts donated 4,985 boxes of infant powdered milk to Fuyang City in an experimental bid for commercial enterprises.

After these events, in many business strategy documents and articles, Sanlu was used as model for managing crisis successfully.

In September 2008, when poisonous Sanlu powdered milk was first exposed, Sanlu vigorously denied any contamination in the powdered milk and attempted to redeem itself by citing conclusions given by the authoritative quality examination departments.

According to Tencent QQ financial channel report on September 11, Sanlu Group media department indicated;

“Sanlu is a brand product of powdered milk, the production is strictly in accordance with national standards and the product is qualified. Currently, there is no evidence indicating illness caused by Sanlu powdered milk.”

Since the incident came to light last week, the Sanlu Group has continued to gloss over it and deny involvement, while passing the blame onto dairy farmers.

As pressure increases domestically and internationally, the communist regime’s officials, at all levels, have ducked for cover saying that Sanlu knew the facts all along but failed to file a report.  Copyright the author or respective news agency. [Emphasis are added by FEWW]

Related Links:

• Fonterra Files (Index page)
• Tainted Milk Powder Banned Four Years Ago-But back on shelf with authorities’ backup

• Anything for Power: The Real Story of China’s Jiang Zemin – Chapter 24
• Another Substandard Powdered Milk Casualty: “Big-Head” Baby Discovered in Guangzhou (May 2004)

• Tainted Milk Powder Banned Four Years Ago

Possibly Related Links:

• Is This Black Scientist an Unwitting Victim of New Zealand’s Germ Warfare Experiments?
• A Victim of Biological Weapons Experiments?

Scale of Sanlu-Fonterra Corporate Manslaughter Widens

Update Sept 22-08: Sanlu Was First Banned in 2004, then Reinstated

The number of babies hospitalized with kidney stones rises above 13,000, news of dead infants appears suppressed.

53,000 babies sickened, 13,000 of them hospitalized and at least 4 dead in Sanlu-Fonterra corporate manslaughter

Australian news outlet LiveNews reported that about 13,000 Chinese children have been hospitalized after consuming contaminated Sanlu-Fonterra baby formula. However, the reported number of babies who lost their lives appears to have been suppressed by the authorities and remains at 4 dead infants.

Security staff keep order as families with children who are undergoing medical checks for possible kidney stones wait their turn at a hospital in Chongqing municipality, September 19, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer. Image may be subject to copyright.

In a new development, a Hong Kong toddler was diagnosed with a kidney stone after consuming melamine-tainted baby formula,  the first reported casualty outside mainland China. [Source]

The Chinese PM, Wen Jiabao appeared on state television promising to prevent further incidents. [More likely to prevent the news of further incidents from spreading!]

Related links:

• Fonterra Files (Index page)
• China’s Quality Watchdog Chief Quits in Wake of Milk Scandal

Breaking News: China Deadly Milk Scandal Deepens

Update Sept 22-08: Sanlu Was First Banned in 2004, then Reinstated

China Finds Liquid Milk Also Tainted

First melamine-tainted milk powder, now melamine-tainted ‘fresh’ milk, too!

Chinese inspectors said they found 10% of the milk from the country’s two largest dairies, Mengniu Dairy Group and Yili Industrial Group, contained up to 8.4 milligrams of melamine per kg.

This news came amid deepening tainted powdered milk scandal which has already killed 4 babies and claimed up to 7,000 infant victims with kidney stones, including at least 150 babies with acute kidney failures.  Sources:      Video;  BBC; AP

Parents and their infants queue for medical treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Zhengzhou in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, Sept. 17, 2008.  4 Infants have already died and up to 7,000 developed kidney stones, 150 of them with actue kidney failures, drinking Sanlu-Fonterra tainted baby milk powder. The chemical melamine was added to the milk as it was believed to have helped to increase protein content. (Xinhua/Zhao Peng).

