Thousands of Dead Pigs in the River

Today we read in the Wall Street Journal about thousands of dead pigs floating in the Huangpu river running through Shanghai, China.

SHANGHAI—Chinese authorities said they found more than 3,300 dead pigs in a river that supplies water to Shanghai, a stark illustration of China's problems with environmental pollution.

Health and agricultural authorities in Shanghai said on Monday they were investigating any potential health impact from pigs found floating in the Huangpu River and nearby waters in recent days, as well as how they got there. The river, which supplies Shanghai's 23 million residents with most of their water, winds toward downtown from the point about 43 miles south of where the pigs were found.

Authorities had little immediate explanation on how so many dead pigs ended up the river or what killed them.

Pork is China's primary meat and its approximately half a billion pigs often live in conditions ripe for spreading disease. One industry expert said the mass deaths indicated a disease outbreak, possibly on a single farm.

The unsightly nature of what appeared to be a large-scale disposal so close to downtown Shanghai shocked a nation usually complacent about debris clogging its waterways and raised questions not just of what killed the pigs, but also of China's methods and systems for handling animal deaths.

Air quality in Beijing and other Chinese cities reached hazardous levels during the winter, sickening residents and prompting many to wear masks. In February, a government bureau sparked widespread public grumbling when it said soil-quality statistics were a state secret. Rivers across three northern provinces were also sullied by a chemical leak earlier this year.

The pigs mark a new twist. "It's unheard of," said Yao Songqiao, a Beijing-based consultant with International Rivers, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on protecting waterways.

Here; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324096404578353953755771178.html

Holy Huangpu!!  "It's unheard of"!!

OK....a few things to ponder....

-are we sure we want China ruling the world anytime soon?   I'm guessing if they did they might turn the whole planet into a sewer and we would all be forced to breath smoke.

Also....do you think there may have been some demons and a steep bank further upstream??

Matthew 8
²⁸ When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

³⁰ Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

³² He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. ³³ Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

Hat tip to Jeremy Q.  Turns out we were on the exact same page.