News Stories

[Urzu 7]

I posted this on another forum about Ferguson:

I think the protests are going on too long. There is chaos now.

Brown shouldn't be made into some kind of martyr. He was a trouble maker.

I'm starting to doubt eyewitness accounts now, too. A video surfaced of a bystander who was at the scene of the incident shortly after it happened and in the video you here him say what he saw (telling it to someone else), about Brown approaching the officer and then being shot, and this goes against witnesses saying Brown was walking away, got shot, and then tried to surrender. Also, reportedly, the cop has some documented injuries to his head and/or face from an altercation with Brown, and if this is true, Brown did get into an altercation with the cop. Witnesses said the cop made that up.

I'm willing to bet the cop did not need to use lethal force, even if there was an altercation and Brown was coming after the cop. But I'm starting to think that the witness accounts aren't true on some very important things.

[Sugetsu]

Massive ocean discovered towards the earths core!

a reservoir of water three times the volume of all the oceans has been discovered deep beneath the earth's surface. The finding could help explain where earth's seas came from.

The water is hidden inside a blue rock called ringwoodite that lies 700 kilometres underground in the mantle, the layer of hot rock between earth's surface and its core.

The huge size of the reservoir throws new light on the origin of earth's water. Some geologists think water arrived in comets as they struck the planet, but the new discovery supports an alternative idea that the oceans gradually oozed out of the interior of the early earth.

"it's good evidence the earth's water came from within," says steven jacobsen of northwestern university in evanston, illinois. The hidden water could also act as a buffer for the oceans on the surface, explaining why they have stayed the same size for millions of years.

Pinging the planet

jacobsen's team used 2000 seismometers to study the seismic waves generated by more than 500 earthquakes. These waves move throughout earth's interior, including the core, and can be detected at the surface. "they make the earth ring like a bell for days afterwards," says jacobsen.

By measuring the speed of the waves at different depths, the team could figure out which types of rocks the waves were passing through. The water layer revealed itself because the waves slowed down, as it takes them longer to get through soggy rock than dry rock.

Jacobsen worked out in advance what would happen to the waves if water-containing ringwoodite was present. He grew ringwoodite in his lab, and exposed samples of it to massive pressures and temperatures matching those at 700 kilometres down.

Sure enough, they found signs of wet ringwoodite in the transition zone 700 kilometres down, which divides the upper and lower regions of the mantle. At that depth, the pressures and temperatures are just right to squeeze the water out of the ringwoodite. "it's rock with water along the boundaries between the grains, almost as if they're sweating," says jacobsen.

Damp down there

jacobsen's finding supports a recent study by graham pearson of the university of alberta in edmonton, canada. Pearson studied a diamond from the transition zone that had been carried to the surface in a volcano, and found that it contained water-bearing ringwoodite, the first strong evidence that there was lots of water in the transition zone (nature, doi.org/s6h).

"since our initial report of hydrous ringwoodite, we've found another ringwoodite crystal, also containing water, so the evidence is now very strong," says pearson.

So far, jacobsen only has evidence that the watery rock sits beneath the us. He now wants to find out if it wraps around the entire planet.

"we should be grateful for this deep reservoir," says jacobsen. "if it wasn't there, it would be on the surface of the earth, and mountain tops would be the only land poking out."

journal reference: Science, doi: 10.1126/science.1253358

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.U_V-V8vD_qA

Take your mind away from terrible news as of late and marvel at this discovery, which is sure to change our understanding of this planet.

[LoveYouSaber]

^ What next? Giant Piranhas living there?

Jokes aside, that's a very interesting discovery. And I do feel there would be some extraordinary animals to be found there...

[erneiz_hyde]

Shouldn't this be on the Science News thread? I remember reading about this some time ago (maybe even from that very thread), but I still think that water came from comets. Rather than surface water originating from this reservoir, I think this deep reservoir formed when surface water got trapped and dragged down there through the subduction zone.

[risingstar3110]

But it would be hot enough down there to prevent life form to exist?

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Originally Posted by erneiz_hyde

Shouldn't this be on the Science News thread? I remember reading about this some time ago (maybe even from that very thread), but I still think that water came from comets. Rather than surface water originating from this reservoir, I think this deep reservoir formed when surface water got trapped and dragged down there through the subduction zone.

Yeah, was gona say wasn't this in the science thread about two months ago?

[JokerD]

Thailand coup General Prayuth Chan-ocha named PM

Gen Prayuth, 60, was nominated on Thursday in a legislature hand-picked by the junta and made up of mostly military and police figures.

What a bloody farce.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

But it would be hot enough down there to prevent life form to exist?

Hydrothermal vents can reach temperatures over 400℃ and support flora. "Compared to the surrounding sea floor, however, hydrothermal vent zones have a density of organisms 10,000 to 100,000 times greater."

