Monday News Bucket

5 Comments

1. 

   Knoxville Progressive on June 19, 2006 at 9:00 am

   Russia plans to send up a space exploration capsule to analyze the surface of Mars and collect test samples from one of the red planet’s moons in 2009, Russia’s space agency said Friday. “The launch of the Phobos-Grunt space capsule is scheduled for October 2009. The expedition will take three years,” Roskosmos said in a written statement.

   If it’s not one thing it’s another…  Mount Merapi in Indonesia appears possibly to be quieting down,  but one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, Mount Bulusan, spewed a massive column of ash about two kilometers (more than a mile) into the sky Sunday, sending residents of surrounding areas fleeing for cover, radio reports said.

   Caribbean nations accused rich Western states of hypocrisy and colonial-style discrimination Sunday, as they rejected attempts to force them into the anti-whaling camp. A group of states, including host St. Kitts and Nevis, hit out at countries who criticized their decision to side with Japan’s pro-whaling block at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).  But the chutzpah award goes to St. Vincent in the Caribbean, which is simultaneously trying to promote ecotourism while allowing whaling.  Pro-whaling nations secured their first victory at world whaling talks Sunday by passing a resolution that labeled the 20-year moratorium on commercial hunts “no longer necessary.” Although the non-binding resolution will not result in the moratorium being overturned, it was a significant triumph for Japan and other states campaigning for the International Whaling Commission to lift the ban on commercial whaling.

   Here’s one for Carnacki:  Vampire bats, the only mammals to feed exclusively on blood, including human blood, recognize their prey by the sound of its breathing. Vampire bats of the species Desmodus rotondus could recognize recorded human breathing sounds much better than human participants could.  Vampire bats feed on the same prey over several nights and the authors of the study propose that the bats use breathing sounds to identify their prey in the same way as humans use voice to recognize each other.

   Here’s one for Egarwaen:  Yesterday’s New York Times magazine had a lengthy profile on aquaculture; it’s worth a read.  

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     CabinGirl on June 19, 2006 at 9:16 am

     Shall I delete mine?  🙂

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       Alice on June 19, 2006 at 9:48 am

       I love the song.  Maybe you should call it ‘toad bucket.’  Yikes – scary.

       I had some scary news yesterday.  My son (age43) was called by the Navy to report for a physical.  He was discharged last year.  This definitely means a new wars a’coming.

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       Knoxville Progressive on June 19, 2006 at 10:42 am

       I’ll move over to yours when I get a response to this – You’ve got the more popular quote (see comment below).  I was away from the computer for a bit & just saw yours now.  We have to stop meeting this way, LOL!

2. 

   Man Eegee on June 19, 2006 at 12:07 pm

   U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said about half the 2,179 people arrested in the 19-day nationwide raids — dubbed Operation Return to Sender — had criminal records, including convictions for sexual assault of a minor, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping.

   While criminals were targeted, agents also asked neighbors and curious onlookers about their immigration status and, if they were in the country illegally, they got hauled away for deportation, too. – linkage (emphasis mine)

   Oh, and they arrived in unmarked vehicles and dressed in civilian clothing.  At my blog, I asked who the decider is in a situation like this?  This scares the mierda out of me.