Related Links:

• Another Human Tragedy Deepens in China

• To NZ PM Clark: Confirm or Deny!
• CPC Big Guns: The Root of All Evil in China
• Global Food Alert: Deadly Baby Milk From China, New Zealand
• Chinese, New Zealand contaminated milk powder kills two

• Consumers being deceived of origin of powdered-milk: New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh marketing products with fake information
• New Zealand Health Warnings

• Victims of Sanlu-Fonterra Business Venture Top 6,200

Fonterra had Foreknowledge

• Dozens of Chinese babies die ‘from fake milk’ [2004]
• China ‘fake milk’ scandal deepens [2004]

Truth About New Zealand

• The Truth About ‘100% Pure New Zealand’
• The poisoning of New Zealand

Global Food Alert: Deadly Baby Milk From China, New Zealand

Update Sept 22-08: Sanlu Was First Banned in 2004, then Reinstated

Contaminated milk powder co-produced by New Zealand’s Fonterra severely affects 432 1,253 babies, killing one two

Original entry posted on September 15, 2008 09:06UTC

Breaking News & Latest Analysis: Chinese, New Zealand contaminated milk powder kills two

New Zealand dairy co. Fonterra, part-owner of Sanlu, ordered a belated recall of about 700 tonnes of milk powder contaminated with melamine

11:36 GMT, Saturday, 13 September 2008 12:36 UK – COPYRIGHT BBC

Chinese baby milk scare ‘severe’

Babies have been suffering kidney stones – rare in young children

The number of Chinese babies known to have fallen ill with kidney stones as a result of contaminated milk powder has risen to 432, officials have announced.

“This is a severe food safety accident,” health ministry official Gao Qiang, said. Those responsible would be “severely” punished, he added.

Later, it was announced that 19 people had been arrested.

Tests showed the milk powder contained the industrial chemical melamine. One infant has died.

The new scare revived memories of a fake baby milk formula scandal four years ago in which at least 13 babies died.

Vow to punish

“As of 12 September, there are 432 cases of kidney stones in the urinary systems of infants according to reports from health departments nationwide,” Gao Qiang said.

“None of the milk powder was exported to other countries or regions,” Mr Gao said.

“Only a fraction of the milk powder was sold to Taiwan for food processing,” he added.

Gao Qiang said the Sanlu Group had been ordered to halt production after its products were found to be responsible.

“We will severely punish and discipline those people and workers who have acted illegally,” Mr Gao said.

Melamine is a toxic chemical used in plastics, fertilisers and cleaning products.

Sanlu ordered a recall of 700 tonnes of contaminated milk on Thursday

New Zealand-based dairy product company Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd, a part-owner of Sanlu, ordered a recall of about 700 tonnes of powder contaminated with melamine believed to be in circulation.

[Note: Fonterra reportedly owns 43% of Sanlu.]

Melamine has been used by Chinese suppliers of animal feed components to make them appear to have more protein.

It was linked to the formation of kidney stones and kidney failure in pets in the United States last year, leading to thousands of deaths and illnesses.

A fake milk powder scandal in 2004 killed at least 13 babies in the eastern province of Anhui.

Investigators found that the milk given to these babies had no nutritional value, and the resulting scandal triggered widespread investigations into food safety. [Image credit: AP and AFP – Images may be subject to copyright.]

Related Links:

• Consumers being deceived of origin of powdered-milk: New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh marketing products with fake information

• New Zealand Health Warnings

Fonterra had Foreknowledge

• Dozens of Chinese babies die ‘from fake milk’ [2004]
• China ‘fake milk’ scandal deepens [2004]

• Fonterra File (Index Page)

Powerful Quake, Strong Aftershocks Hit China’s W. Xizang

Earthquake UPDATE

USGS has reported an earthquake cluster striking Western Xizang area. The 6.7 Mainshock which struck about 225 km (140 miles) NE of Jumla, Nepal on August 25, 2008, was followed by at least five powerful aftershocks measuring magnitude 5 or higher.

A Note of Interest

The mainshock, which struck the area on August 25 at 09:21:59 PM (time at epicenter), was located at 30.893°N, 83.614°E. Those coordinates put the epicenter in the eastern section of Palung Co lake in  the western Xizang province, Tibet Autonomous Region (China).

An examination of the images of Palung Co reveals that the lake, especially its southern section formation, is a large caldera formed either by multiple caldera collapse events or by a large lateral sector collapse. See Google Earth [30° 49’N, 83° 34’E] for visual confirmation.

