Ebola virus outbreak in west africa spreading-concerted action needed urgently.

The World Health Organization says that the Ebola haemorrhagic fever virus outbreak now affecting Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone requires additional urgent action despite the help of external experts already in place. This is the largest recorded outbreak of this highly infectious disease and there have been a significant increase in the number of deaths and reported new cases in the last three weeks.

As of June 20 the number of confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Guinea were 390 with 270 deaths and a cumulative total of 158 clinical cases in Sierra Leone of which 34 have been fatal. As of June 22 Liberia had reported 51 clinical cases of which 34 have been fatal .

WHO has convened a meeting of Ministers of health of countries in the region in early July.

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/index.html
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/epr-highlights/3648-frequently-asked-questions-on-ebola-hemorrhagic-fever.html
http://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/actualites/ebola-l-epidemie-hors-de-controle-24-06-2014-1840119_2031.php
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-28051077

Hubble ultra deep field picture, revised June 3rd 2014

A further addition to the magnificent series of deep field pictures from the Hubble telescope allowing us to look back in time up to 13.2 billion years, to only 450 million years after the beginnings of our universe.
This beautiful picture is in the southern-hemisphere constellation of Fornax. For the first time it includes the full range of ultraviolet to near-infrared light. This field of 3.4 arcminutes along each edge contains an estimated 10,000 galaxies and will be used in the search for the earliest to form.

the 14th Shamarpa leaves us, but we have the teachings of a modern Buddha.

The Shamarpa, Shamar Rinpoche (the Red Hat Lama), seen by his followers as the embodiment of the Buddha Amitabha ( a bodhisattva named Dharmakara translating as the Buddha of infinite Light) who passed on the 11 June leaves us. Behind are the teachings of a modern living Buddha.

Wish him well in the immediate task of seeking the next incarnation.

This very recent and very frank and direct recording posted earlier this year provides a fascinating interaction between a lama educated in the tradition of Tibetan buddhism who is a modern Buddha and the presentation style of high quality modern journalism in the form of Barnet and Freeman on Cutting Edge Consciousness.

To start with the Shamarpa explains the tradition preventing a monk or nun from representing themselves publicly as a spiritual teacher.  He describes the traps and pitfalls that exist for spiritual teachers and how easily this position can be misused.

Some way into the recording there is a frank discussion about the traditional vows taken by Buddhist monks and nuns and why they are taken.  The conversation leads on to the profundities around meditation, reincarnation, karma and enlightenment.

After the Shamarpa leaves there is further deep debate between the two journalists of the implications resulting from the interview.

This valuable teaching is well worth listening to carefully over and over again.

sigourney weaver talks about the making of Avatar 2, 3 and 4

Sigourney Weaver is busy now. Cast in Exodus (to be released later this year) as Touya, the mother of Rameses, she is at present filming sequels of Avatar with James Cameron. Though secret, it has been well-trailed that there are at least three films being shot simultaneously, Avatar 2, 3 and 4. She has spoken about the Avatar project recently. A further Aliens sequel Prometheus 2 is scheduled for release in 2016.




From Avatar 2.

http://www.dalesearch.com/?s=img&babsrc=HP_ss&rlz=0&q=sigourney weaver