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by JokerD

Thailand coup General Prayuth Chan-ocha named PM



What a bloody farce.

Again?

Actually I wouldn't mind Thailand returning to a monarchy. It keeps transitioning from one "royalist" to another and hurts the regional exports.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Again?

Actually I wouldn't mind Thailand returning to a monarchy. It keeps transitioning from one "royalist" to another and hurts the regional exports.

It just seems the king is the only thing the country can agree on. It seems the issue is that you can have elections, but it doesn't matter very much if the voters don't respect the outcomes. I say if they don't believe in democracy then you can't force it into them.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

It just seems the king is the only thing the country can agree on. It seems the issue is that you can have elections, but it doesn't matter very much if the voters don't respect the outcomes. I say if they don't believe in democracy then you can't force it into them.

They should just follow the British way of monarchy - self-government, but everything belongs to the Queen.

[Ithekro]

Siam needs a king. I suppose that's the thing.

[SaintessHeart]

Reported killed in Syria, Malaysian jihadist gets some support at home

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Supporters of the jihadist cause in Syria lauded the death of a Muslim fighter from Selangor, known only as Mat Soh, who could soon become the first documented Malaysian killed while fighting in strife-torn Syria.

The 52-year-old jihadist fighter, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Turab, allegedly died from shelling in strife-torn Syria around 2pm local time yesterday, while defending the town of Arzeh with several other jihadist fighters.

Photos of Mat Soh’s remains and the video of his burial have been shared by hundreds of supporters on social media and blogs. Some congratulated him on his “successful transaction”.

The “transaction” is an euphemism which refers to a verse in Quran detailing a “contract”, where Muslims are offered a place in Paradise in return for fighting and dying in the cause of Allah.

According to local daily The Star, Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry is verifying reports that a Malaysian was killed and two more were injured while engaged in militant activities in Syria.

Fellow jihadist Akel Zainal, formerly famous for being the drummer in 90s rock band Ukays, said on his Facebook page that a car was seen coming from Arzeh carrying Mat Soh’s remains, while he himself was on his way to the town.

“I had the opportunity to kiss his cheek and said ‘we will meet again there brother, wait for me there brother’,” wrote Akel in Malay, referring to the afterlife.

“He had never frowned on me, and was always cheerful among me and my friends. He always took the opportunity to touch my leg and hands anytime we were together,” he said in a post which received over 2,000 likes.

Another fighter, calling himself Abu Nuroin, said that Mat Soh had been buried in a cemetery reserved for martyrs in the town of Kafer Zeta.

He said that there were three other fighters presumed to be Malaysian injured during the attack in Arzeh — Abu Aisyah, Abu Tolhah, and Abu Ain.

“Ustaz Lotfi is safe,” added Abu Nuroin, referring to former Kedah PAS member Mohd Lotfi Ariffin who was sacked from the party for his jihadist activities.

In June, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 15 nationals were allegedly killed in Syria after joining in terrorist and jihadist activities with the al-Qaeda offshoot, according to the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations in New York.

Malaysian factory worker Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki, suspected of being a member of IS, was believed to have been the suicide bomber who killed 25 members of an Iraqi police team in May.

IS, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), made headlines the past few days for brutally beheading American journalist James Foley on video.

In Malaysia, police intelligence warned this month that Malaysians, who joined the Islamist militant group Islamic State (IS) to launch strikes in Iraq and Syria, are now training their sights on their home government and several other targets in the country.

Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin, assistant director-general of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division, said 19 suspected local militants have been arrested between April and June this year while they were on their way to Turkey and Syria for training and support from IS under the guise of “humanitarian work”.

The group was planning to establish a hardline Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate which would include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, he said in the English daily The Star this week.

Putrajaya has classified ISIL as a terrorist organisation.

And it is just next door. Hmmm......

[SeijiSensei]

The Philippines? The one that's over eighty percent Catholic?

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

The Philippines? The one that's over eighty percent Catholic?

Yeah. And there is my country Singapore, with 15% Muslims.

They seem to think that anywhere a Muslim could set foot is a Muslim land. In fact, only 2 out of the 5 can be said to be a Muslim dominant state - even then they don't mix religion with politics most of the time (other than Malaysia during MH370 with the coconut ritual).

What is beyond me is what is so good about the caliphate thing - still it probably won't stop me from asking them to talk to my HK if they insist that I be their subject when I am in uniform.

Landslides hit Japan's Hiroshima, killing at least 36

(Reuters) - At least 36 people, including several children, were killed in Japan on Wednesday, when landslides triggered by torrential rain slammed into the outskirts of the western city of Hiroshima, and the toll could rise further, police said.

