Treasure of God Padmanabhaswamy in India unearthed in Kerala temple

The current Maharajah of Travancore has been the managing trustee of the temple

…Anand Padmanaban, counsel for Sundar Rajan, was present when observers appointed by the Supreme Court opened the treasure chambers.

“Treasures included very old gold chains, diamonds and precious stones which cannot be valued in terms of money,” he told the BBC Tamil service.

“Many of those things were pretty old, going back to the 18th Century. They could not count it, so they are weighing it.”

Only two of four chambers had been opened so far, he said.

Royal wealth?

The current Maharajah of Travancore, Uthradan Thirunaal Marthanda Varma, who is also the managing trustee of the temple, appealed to the Supreme Court against Sundar Rajan’s petition.

He said that as Maharajah he had every right to control the temple because of a special law enacted after Independence, which vested the management of the temple with the erstwhile ruler of Travancore.

But his appeal was rejected – Maharajahs have no special status in India and they are treated like ordinary citizens.

The members of the Travancore royal family consider themselves to be servants of the presiding deity at the temple, Padmanabhaswamy, which is an aspect of the Hindu God Vishnu in eternal sleep. This is why they historically entrusted their wealth to the temple.

But there was a public outcry when the Maharajah attempted to retain control of the temple by citing the special law, with many arguing that the wealth belonged to the people now. …

via BBC News – India: Treasure unearthed in Kerala temple.

Which god do you suppose has the most treasure, if you added it all up?

 

ExxonMobil pipe leaks oil into Yellowstone River in US

An ExxonMobil pipeline in the US state of Montana has ruptured, leaking hundreds of barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River, officials say.

The company said the pipe had been shut down and the segment where the leak happened had been isolated.

Nearby residents were evacuated, but later allowed to return to their homes.

The accident happened downstream from the famed Yellowstone national park, a major tourist attraction in the US. …

Clean-up crews have been deployed to tackle the spill, which was detected early on Saturday.

ExxonMobil spokeswoman Pam Malek told AP news agency an estimated 750 to 1,000 barrels of oil had leaked from the pipe for about a half-hour before it was shut down. …

via BBC News – ExxonMobil pipe leaks oil into Yellowstone River in US.

Sometimes I see humans as a bunch of selfish slobs fouling the planet.

Clinton urges Gaddafi to go, not issue threats

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi should stop issuing threats against Europeans and resign instead, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says.

“Gaddafi should put the well-being and the interests of his own people first and he should step down from power,” Mrs Clinton said in Spain.

Col Gaddafi threatened on Friday to attack European “homes, offices, families” unless Nato stopped bombing.

Nato is enforcing a UN resolution to protect civilians from Gaddafi forces.

“The Nato-led mission is on track. The pressure on Gaddafi is mounting and the rebels have been gaining strength and momentum. We need to see this through and we are in complete agreement that we will,” Mrs Clinton said in Madrid.

‘Retreat’

Speaking alongside Mrs Clinton, Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said “Spain’s and the international coalition’s response is to maintain the unity and determination with which we have been working these past months”.

Col Gaddafi made the threat in an audio message broadcast to tens of thousands of supporters gathered in a central Tripoli square on Friday.

His message comes after France confirmed it had supplied weapons to anti-government rebels, delivering arms to Berber tribal fighters near Tripoli.

In the broadcast, played via loudspeakers to gathered crowds in the capital’s Green Square, he called on supporters to “march on the western mountains”, the area where the weapons had been delivered.

Then he warned Europe that Libyans would seek revenge.

“These people [the Libyans] are able to one day take this battle [...] to Europe, to target your homes, offices, families, which would become legitimate military targets, like you have targeted our homes,” he said. …

via BBC News – Libya: Clinton urges Gaddafi to go, not issue threats.

500,000 overweight children ‘at risk of liver disease’

Some 500,000 children in England may be at risk of developing life-threatening liver disease because they are overweight, a health adviser has said.

Professor Martin Lombard, England’s National Clinical Director for Liver Disease, says the four to 14-year-olds could develop “fatty liver disease”.

Too much fat in liver cells stops the liver from working properly, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

It can also lead to diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver later in life.

Cirrhosis – scarring of the liver – is commonly associated with alcohol abuse, but it can also be caused by obesity.

Professor Lombard bases his projections on figures from the National Child Measurement Programme.

He warns that up to 60,000 10 year olds “could be at risk” of having excessive fat in the liver while they are children, leading to serious health problems when they get older. …

via BBC News – 500,000 overweight children ‘at risk of liver disease’.

When I was 10 they had this thing called “PE” where you had to “dress out” and “run laps” while getting “called names” by a “gym teacher”. Very effective.