Life, Nature, Society

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Sweden '[we] cannot cope' - closes borders to those without passports or ID cards: Sweden, with a population of 9.8 million, took 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, a higher number of refugees per capita than any other country in the European Union. In September, prime minister Stefan Lofven said: 'My Europe takes in people fleeing from war', but by last month he admitted ' [we] cannot cope' - closing the borders to those without passports or ID cards.

Thousands of commuters traveling across the five-mile road and rail bridge and accompanying tunnel between the Danish capital Copenhagen and Malmo in Sweden were yesterday told to expect their journeys to take half an hour longer than the usual 40 minutes.

The decision to close the borders to those without passports or ID cards marks a massive turnaround for the Swedish government, which had been the most welcoming to migrants but changed course after more than 160,000 applied for asylum last year – the highest number per capita in Europe.  read more »

2016 ~ Year of Tree
How wonderful!
7 billion people plant or rescue
7 billion trees -
Earth will be greener
air fresher, neighbourhood prettier
Everywhere bloom magic flowers
we will be healthier
and surely happier
in a new year, Year of Tree
2016!

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telegraph.co.uk 23 Dec 2015 - Computer glitch frees 3,200 prisoners early in Washington state: the governor of Washington state has admitted that 3,200 prisoners have been released by mistake from his jails, after a computer glitch approved their early discharge.

Since computer systems were updated in 2002, around three percent of criminals have been released early due to an error that incorrectly calculated credit for "good time" served. Some of those who were released early will have to return to prison to finish their sentence, said Jay Inslee, the governor. Five have already been put back behind bars.

"That this problem was allowed to continue for 13 years is deeply disappointing to me, totally unacceptable and, frankly, maddening," said Mr Inslee on Tuesday. "So, when I learned of this, I immediately ordered the department to fix it, fix it fast and fix it right."

Mr Inslee said he had asked the state to work with local law enforcement to identify those people who need to be returned, and 7 of the 3,200 have so far been identified. The state estimates the average number of days offenders were released early is 49, with the luckiest prisoner being released 600 days early.

The state was made aware of the error in 2012 when the family of a crime victim learned the offender responsible was being released too early. But the state says the "coding fix was repeatedly delayed".  read more »

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Prince Harry’s moving Christmas card photo honors World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot. The touching story behind - Harry recalled meeting WWII veteran Tom Neil as one of his "most memorable moments" of 2015, which is why it felt right to put it on the card. For his annual holiday missive, Harry chose a snap taken of him with a veteran at the Battle of Britain commemorative event he attended in September. (You'll recall his major Top Gun moment striding around in that flight suit).

Prince Harry's Very Touching Official Christmas Card - Harry and Neil, his "most memorable moments" of 2015 meeting a Hurricane ace Tom Neil, 95, in Battle of British, wwii  read more »

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George Lucas, father of "Star Wars", is a pioneering filmmaker who redefined how films are made. Lucas wanted to make a movie that would teach children the central ethic of right and wrong, good and evil. “I want[ed] to see if I can bend their lives at a particular point in time when they’re very vulnerable,” he recalls, “and give them the things that we’ve always given kids throughout history. The last time we had done it was with the Western. And once the Western was gone, there was no vehicle to say, ‘You don’t shoot people in the back’ and such.”

He’ll receive a Kennedy Center Honor this weekend for his blockbuster work in movies and film technology, but he’s quick to point out that he’s the only recipient this year who isn’t technically a performer. The Honors are being held a mere 12 days before the intensely anticipated release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the saga’s seventh episode. Harrison Ford said: “George has been amazing to me. He’s been the author of the early chapters of my life and given me the opportunity to have a really extraordinary life.”  read more »

*NEW release December 2015*
*Book of L* iii
- Quotable Wit and Wisdom Collection 5
Available via Apple iBookstore/iTunes
Amazon Kindle
Kobo eBooks
Latin: Lumen Ad Viam.
Light would lead life out of darkness into lasting love.
To Light, is our dedication ~
3 lit candles,
3 Books of L,
each consisting of 3 sections:
1) L in Quotation
2) L in Latin Motto
3) L in Poem

other books in this series

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*update* 16Dec2015
BBC - India Supreme Court cracks down on Delhi vehicle pollutionIt has ordered a temporary ban on the sale of large diesel vehicles and stopped trucks more than 10 years old from entering the city. India has 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last year.

The Guardian - Delhi is now the world’s dirtiest city, surpassing Beijing for air pollution limits  read more »