N.Y.: the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church ..[ 1659 ]

What About the Ground Zero Church? Archdiocese Says Officials Abandoned Project

By Judson Berger

Published August 17, 2010

Fox News' Kathleen Foster and John Brandt contributed to this report.

Shown here is the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church near the World Trade Center, before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (Herman Krieger/Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America accused New York officials on Tuesday of turning their backs on the reconstruction of the only church destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks, while the controversial mosque near Ground Zero moves forward. 

The sidelined project is the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, a tiny, four-story building destroyed in 2001 when one of the World Trade Center towers fell on top of it. Nobody from the church was hurt in the attack, but the congregation has for the past eight years been trying to rebuild its house of worship. 

While the mosque project cleared red tape earlier this month, negotiations between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the church stalled last year -- and will not be revived, according to government officials. 

Though the particulars of the two projects are completely different and on the surface unrelated, the church and its supporters see a disconnect in the way the proposals have been handled. 

An archdiocese official said Tuesday that the situation has created "consternation" for those still struggling to jump-start talks over the church. 

"We have people that are saying, why isn't our church being rebuilt and why is there ... such concern for people of the mosque?" Father Alex Karloutsos, assistant to the archbishop, told FoxNews.com. He said "religious freedom" would allow a place of worship for any denomination to be built, but accused officials with the Port Authority of making no effort to help move the congregation's project along. 

A New York City panel voted unanimously to reject landmark status for a building in downtown Manhattan, paving the way for its demolition — and for the construction of a 13-story, $100 million mosque near the World Trade Center site.

"Unfortunately, they have just been silent -- dead silent, actually," said Karloutsos, whose father was ordained at St. Nicholas. "They just simply forgot about the church." 

The Port Authority and the church announced a deal in July 2008 under which the Port Authority would grant land and up to $20 million to help rebuild it in a new location -- in addition, the authority was willing to pay up to $40 million to construct a bomb-proof platform underneath. 

Within a year, the deal fell through and talks ended. Port Authority officials told Fox News that the deal is dead. 

The archdiocese and Port Authority offer sharply conflicting accounts of where things went wrong. The Port Authority has previously claimed the church was making additional demands -- like wanting the $20 million up front and wanting to review plans for the surrounding area. They say the church can still proceed on its own if it wishes.  

"The church continues to have the right to rebuild at their original site, and we will pay fair market value for the underground space beneath that building," a spokesperson with the Port Authority told Fox News. 

But Karloutsos called the Port Authority's claims "propaganda" and said the church has complied with all conditions. He said the government should honor agreements that date back to 2004, under former New York Gov. George Pataki. 

Pataki, speaking with Fox News on Tuesday, agreed that the church should be rebuilt. 

"I don't understand it," Pataki said. "Why the Port Authority now has so far put roadblocks in the way of its reconstruction is beyond me. It's not the right thing to do." 

George Demos, a Republican candidate for New York's 1st Congressional District, has also drawn attention to the church negotiations. He released a written statement last week calling the Port Authority "disingenuous and disrespectful" for claiming the church project could go forward. 

"For the last year, the Port Authority has refused to meet with church officials and is now reneging on its commitment to rebuild the church," Demos said. 

Demos said the stalled church plans are an "outrage," considering New York City's Landmarks Preservation Committee vote in early August to deny historical status protection to the building where the mosque is set to be built, clearing the way for the project to move forward. 

The church project has not attracted the kind of national attention the mosque has. President Obama injected the mosque into the national political conversation when he appeared to endorse the plans at a Ramadan dinner at the White House Friday. The White House later clarified that Obama was supporting the developers' right to build the mosque, not the project itself. 

The president's comments set the stage for mounting criticism from Republicans, who widely oppose the project and now want other Democrats to declare where they stand on what for months was a largely local issue. 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has supported the church as well as the mosque, defended the mosque proposal Tuesday. 

"I think it will add to the diversity of the area," Bloomberg said. As for Obama's comments, he said: "He understands the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as well as anyone." 

Fox News' Kathleen Foster and John Brandt contributed to this report.

Hostages freed, at Turkey's Embassy in Israel..[ 1658 ]

Hostage drama ends at Turkey's embassy in Israel

 

Mr Injaz was limping as he was taken away by security officials

BBC, 17 August 2010 Last updated at 21:45 GMT

A man who broke into the Turkish embassy in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv has been arrested and taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.

