News Stories

[Mushi]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

Most people just don't see the potential benefits of space.

Fortunately, humanity still has some visionaries and pioneers.

Spaceport America

Tourism will play a major role in future space exploration.

[TooPurePureBoy]

I've only seen rumblings so far from more right leaning news sources but has anyone else heard anything substantial from a credible source about the supposed interdiction of a N.Korea ship by a U.S. destroyer? It hasn't happened yet but I've been seeing reports that it could happen at any moment since last night, but I've yet to see it really take hold in more main stream news outlets so I'm not sure of it's validity. Anyway I'm hoping somebody with more news sources than me might have more info on this. It could potentially be a pretty bad political move if we intercept a ship from N. Korea that we think has possible nukes (or things related to their construction on board ) only to have it end up having cabbage or something under it's tarp.

[GuidoHunter_Toki]

Originally Posted by TooPurePureBoy

I've only seen rumblings so far from more right leaning news sources but has anyone else heard anything substantial from a credible source about the supposed interdiction of a N.Korea ship by a U.S. destroyer? It hasn't happened yet but I've been seeing reports that it could happen at any moment since last night, but I've yet to see it really take hold in more main stream news outlets so I'm not sure of it's validity. Anyway I'm hoping somebody with more news sources than me might have more info on this. It could potentially be a pretty bad political move if we intercept a ship from N. Korea that we think has possible nukes (or things related to their construction on board ) only to have it end up having cabbage or something under it's tarp.

I've been reading a lot of reports as of today that the U.S. is seeking to intercept the ship, but not forcibly board it.

I would have thought letting the Singapore authorities board the ship for inspection when it arrived, and having them excersie their legal authority in support of the UN resolution would have been the most likely thing to happen. This interception does ultimately pose the risk of escalating tensions between North Korea and the U.S.

[Shadow Kira01]

Checks find 76 lighters left behind on 57 planes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Construction and Transport Ministry announced Thursday that 76 lighters had been found left behind on or around the seats of 57 domestic passenger planes out of a total of 511 checked.

The ministry has instructed airlines to remind passengers to take their lighters with them before leaving their planes following a June 6 fire aboard a Japan Airlines plane bound for Taipei.

A seat caught fire on the plane and because a lighter was later found wedged in the space between seats, the ministry instructed all domestic airlines on June 10 to conduct urgent checks of passenger seats.

Each passenger is allowed to bring one lighter into the cabin.

(Jun. 20, 2009)

I don't hear this everyday. 76 lighters!?

[Knight Hawk]

Pixar grants girl's dying wish to see 'Up' Source

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.

From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.

...

At about 12:30 p.m. the Pixar employee came to the Curtins’ home with the DVD.

He had a bag of stuffed animals of characters in the movie and a movie poster. He shared some quirky background details of the movie and the group settled in to watch Up.

Colby couldn't see the screen because the pain kept her eyes closed so her mother gave her a play-by-play of the film.

At the end of the film, the mother asked if her daughter enjoyed the movie and Colby nodded yes, Lisa Curtin said.

The employee left after the movie, taking the DVD with him, Lynch said.

“He couldn’t have been nicer,” said Lynch who watched the movie with the family. “His eyes were just welled up.”

After the movie, Colby’s dad, Michael Curtin, who is divorced from Lisa Curtin, came to visit.

Colby died with her mom and dad nearby at 9:20 p.m.

Soo sad, least her wish was granted before passing on. R.I.P Colby Curtin.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Knight Hawk

Pixar grants girl's dying wish to see 'Up' Source



Soo sad, least her wish was granted before passing on. R.I.P Colby Curtin.

In one of my very few one-line responses..... wow, someone scored a bucket of karma there.

[Shadow Kira01]

New York Times reporter escapes Taliban captivity

Nowadays, it is tough being a reporter especially if you intend on writing stories about dangerous places. Maybe, it would have been a much better idea if former soldiers were dispatched to these dangerous zones rather than the casual crew..

[Bonta Kun]

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STIG REVEALED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

I'll admit I'm surprised, thought it had to be a former F1 driver but did not expect that!!!

not gonna say who atm as the show is still airing.

[Kakashi]

They kind of dropped a hint at the end that Schumacher wasn't really the Stig. I'm not buying it since the series stretches all the way back to 2002, at which time Schumacher was still racing...

[Shadow Kira01]

Japan whaling town gets season's first catch

Japan's government argues that international bans on commercial whaling violates its cultural traditions.

Whale was widely eaten in Japan until the 1970s as a cheaper alternative to other meats. It is no longer a common food in the country, although meat from the hunt is sold in Japanese supermarkets and upscale restaurants.

"Whale meat has been part of our traditional diet, and it was a great cultural experience," said Hitoshi Watanabe, 50, an office worker who came to watch the Wada whale ceremony. "It was also good learn that we live at the sacrifice of precious lives of other animals."

Whaling at Wada dates back to 1612, town officials say. The town is one of Japan's several traditional whaling hubs.

Militant environmentalists have clashed with Japan's whaling fleet in recent years to obstruct its whale hunt. Earlier this year, activists from the U.S. group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had violent confrontations with Japanese ships in the Antarctic.

Australia and New Zealand last week announced a plan to send a non-lethal research expedition to the Antarctic early next year to eventually seek a new IWC ban on killing whales for scientific study. The international whaling body holds its annual plenary sessions June 22-26 in Madeira, Portugal.

In the latest Japanese hunt that ended in April, its fleet killed 679 minke whales and one fin whale over five months, below its stated goals of up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales.

Only one fin whale..

What a compromise...

[iLney]

Man, this guy has madz skillz.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7609258@N07/

But pairing such beauty with a pair of lowly iBud ?