The discovery gives rise to a number of interesting questions including the date for last eruption in the-now-sunken calderas, and the probability of renewed volcanic eruptions occurring as a result of the powerful seismic activity in the area.

Images: USGS

Quake Magnitude: 6.7
Date & Time:

• Monday, August 25, 2008 at 13:21:59 UTC
• Monday, August 25, 2008 at 09:21:59 PM at epicenter

Location: 30.893°N, 83.614°E
Depth: 12 km (7.5 miles) set by location program
Region: WESTERN XIZANG
Distances:

• 225 km (140 miles) NE of Jumla, Nepal
• 295 km (185 miles) N of Pokhara, Nepal
• 370 km (230 miles) NNE of Nepalganj, Nepal
• 390 km (245 miles) NNW of KATHMANDU, Nepal

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 7.9 km (4.9 miles); depth fixed by location program (Source of data: USGS)

Deluge Across the World

Water, Water Everywhere!

“A Conspiracy Against the Public”: For reasons unknown to Moderators, Google has blocked this post.

In the past week dozens of world’s cities and regions have been flooded:

Romania: Areas north of Bucharest
Ukraine: Western Ivano-Frankivsk region
India: Western city of Ahmedabad, the plains of Asam, eastern city of Patna

People make their way along a flooded park in Xiangfan, Hubei province, China, July 23, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair use Notice!

Bangladesh: Northeastern regions
New Zealand: Various areas throughout the islands
South Korea: Seoul and the country’s central regions
UK: Shropshire, West Midlands
Mexico: City of Matamoros and nearby regions
United States: Southern Texas, New Mexico, central Alabama, northeast Missouri,
China: Provinces of Jiangsu, Hubei, Sichuan and Hualien

Related Links:

• Photo Album
• Floods in Eastern Europe Kill 26

Powerful Offshore Quake Strikes Japan’s Eastern Coast

Magnitude 7.0 Quake – OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:

Earthquake Location: Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green. Map: USGS

An earthquake occurred about 125 km (75 miles) ENE of Iwaki, Honshu, Japan or about 130 km (80 miles) ESE of Sendai, Honshu, Japan or about 305 km (190 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan at 8:39 PM MDT, Jul 18, 2008 (Jul 19 at 11:39 AM local time in Japan). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size.

The mainshock was followed by a 5.3 aftershock. A tsunami warning was issued for sections of Japan’s eastern coast. However, only a small wave of about 20 cm was reported.

Japan sits atop the Eurasian, Pacific, Philippine and North American tectonic plates whose movements cause numerous earthquakes. The country experiences about 20 percent of the world’s major earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Mississippi Levees Breached in 23 Places

A Shrinking World Series

‘We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring.’ —Brian Pierce, meteorologist, National Weather Service.

Mississippi river surges over at least 23 levees and another 30 barriers are at risk, as the Midwest floods move south.

In 1993, devastating floods, sweeping down Missouri and Mississippi rivers, surged levees and destroyed communities from St. Louis to northern Louisiana.

Mississippi River floodwaters engulf a farm about 15 miles north Quincy, Ill. after the south portion of the Indian Graves levee breached. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha / June 18, 2008). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds

“They all told us, `The levees are good. You can go ahead and build,”‘ said Parks, who did not buy flood coverage because her bank no longer required it. “We had so much confidence in those levees.”

“People put all their hopes in those levees, and when they do fail, the damage is catastrophic,” said Paul Osman, the National Flood Insurance Program coordinator for Illinois. “New Orleans is the epitome; a lot of those people didn’t even realize they were in a floodplain until the water was up to their roofs.”

“We reported to the president in ’94 that the levee system was in disarray, the levees were not high enough to take care of any potential problem. People didn’t understand their flood risk and there wasn’t good co-ordination across federal, state and local governments,” said Gerald Galloway, a professor of engineering and flood control expert.

“The same thing applies today,” Galloway said. “It’s amazing that in the face of [Hurricane] Katrina and now this particular challenge that we continue to relearn the same lessons.”

Galloway’s recommendations to improve the levee system were basically ignored. He said that he’s experiencing much the same response now from officials as in 1993.