The man had taken two hostages but they were later freed. Officials said he was shot by embassy security guards.

Israel's foreign ministry identified the man as a Palestinian who stormed the UK embassy in Tel Aviv in 2006.
There are reports that the man, named as Nadim Injaz from the West Bank, was demanding asylum in Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the situation at the embassy was under control and all staff were safe.
"A man who claimed he was Palestinian came to the embassy and wanted asylum. He was reportedly armed. He was overpowered," he said.
"He is also in good health at the moment. He said that he was seeking asylum but we are evaluating the whole incident. An investigation is under way but there is nothing to worry about."
Television images showed Mr Injaz limping as he was led out of the building by police. He was then put onto a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance.

Earlier images showed Israeli police and ambulances outside the embassy building, on Hayarkon Street, near the busy beachfront. Police and heavily armed security personnel could also be seen.
Threat
Mr Davutoglu had said the assailant was carrying a knife, a can of petrol and a toy gun, when he forced his way into the embassy compound on Tuesday evening.
He later retreated to an upper floor of the embassy after being shot and freeing his hostages - thought to be the consul-general and his wife.

 

Israeli officials identified the assailant as Nadim Injaz, a Palestinian from Ramallah

A man identified as Mr Injaz was later photographed looking out of one of the building's windows.
Israel's Channel 2 television also played a recording of a man it claimed was the attacker, who threatened to burn down the embassy if he was not allowed to leave the country.

Mr Injaz is from the West Bank town of Ramallah and is reported to have a history of mental illness. He has claimed he used to work for Israeli intelligence and is being persecuted by them.
In 2006, he stormed the British embassy in Tel Aviv and tried to demand asylum.
Correspondents say Tuesday's incident appears to be unrelated to a recent diplomatic dispute between Israel and Turkey.

Ties deteriorated after nine Turks were killed in late May in an Israeli commando raid on a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip.

Winter fuel payments,no decisions yet ..[ 1657 ]

Winter fuel payments 'may be cut'

Standard co. uk.,18.08.10

 

The qualifying age for winter fuel payments could be raised under government plans to cut the welfare bill, it was reported on Wednesday.

The qualifying age for winter fuel payments could be raised under plans to cut the welfare bill

 

Rather than being eligible for the annual handout at 60, people could have to wait until they are at least 66, the Daily Telegraph said, with talks apparently under way to impose an even bigger rise.

And the paper said the payment - worth £250 or £400 for the over-80s last winter - could be cut by £50 for new recipients and £100 for the oldest.

But a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokeswoman said the story was "speculation", saying no decisions had yet been made ahead of the autumn's spending review and subsequent white paper on welfare reform.

The Times also suggested that winter fuel payments might be cut, perhaps along with child benefit and other universal allowances, as part of a £13 billion reduction that could be used to pay for radical welfare changes proposed by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith.

The spokeswoman said the DWP was "not going to provide a running commentary" on what was being considered.

Winter fuel payments, introduced in the winter of 1997, cost around £2.7 billion a year.

David Cameron pledged to keep the winter fuel allowance during the general election leaders' debates, but the Liberal Democrats campaigned on a platform of reforming the payment by raising the age-related threshold to 65 to extend them for severely disabled people. The coalition agreement pledges to "protect key benefits for older people such as the winter fuel payment", but does not rule out reform.

Chancellor George Osborne was challenged on whether winter fuel payments to older people would be protected at the same level as under Labour, replying: "The commitment on the winter fuel payments is there in the coalition agreement and was made during the election campaign and is there for all to see."

According to the Government's website Directgov, the qualifying age for winter fuel payments is already rising in line with the increase in women's state pension age - set to equalise at 65 by 2020. Ministers have proposed speeding up plans to raise the state pension age for men to 66, possibly by as early as 2016.

UK,Suffolk : Train collided with a sewage tanker..[ 1656 ]

21 hurt in rail crossing collision

Standard co.uk.,18.08.10

Twenty-one people were injured, one of them seriously, when a train collided with a sewage tanker on an unmanned rail crossing.

The front carriage of the two-car National Express East Anglia service, which was carrying more than 20 passengers, derailed after the crash at Little Cornard near Sudbury, Suffolk, on Tuesday.

