China to take the lead on climate?

Expectations were building for China to take the lead on climate change, as some 100 world leaders gather Tuesday to breathe new life into deadlocked negotiations.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called the biggest-ever summit of national leaders on climate change some 100 days before a high stakes gathering in Copenhagen, which is meant to seal a successor to the landmark Kyoto Protocol.

We will have to wait and see, but China is trying to seal itself as a new world leader and the competition with India is getting fiercer, but a country like China could make very minor changes to its laws regarding pollution, industry waste and the like and due to its sheer size, would make a HUGE impact.

Any sort of pollution limitation and advances toward greener economies are still advances, but I have a feeling this may get blown out of proportion. Even with significant cuts to pollution and changes to laws, China would, like the United States, still be a major contributor to the amounts of pollution and greenhouse gases on earth.

This future is going to be very interesting.

Will this be China's biggest move yet to assert itself as the new world superpower?

That day is coming, and the west is currently funding it.

'Miracle' fresco find in Italy's quake-hit village: officials

People in the quake-hit mountain village of Onna, near l'Aquila, are talking of a miracle after officials announced Wednesday the discovery of a 15th-century fresco during work on a church.



I saw this on Yahoo! news today and my first thought is how stupid it is to consider the destruction of not just a church, but an entire town a 'miracle'. A surprising find perhaps, but a miracle is a bit much. Ah Christians, so entertaining.

The Pope's Good Friday Message On Human Brutality...

...and my reaction to it!

This is just a small quote that I thought was worth sharing; Thanks to the Telegraph for the original story. 

So the Pope says "We are shocked to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink."  I will add that he is speaking at the 7th station of the cross where Jesus was mocked, and

 comparing that to the way he sees Western secular society (i.e.; me) mocking religion.

I'm always impressed by the audacity of religious leaders like the Pope who will go through the motions of rituals like he did this week, washing the feet of vatican priests, as Jesus supposedly did to his disciples. The purpose; to show humility. Sounds good so far, right? 

WRONG!

He does this foot washing using a solid gold basin. 

I wonder, if that gold basin was sold off, how many starving people would it feed? How many living in tents in Italy right now because of the recent earthquake could benefit from the funds that would supply for rebuilding or food and medicine?

Lets not forget the vast riches the church has at its disposal, acquired over hundreds of years by questionable means along with donations from the faithful. 

What if these riches were all used in the spirit in which Jesus preached? Would it solve world hunger? Could it save one life? Of course it could, in fact the church could save thousands of lives and improve the quality of

 life for millions more. 

And its not even just about the money. The church could simply use its influence that it has with its audience profoundly better. One simple way would be to stop lying to the uneducated masses in Africa by telling them that condoms could increase the risk of becoming HIV positive or getting AIDS.  You might as well disallow them AIDS medication while your at it. 

As far as I'm concerned this institution is guilty of being an accessory to mass murder. At the very least just shut up and don't talk about condoms. After  all, priests are supposed to be celibate, so really condoms are not something you are best suited to be talking about to begin with. 

So finally, while your carving the easter ham, or happily decorating easter eggs. In the spirit of being shocked to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink I humbly submit the following for you to reflect upon this easter weekend. Personally as an atheist, I will be celebrating the nice spring weather and the passing of another cold winter.

1. Legal basis for some inquisitorial activity came from Pope Innocent IV's papal bull Ad exstirpanda of 1252, which authorized and regulated the use of torture in investigating heresy.  For more click here.  
   
2. Here is one really sick family that is not Catholic, but the depravity is based in religion.
3. From the misguided Pope John Paul II, one which I take particular offense to, as someone who is a gay sexual abuse survivor. This statement reinforces the incorrect belief by some that homosexuality equals pedophilia.  The Pope decreed: because a significant majority of victims were teenage boys, disallowing ordination of men with "deep–seated homosexual tendencies"
4. For those who prefer visuals, watch this short video for a look at some of the torture tools of the inquisition.
5. Its not just christians: A pig caused hundreds of Indians to kill one another in 1980. The animal walked through a Muslim holy ground at Moradabad, near New Delhi. Muslims, who think pigs are an embodiment of Satan, blamed Hindus for the defilement. They went on a murder rampage, stabbing and clubbing Hindus, who retaliated in kind. The pig riot spread to a dozen cities and left more than 200 dead. Full Article Here
   

Odescalchi Castle, Italy

Today we are looking for the name of the building. I think this one is pretty easy so the only hints are that the place is not in Scandinavia or Antarctica. Good Luck!

Here is a better picture of the castle: