You are hereArchive - Dec 2013
Archive - Dec 2013
"Harmony", the ever-biggest word carved by 2 popes, floating in the sky which has no boundaries of religions, or claimed regions
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[Dec 29, 2013] Pope emeritus Benedict XVI has shared a holiday meal with his successor, Pope Francis.
The two men dined together at Francis's residence, the Santa Marta hotel on the Vatican City grounds, Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said on Saturday.
Francis had extended an invitation for a holiday meal when he paid a call on his predecessor December 23 at a monastery on the Vatican's grounds to offer Christmas greetings, Vatican Radio said. read more »
Intelligent and Kind: mammal dolphins, whales and humans have fun together/ rescue each other - stunning stories, photos, videos
calf floating alongside mother whale beneath whale-watching ship
Swimming along with curious whale calf and mother was nerve-racking
Moko the dolphin enjoys playing with swimmers, pushes kayaks along
a whale that helped a drowning athlete
2nd whale stays by side of friend tangled in rope until she's freed
grateful whale nuzzled each of her rescuers/divers in turn and flapped around
dolphins rescue surfer (severely injured) from becoming shark’s bait
7-Day-Old Baby Dolphin Rescued In Uruguay
Wild Dolphin "Asks" Divers to Help Free Itself from Hook
(Video Comment by M13: "And in JAPAN... they hunt dolphins by cutting off a BABY dolphins fin... then throwing it back in the water. And while its family refuses to leave the crying baby... then can take their time to kill the entire family one by one.") read more »
Man enjoys surfing? So do swans! Person of 2013: Pope #1, Snowden #2; Legend Lady Chang'e and Jade Rabbit (solar-powered rover)
Mick Fanning at the Pipe Masters this week
Absolutely amazing: black swans frolicking off shore near Gold Coast, catching waves in and out
Forbes "Pope Francis Is Time's Person Of Year 2013; Snowden Is No. 2"
uk.Reuters - "He is a strange guy," Putin said of Snowden, "I don't get what he is thinking." "Basically he doomed himself to a pretty difficult life. What will he do next, I don't even imagine. But it's clear now that we won't give him away, he should feel safe here." Snowden flew to Moscow from Hong Kong in June and got stuck in the transit zone after US revoked his passport and urged countries not to let him pass.
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Complete Works of Shakespeare covered in Hindu deities, smuggled into prison, accompanied Nelson Mandela in solitary confinement
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"A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of."
"I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles."
"Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished."
- Nelson Mandela
Locked in solitary confinement on Robben Island, newspapers were banned and letters from loved ones a rare treat. Where did he find the inspiration to continue his long struggle for freedom?
A tattered book covered in luminous Hindu deities might have seemed like a strange choice for the South African leader. But the beatifically smiling women on the cover knew something the prison wardens didn't. Inside was the "Complete Works of Shakespeare," and the historic text became a source of strength for Mandela and his fellow inmates during their darkest days. read more »
Tiny islands get tense attention while vast Pacific ocean is deadly poisoned by nuclear radiation but ignored like Cinderella
Radioactive Seawater Impact Map (update: March 2012)
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Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) - Taiwan will express its deep concerns to Japan if Japanese authorities interfere with Taiwanese civilian aircraft flying through an area where the two countries' airspace zones overlap, an official said Tuesday. "If our Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) notifies us of such a case, we will immediately hold serious consultations with Japan" and ask it to refrain from such actions, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Anna Kao at a news conference Tuesday. read more »