Seven people were missing after a month's worth of rain fell overnight, loosening slopes already saturated by heavy rain over the past few weeks.

"There was rain and thunder all night, beating down so hard I was scared to go outside," a resident told Fuji TV. "Great big drops. I've never seen anything like this."

Helicopters clattered overhead, lifting out survivors, as rescue workers searched through mud and piles of stones in residential areas about 5 km (3 miles) from the city centre.

Among those dug out of the debris were two brothers, aged eleven and two, whose house was struck as they slept.

A child's red school bag, covered in mud, lay in the debris. Houses had been pushed 100 metres (yards) by the landslide in the worst-hit area, where thick, knee-high mud hampered rescue efforts.

"The rain was just pouring down and the street in front of my house turned into a river," a man in his 70s told national television NHK.

Hiroshima city authorities issued an evacuation advisory notice about an hour after the first landslide on Wednesday.

"Something went wrong in our analysis (of the situation) ... We failed to issue an evacuation advisory ahead of the disaster. Looking back, I believe this is something we need to amend," an official at the city's fire department said.

The soil in the area was of a kind that absorbed water until it suddenly loosened and slid, increasing the danger, disaster management experts told NHK.

Cities in land-scarce Japan often expand into mountainous areas, leaving such development vulnerable to landslides.

About 240 mm (9 inches) of rain fell in the area in the 24 hours up to Wednesday morning, a record-breaking level equivalent to a month's worth of rain in a usual August, the Meteorological Agency said. Roughly half of that rain fell in one hour on Wednesday.

The force of the landslide crumbled asphalt roads, while streams of mud tore through neighbourhoods, turning houses into piles of twisted wreckage. Boulders with a diameter of as much as three metres (yards) lay scattered around.

More rain was likely in western Japan later on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cut short his summer vacation to head back to Tokyo. He said he would dispatch several hundred military personnel to help with rescue efforts. By Wednesday evening, about 500 such troops had been sent in.

Landslides killed 31 people in Hiroshima in 1999, including six in the same area hit this time.

[maplehurry]

Originally Posted by kyp275

I'm not an expert on municipal laws regarding things like this, but I'm fairly certain they aren't required to pay when the legal proceedings are still under way, you can't exactly ask for an advance when the case have not yet been decided in your favor.

Originally Posted by GDB

If they filed suit before the county said they wouldn't pay, then I agree with kyp. That's 100% the reason they aren't paying.

Isn't that what settlement's for? So that things can be settled before an official court hearing ?

Settlements Out of Court

The legislature requires the court (judge) to have the parties attempt to negotiate a settlement one more time before the hearing. If a settlement is reached in your case, the terms of the agreement should be put in writing.

[LoveYouSaber]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

It just seems the king is the only thing the country can agree on. It seems the issue is that you can have elections, but it doesn't matter very much if the voters don't respect the outcomes. I say if they don't believe in democracy then you can't force it into them.

Problem is their current king Bhumibol Adulyadej is quite old and has health problems. I know the Thais respect the king very much, but I don't know if it's the person rather the whole system of monarchy that they respect - What happens when the current king is no longer there?

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by maplehurry

Isn't that what settlement's for? So that things can be settled before an official court hearing ?

Yes, the very act of a settlement itself is a legal procedure, which can happen before, during, or after a suit has been filed. The issue is that no settlement has been reached yet, which means the terms of settlement has obviously not been agreed to. The medical costs will obviously be a factor in the terms of the settlement, but it's not something to be paid out before there even is a settlement. It raises all sorts of problems down the road - for example, if the county paid the medical bills now, it would not be a part of any settlement, and the county can still be on the hook for the same thing in any future settlement or trial.

Put it this way, assuming person A was involved in a serious traffic(or potato cannon, whatever ) accident that was caused by person B. While A can sue B/B's insurance company for medical cost/lost wages etc., chances are any request by A for B to pay his medical bills after he had already sued him without it being part of a settlement would be rejected. As not only would B be subjecting himself to additional financial costs, B would also be shooting himself in the foot by providing A something that can be used as tacit admission of guilt in the lawsuit, further exposing himself to even more financial liabilities.

This is where I think the county's statement of not being legally able to pay the bill comes from. While you and I as private citizens have all the right to intentionally and actively shoot ourselves in the foot in a lawsuit, government institutions may not have that freedom.

[maplehurry]

Originally Posted by kyp275

While you and I as private citizens have all the right to intentionally and actively shoot ourselves in the foot in a lawsuit, government institutions may not have that freedom.

Considering how often US government overspent their money, I am not so sure about this last statement.

(ok, that's sort of a separate topic)

[Ithekro]

Depends on which government. City and county governements are generally broke relative to the Federal government and some State governments. Other state governments are also broke.