Related Links:

• Floods
• China “Frankenstein”
• Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds
• More levees at risk from surging Mississippi as Bush tours flood areas

• Drought (Index Page)
• In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground
• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
  

• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

.

A Biochemical Weapons Testing Ground?

Main Entry:
New Zealand Violence Related to Biochemical Weapons?

The Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse

Why was the quake nurse reduced to tears and had to beg the soldiers to rescue children?

If rescuing the children wasn’t their priority, and clearly it wasn’t, what were the soldiers ordered to do?

Anguished Chinese Nurse Serving in the Earthquake Disaster Area:

Please Rescue The Children!

Photo below was taken by Jason Lee of Reuters news agency (China). The caption reads:

“A nurse holding a general’s written order begs soldiers to rescue surviving children still buried in the ruins of another nearby school in the old city district near a mountain at the earthquake-hit Beichuan county, Sichuan province, May 15, 2008. The soldiers are not under the command of the general, whose written order reads: ‘Please arrange for rescue operations at this school as quickly as possible.'”

What were the orders soldiers own general gave them?

When did the authorities decide they couldn’t cope with too many quake survivors?

Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee (china) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

A close up of the nurse’s face. Her heartfelt agony speaks a thousand words!

[Reuters caption: A nurse cries as she begs soldiers to rescue surviving children still buried in the ruins of another nearby school in the old city district near a mountain at the earthquake-hit Beichuan county, Sichuan province, May 15, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

The Olympics can wait; the survivors can’t!

“Although the time for the best chance of rescue, the first 72 hours after an earthquake, has passed [exactly as planned by CPC], saving lives remains the top priority of our work [believe what I say, not what I do, you ‘ignorant peasants’],” the [doublespeaking] Chinese president, Hu Jintao, told the survivors. (Source)

To the CORRUPT Chinese Government: The World is Watching YOU!

“Parents’ grief turns to anger at shoddily built deathtrap schools”

“Three days after the quake struck, troops and fire engines queued idly along the roadsides waiting for orders.”

“‘I saw a doctor walking along the lines of bloody bodies, checking pulses and looking at wounds. If he shook his head the nurses were instructed not to take the person to the operating theatre but move them to another room to die. It was like a scene from a war film,’ she said.” (Source)

Related Links:

• Chinese paratroopers rescuing survivors or preventing plague?
• Official worries over possible plague at Sichuan quake epicenter
• Chinese Leaders Incapable of Handling Quake Aftermath

• China Earthquake, Heavy Death Toll, Corruption, Criminal Incompetence

::

No End Seen to China Quake Aftershocks

Another major earthquake in the making?

China Earthquake: Large Cluster of Powerful Shocks!

• Mainshock: 7.9 Magnitude – Monday, May 12, 2008 at 02:28:01 [time at epicenter]

• Latest aftershock: 5.5 Magnitude – Friday, May 16, 2008 at 01:25:48 PM [time at epicenter]

• Total number of major aftershocks: 59 [and continuing]

The last 4 aftershocks have strengthened in magnitude from 4.3 to 5.5 Mw. Is there another major shock in the making?

This map shows the predicted (theoretical) travel times, in minutes, of the compressional (P) wave from the earthquake location to points around the globe. The heavy black lines shown are the approximate distances to the P-wave shadow zone (103 to 140 degrees). (Caption: USGS)

Shadow zone

The shadow zone is the area of the earth from angular distances of 104 to 140 degrees from a given earthquake that does not receive any direct P waves. The shadow zone results from S waves being stopped entirely by the liquid core and P waves being bent (refracted) by the liquid core.

Did you know?

Through measuring how P and S waves travel through the earth and out the other side, a seismic wave shadow zone was discovered in about 1910. From the lack of S waves and a great slowing of the P wave velocity (by about 40%) it was deduced that the outer core is made of liquid. The shadow zone also defined the diameter of the core.

[If the outer core was not made of liquid, Earth could probably breakup into several pieces as a result of a v. large earthquake! FEWW]

Text and image: USGS.

If you’re flying to Beijing for the Olympics …

Make sure you sample the barreled water

In China’s southwestern province of Guizhou, polluted barreled water has made more than 200 ill. The victims feel ill with hepatitis A.