The lorry driver, a 38-year-old man, was in custody after being arrested on suspicion of several railway safety offences.

Ten people were injured in an accident at a Suffolk rail crossing

Witnesses spoke of hearing a sound like a bomb explosion when the train and truck collided at 5.35pm, and then seeing dazed, bleeding passengers wandering around next to the track.

The lorry was also split open by the crash impact, spilling slurry across the scene.

Of those hurt, British Transport Police (BTP) said one person trapped on the train received life-threatening injuries and was in intensive care.

Five other people remained in hospital overnight with non-serious injuries, with 15 others described as "walking wounded" who also received treatment.

The driver of the 1731 Sudbury to Marks Tey service suffered a suspected fractured vertebrae, and was being treated at Colchester General Hospital.

All patients were taken to hospital - the majority to Colchester General Hospital, one or two to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and one of the more seriously injured by air to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.

National Express East Anglia said there were about 20 passengers on board the train

The Western Siberia Expedition 2010’..[ 1655 ]

Archive for ‘The Western Siberia Expedition 2010’

The Kulak Forest

August 15th, 2010 by Joanne Howl

Tomsk Oblast    57.83 N 86.7 E
11:30 pm Siberia, 11:30 AM EST
 High: 56 F    Low 57 F     Light rain
Today started both early and suddenly, when Mikal decided it would be healthy for us to wake up and enjoy the day.  He jumped into The Pill and started honking the horn vigorously.  Then he walked all around camp, singing away.  It was a unique awakening, but effective.
 Our camp turned out to be the site of an old forest fire.  On one side of the road, the fire had been a ground fire.  On the other, a stand-replacing fire.   A ground fire burns the forest floor.  They usually stay low and clear away understory and debris. They tend to leave adult trees scorched, but alive.  After a ground fire, seeds will quickly germinate and new growth, called regeneration will shoot up.  So on that side of the road, we see tall, scorched trees with an upper canopy of green needles, with a dense growth of young trees underneath.  A stand-regenerating fire burns hot and high.  It burns everything in its path, including mature trees.  So on that side of the road, we see a field of new green growth, with some blackened, dead trees scattered about.

This is a stand of Scots Pine which had been burned by a ground fire 6 or 7 years ago. A ground fire burns the forest floor but usually does not kill mature trees. The tall pine trees here are blackened, but alive. The young trees are "regeneration" - new trees that sprouted immediately after the fire.

The regeneration – the young trees – can tell us how long ago the fire came through.  Scots pine put out one new set of branches, called whorls, each year.  So if you can count the whorls on the trunk, you know how old the trees are.  These young Scots Pines have 6 sets of whorls, so the stand burned six or seven years ago.
After we tore down our camp, Mikal drove us east to a spot near the forest, and turned us loose.  We walked into the woods, using the GPS to find the first GLAS footprint, where we began to make measurements. Mikal returned to camp and Slava spent the day getting a leaking tire fixed.
We measured 9 plots today – a good day’s work.  Sometimes we split our team into two groups, so we can work two plots simultaneously.  But today was calibration day, so we decided we’d work all together in one plot.  By staying close, we could make sure each hypsometer was measuring correctly, as well as make sure everyone was measuring in the same way.  It’s really important to calibrate everything – including human technique.  Getting ground-truth to be repeatable and accurate is absolutely vital if the data is going to be useful.
 For lunch, we had a picnic in the woods.  We had bread, canned fish and caviar.  Well, that’s what the can said, in Russian … “caviar”.   I guess it was sort of a Russian joke, because the can was full of a red vegetable paste, with a salty taste and a consistency vaguely resembling fish eggs.  As it turned out, if you put “caviar” on a piece of bread, add a little canned fish and a thick slice of fresh onion, it’s really quite delicious. I’m not sure I’d do that in a nice restaurant, or where anyone could smell me afterwards, but here, in the forest, it was a real treat.
 This forest has a lot of species diversity.  Which species predominates depends mostly on the drainage of the soil.  Birch likes the boggy, wet soil.  Spruce and pine prefer upland, dryer soils.  You can make a good guess about the soil, just by noting what species of tree is growing.
I was also impressed by the large size of the trees.  Many are about 100 feet tall and ½ meter in diameter.   The tallest today was an aspen.  It was 34 m tall, with a DBH (diameter at breast height) of 67 cm.
Tall trees with large diameters growing in thick stands means a lot of biomass, and a lot of biomass means a lot of carbon.  There is a great deal of carbon tied up in this forest, for sure.  How much carbon is tucked away in Siberian forests is exactly what we are trying to understand.