@Shadow Kira01: which tastes better, BTW?

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by Shadow Kira01

Only one fin whale..

What a compromise...

I see you're ignoring the 679 minke whales that were killed as well. The goal was 985 whales and they got 680. That's 69% of the goal. Let's drop that down to say 64% though to air on the side of caution since fin whales are bigger. Besides, fin whales are endangered. Hunting an endangered species should not be allowed at all. Don't like it because it interferes with "cultural heretige"? What would happen to this heretige when the species is extinct?

As for the protesters mentioned, they're worse than PETA in giving environmentalists a bad name. There's a show called Whale Wars, which is basicly a film crew recording them in their "protests". I hear there are episodes of it up on animal planet's web site. From what I've heard of the show, I don't think anyone would blame you for calling for their heads on a pike.

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

I see you're ignoring the 679 minke whales that were killed as well. The goal was 985 whales and they got 680. That's 69% of the goal. Let's drop that down to say 64% though to air on the side of caution since fin whales are bigger. Besides, fin whales are endangered. Hunting an endangered species should not be allowed at all. Don't like it because it interferes with "cultural heretige"? What would happen to this heretige when the species is extinct?

No, I see minke whales as food. Its like people who eat pork, beef or poultry. Yes, you cannot deny that the only way you eat non-vegetarian products are killing the animals but.. I mean.. Who doesn't? More over, its not really an endangered species.

The guys who are protesting the actions of research whaling is just overdoing it as that it is not much of a big deal. Perhaps, there are people who would go and meddle with another's meal on the behalf of marine creatures known as fishes as that the fishes cannot talk or complain. However, I think the feeling of anti-whaling is just like my feeling towards people who eat frogs which look like adorable little green reptialian creatures but I wouldn't make a fuss over it though.

If the species extinct, then its too bad. Eat sharks next! Actually, I do eat sharks, btw..

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Shadow Kira01

Japan whaling town gets season's first catch

Only one fin whale..

What a compromise...

What? No PETA or Pantierre there to make fuss or plant bombs on the fishing trawlers?

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by Shadow Kira01

No, I see minke whales as food. Its like people who eat pork, beef or poultry. Yes, you cannot deny that the only way you eat non-vegetarian products are killing the animals but.. I mean.. Who doesn't? More over, its not really an endangered species.

The guys who are protesting the actions of research whaling is just overdoing it as that it is not much of a big deal. Perhaps, there are people who would go and meddle with another's meal on the behalf of marine creatures known as fishes as that the fishes cannot talk or complain. However, I think the feeling of anti-whaling is just like my feeling towards people who eat frogs which look like adorable little green reptialian creatures but I wouldn't make a fuss over it though.

If the species extinct, then its too bad. Eat sharks next! Actually, I do eat sharks, btw..

I didn't say minke whales were endangered, I said fin whales are, and they are. There's less than 3000 of them left, as opposed to over 300,000 or so minkes. Though if commercial whaling was left unchecked, I'm quite sure minkes would be endangered. The world's oceans may be vast, but there's only a finite amount of sealife out there. You can't just move on to the next constantly once a species is hunted to extinction. Eventually the oceans will be devoid of human edible creatures. Probably sooner than most people realize at that.

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

I didn't say minke whales were endangered, I said fin whales are, and they are. There's less than 3000 of them left, as opposed to over 300,000 or so minkes. Though if commercial whaling was left unchecked, I'm quite sure minkes would be endangered. The world's oceans may be vast, but there's only a finite amount of sealife out there. You can't just move on to the next constantly once a species is hunted to extinction. Eventually the oceans will be devoid of human edible creatures. Probably sooner than most people realize at that.

Although my views do not change but I do understand your concerns on the issues of endangered species as that more and more species are disappearing everyday, not just the fin whales.

[Vinak]

you can't compare whaling and eating whales to eating pigs.
pigs are domesticated. we raise them ourselves to fulfill our "cultural tradition" of eating pork. (unless you are a vegetarian, Jewish or a 7th day Adventist.)

your (or their) argument just doesn't hold water. whales have nearly year long developmental periods before they give birth and take years to reach adult size and sexual maturity. (same goes for sharks)

pigs, fish, chickens, and any other domesticated animal have fairly regular reproduction cycles, produce more than one offspring, and grow rather quickly in comparison to the whales.

Unless the Japanese develop a method of domesticating the whales they wish to eat, than I simply cannot support their "whaling research" to fulling their "cultural traditions"

[Vexx]

You shouldn't take *any* creature for eating faster than the ecosystem's ability to replenish it... d'uh?

The world's fishing stocks are crashing because humans as a collective are too greedy individually to follow that simple rule. In fact, I'm not sure most of humanity can handle math concepts more complicated than "one, two, .... many!" -- as long as they see "many!" they just keep a'whackin'.

[GuidoHunter_Toki]

Originally Posted by Shadow Kira01

No, I see minke whales as food. Its like people who eat pork, beef or poultry. Yes, you cannot deny that the only way you eat non-vegetarian products are killing the animals but.. I mean.. Who doesn't? More over, its not really an endangered species.

Pork comes from domesticated animals, completely different from obtaining food through the hunting a wild animal. Whale hunting has never been sustainable. Their breeding cycles are quite different from fish.

As for the japanese whale hunting, I really don't see the point in it. There is hardly any demand for the meat whatsoever and it just ends up getting dumped off onto the public schools.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/environment-japan-whale.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11258464/
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/

[ClockWorkAngel]

People are flat out too greedy most of the time. However with the decline of whale meat demand we'll see another dying industry. In reality they should be whaling less and bumping the prices up, it'd be more efficent for them anyways, as there's not much demand right now.