“The source of the water was heavily polluted and its production lacked strict sterilization,” according to Beijing News. News Report

According to a report, about half the water used in coolers in the Olympics host city could be tainted.

Hep A: An acute infectious disease of the liver

Hepatitis A, (formerly known as infectious hepatitis), is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by Hepatitis A virus, which is most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water. Every year, approximately 10 million people worldwide are infected with the virus. The time between infection and the appearance of the symptoms, (the incubation period), is between two and six weeks and the average incubation period is 28 days.

Electron micrograph of hepatitis A virions. Source: CDC

In developing countries, and in regions with poor hygiene standards, the incidence of infection with this virus approaches 100% and the illness is usually contracted in early childhood. Hepatitis A infection causes no clinical signs and symptoms in over 90% of these children and since the infection confers lifelong immunity, the disease is of no special significance to the indigenous population. In Europe, the United States and other industrialised countries, on the other hand, the infection is contracted primarily by susceptible young adults, most of whom are infected with the virus during trips to countries with a high incidence of the disease. (Source: Wikipedia)

Travel Warning

Muggings are on the rise. Avoid Traveling to New Zealand.

After the latest incident in which eight English and dutch tourists, including two women, were attacked by a large gang of knife-wielding Caucasian New Zealanders, and other incidents of robbery targeting foreign visitors (see references below), a trend seems to be emerging.

The attackers, 6 men in their late 20s or early 30s, shouted, “they have the wrong accent!” as they proceeded to stab six of the tourists, in what seems to be a mugging incident.

If you are traveling to New Zealand

• Don’t drive on the deadly roads.

• Don’t walk alone. Make sure you visit places in groups of 20 to 30 people.

• When attacked by muggers, hand over your money without any resistance, or you could get stabbed.

Related Links:

• Six English and Dutch Tourists Injured in Knife Attack

• Another Tourist Raped in New Zealand

• Honeymooning Dutch couple were attacked, raped, and forced to pay rapists

• Moviegoers fall victim to young thieves

• Increase in violent crime

• Driver takes off with Danish backpackers’ luggage

• .NZ Tourism Claims More Victims

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Another Racist Murder?

Why do foreigners have the annoying habit of getting themselves killed in New Zealand?

The man whose body was found in the Waikato River is identified by New Zealand police.

He was 17-year-old Tianye LU, a Chinese national.

As expected, New Zealand police said, “there were no suspicious circumstances linked to Mr Lu’s death.” Report

Does it matter to the Chinese Government that its citizens are being killed [‘found dead’] in new Zealand rivers and on NZ roads, or do they have more important business to take care of?

Related Links:

• About New Zealand

• Racist killings in New Zealand

• NZ Tourism Claims More Victims

China Under Siege

Our thanks to Lisa G. for the links!

Lethal Pollution, Grinding Poverty, DSS, Encroaching Deserts, Sinking Cities

Poverty

“We eat somehow, but it’s never enough,” Li said. “At least we’re not starving.”

“In this region of southern Henan Province, in village after village, people are too poor to heat their homes in the winter and many lack basic comforts like running water.” Report

• China’s poor being left behind
• Paying the price for China’s growth

Air Pollution

• China is World No. 1 CO2 Polluter; the US follows closely. Report

• Chinese Air Pollution Deadliest in World, Report Says.
• Pollution kills 750,000 in China every year. Report
• According to the World bank statistics, China has 16 of the 20 most polluted cities on earth!
• Beijing pollution risky for endurance athletes. Report

Eastern China Pollution. Beijing has completely disappeared under the haze. Image Credit: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE [Visualization Date: 1999-11-20. Sensor: OrbView-2/SeaWiFS]

“An opaque layer of polluted air covers much of southeastern China, obscuring parts of the landscape. Increasing use of heating fuels like wood and coal contributes to this haze. The image, captured on January 2, 2000, is from the NASA Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS). (Courtesy SeaWiFs Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE)”

Encroaching Deserts

The Gobi Desert: China’s Green Walls Losing the Battle Against Encroaching Deserts

Outside of Shanshan, Xinjiang China. Photo Credit: pmorgan via flickr

Pollution

Pollution in China Photo Gallery (11 pictures)

“Wuhan, Hebei province: A man collects dead fish in Donghu lake, where officials say an estimated 30,000kg of fish have been killed by a combination of pollution and hot weather
Photograph: Wuhan/AP” Image may be subject to copyright. See Feww Fair Use Notice!