A nice lunch break in a beautiful forest. Marsha is holding a can of "caviar" - a thick, red vegetable paste that had a salty taste and a texture that, with imagination, might resemble caviar.

In the forest, we came across signs that someone had been working here many years ago.  We could see that trees had been selectively cut down.  Timber had been harvested maybe 80 or 90 years ago.  That would have been in the 20’s or 30’s, in the time of Joseph Stalin.
 When Stalin came to power in Russia, one of the policies he created was collectivization.  All private farms suddenly belonged to the State, and individual farmers suddenly worked for the common good, not for themselves. Certain farmers, usually the more successful ones, the ones that had the most to lose, didn’t think this was a very good idea.  They protested, either by talk or by refusing to turn over all property to the State.
Stalin had no tolerance for disagreement – it was a cooperate-or-be-destroyed era.  He decided to end protests by removing these farmers, called kulaks, from Russia.  Some kulaks were tried for “crimes” and executed.  Some were sent to the Gulag (the Russian prison system), where most died.  The lucky ones were merely exiled from their homeland.  They were transported to Siberia and deposited there, in the most uninhabited and uninhabitable land that could be found.  Allowed almost nothing but the clothes they might be wearing, they were totally unprepared for living in the frigid, cruel land.
But the land has it’s gentleness and the kulaks tended to be hardworking and excellent farmers. Many kulaks ended up surviving in exile.  I am told that descendants of the exiles that worked this timber nearly a century ago are still living in the area, and some are doing very well for themselves.  It was terribly hard to be exiled – there was true suffering here, in this forest and this community.  But many endured, and many thrived.
As I was looking at the stumps, doing my own easy work, I felt connected to those men.  I felt tired today, although I had good gear, good food and good clothing.  It was hard to imagine how bone-tired they must have been, in frigid weather, with minimal clothing and a poor diet.  In a way, I felt them with us, their spirit and memory here in this forest.  And I felt humbled.  
At the end of the day Pasha called for a ride on his cell phone, and Mikal and The Pill showed up promptly.  Russia has cell phone towers everywhere, and our colleagues seem to be able to talk to each other in the most remote places on earth with no trouble.  It is just amazing.
We rode into our new campsite, tired, cold, dirty and hungry, knowing we still had to make camp and dinner before we could rest.  But we were in for a treat.  Not only did we get excellent taxi service, but when we walked into camp, it was like walking into a friend’s home.  The tents were up, a fire was roaring, tea was simmering and there was warm food ready to eat.   What a delight!
And there stood Slava, welcoming us home and calling us “heroes of the expedition”.  With true Siberian hospitality, he offered a ceremonial toast fit for a hero’s return.  What a marvelous thing, to be so tired and chilled, then to return to such a warm scene.  The food was fabulous, and soon we were sleepy from the day’s work, the good nourishment and the warm fire.  I have to say, they do know how to make hard work fun.

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The Road to Balyyr

August 14th, 2010 by Joanne Howl

Tomsk Oblast  57.45 N 85.96 E
11:30 pm Siberia, 11:30 am EST
 High: 60 F  Low 62 F   Light rain
 It’s been quite a long day on the road.  We spent about 11 hours today working our way about 700 km through the countryside to find this campsite.   We got in as the sun was going down.  We scrambled to pitch tends, and then most of us went right off to bed.  It’s just me and the mosquitoes.   I think they are happy to have my company.
We had a little trouble with loading the vehicles.  We have a lot of stuff we’re taking with us.  We got everything stowed securely then we realized we’d made a big mistake – there wasn’t enough room for all the people.  Something had to go.  For awhile it seemed to be a question of if they would keep the inflatable boat or me.  I’m happy to report that they picked me, and we left the boat behind.   It’s a loss, though – it means we won’t be able to reach the more remote sites. 

Mikal loads gear into The Pill, while Slava and Pasha look on. The vehicle earned the nickname because it apparently resembles some medicine that the Siberians might take if they were sick.

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Posted in The Western Siberia Expedition 2010