DSS [Dust and Sand Storm]

• Six-day sandstorm cancels flights in Xinjiang. Report
  
• Sandstorms Grow More Frequent, Severe.

A severe DSS (dust and sandstorm) originating from China blanketed South Korea. A road in Yeouido, Seoul is obscured by sand and dust on March 21, 2002. [Photo Credit: english.chosun.com] Image may be subject to copyright. See Feww Fair Use Notice!

Sinking Cities

• Will the 2008 Olympics trigger the last phase of Beijing Collapse?
• Drying Aquifers, Sinking Cities

Desertification

The catch is that China has become not just the world’s manufacturer but its despoiler, on a scale as monumental as its economic expansion. A fourth of the country is now desert. More than three-fourths of its forests have disappeared. Each year, uncontrollable underground fires, sometimes triggered by lightning or mining accidents, consume 200 million tons of coal, contributing massively to global warming. A miasma of lead, mercury, sulfur dioxide, and other elements of coal-burning and car exhaust hovers over most Chinese cities. An excerpt from: China’s pollution nightmare is now everyone’s pollution nightmare

Water Pollution

• One in 4 people in China drink dirty water. Report
• Dust, waste and dirty water: the deadly price of China’s miracle

Harbin, China. NASA image by Robert Simmon, based on Landsat-7 data provided by the UMD Global Land Cover Facility. Below excerpts from NASA Earth Observatory :

The Songhua River flows north out of the Changbai Mountains, cutting across the Manchurian Plain of northern China. As China’s northernmost river system, the Songhua is an important artery in transporting agricultural products grown on the plain. On its northward course, the river wends its way past Harbin, the capital of China’s Heilongjiang Province, where it provides another lifeline. As much as 80 percent of the city’s public water supply comes directly from the river. That supply was cut off after an explosion at a petrochemical plant dumped 100 tons of benzene and other harmful chemicals into the river on November 13, 2005. As the chemical slick reached the city, officials turned off water supplies to prevent illness until the chemicals passed.

This Landsat image, taken on September 21, 2001, shows Harbin’s relationship with the Songhua. The city extends south and east from the banks of the river. A few smaller communities line the opposite bank of the river, connected by a maze of tan dirt roads. The city itself appears to be densely populated with a few small green squares of park or open land.

China: Facts and Trends

First Development, Then Environment

“China’s rapid growth has affected everything from world energy supplies to grain prices and is now threatening the health of its citizens. The environmental degradation that continues to coexist with economic growth has caused unsustainable rates of deforestation, high levels of air pollution, and low levels of water quality and quantity. This paper addresses the current environmental situation and focuses on the struggle for clean water.” Excerpt from Environmental and Water Scarcity Issues in China

Lin Fen: The Dirtiest City In the World

Image Courtesy of Tim Wang @ Tim Wang’s eLearning Blog

Snowstorm Destroys Chinese Forests

China provinces lose entire forests

Snowstorm destroyed a total of 17.3 million hectares of forests in 18 provinces in southern China. Monetary value of the losses, which amount to 10 percent of all forests in China, may reach $US3billion, according to the State Forestry Administration.

Bamboos collapse under the weight of snow in Xianning of Hubei Province
[Photo credit: Xinhua/China Daily]

Full report

Drought, Floods, Crop Damage, Grain Losses…

BEIJING (Reuters) – China is suffering its worst drought in a decade, millions of people are short of drinking water, reservoirs and rivers have shrunk. The surface area of the country’s largest fresh water lake, Poyang, in the southern province of Jiangxi, has fallen to a record 50 sq km (19 sq miles) from several thousand sq km at its peak.

Children play in a dried-up pool in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Source: Embassy of the PR China in the U.S.

About 400,000 hectares (1,545 sq miles) of crops have been damaged by drought this year, resulting in total grain losses of 37.4 million metric tones. The meteorologists have blamed the crisis on increased extreme weather conditions. About 50 million Chinese face drinking water shortages. Full report…

Related Link: The First Wave of the World’s Collapsing Cities