Farwell Blogs

Blogging. How to express my love hatred joy endearment excitement stress content-ness for thee? At times you were such the perfect remedy to a cruddy day, allowing me to escape into a world of my own, able to write my feelings and express my ideas without being judged. At others, you were the annoying little sibling and developed into the thorn in my side on Sunday nights trying to type all 1,200 words of you out. But what I have come to develop just recently actually, was the feeling of openness you allow me to express.

 From the beginning with my crazy idea of exploring every country to ranting about music to describing America's impractical beliefs; you have always stuck by me. Through thick and thin; from horrid posts about eating dogs, to padded underwear; from owning the sun to depicting a travel to Turkey's Hagia Sophia; from my Halloween poems to my coverage of the Japanese Earthquake and nuclear plant meltdowns. You've always provided me a place to allow my thoughts flow freely, regardless of your annoying due date every Monday and requirement of 3 posts per week.

Admittedly, yes, you were a pain. But a good one, and beneficial in many, many ways. I want to take this opportunity to say my goodbyes, and thank you for all that you have done for me this past year: forcing me to research the rain forests of Brazil and consequently learning facts about endangered species there; looking up the random new stories of the day which helped me to look into online newspapers and become a frequent reader; or just making me stay up late on a Sunday night drilling me on writing my best under pressure and a time constraint. You've helped me organize my schedule and manage my time in order to get you done, which will definitely help me in the future.

 Plus, you've helped me see how great of writers I can proudly call my peers. Reading everyone else's blogs has been an extremely entertaining experience, and one that will be greatly missed this summer.

So again, blogs, thank you for all the good harm lack-of-sleep inspiration  great times you have provided for me. I think I can speak for all of us in Mr. Ayers's class when I say, SO LONG SUCKAH!! And hope to never maybe see you soon.

Love, for the final time,
Ninja surfer

Dear America 2: It's not me, It's you (-_-)

Summary of this post:

Dear America,

YOU. MAKE. ME. SICK.

Yours truly,

Iman Kashmola

Actual post:

Dear America,

I've been thinking lately, and you know, I just think that things aren't working out between us. And it's not me, it's you. I mean, you're a great country; $5.00 a gallon for gas, $14+ trillion dollar deficit and counting, near-government shutdowns, finical and credit crisis sweeping the nation, involvement in 3 different un-winnable wars; but you've gone too far this time. Why can't you just accept that your president is a legally-born citizen? Why do you have to prod over every detail of his legitimacy? Why is this a problem now? I think we should just take a break, see new people. Really it's not me, it's you. 

Undeniably, the elephant in the room is going to have to be addressed in this post at some point so might as well get it out of the way....RACE. There. I said it. Go ahead and start freaking out that I brought the president's ethnicity out onto the playing field. Go and call me racist, get it out of your system. Go on. I'm waiting... Done? Good? Okay. Now. A big part of this issue is indeed race, and I hope that many Americans do understand that they wouldn't be scouring the president's birth records to test their legitimacy if he were Caucasian. Come on now, America, let's be real. John McPain (no pun intended) was born in Panama on an American military base that is no longer in service anymore. President Obama was born in a state. Which seems more legitimate to you? If you answered McPain, then yes, according to America, you are right. Why would you be right? Because he's white. And there ain't no denyin' that Americans are alllllways right.

So disregarding race here for a moment, please, PLEASE answer me this: why is this coming up now? How come, America, this wasn't an issue for you 3 years ago when Obama was running for president? Why is it all of a sudden vital to double-check the legitimacy of our president? AFTER 3 WHOLE YEARS IN OFFICE........(I am extremely tempted to insert one of those annoyed looking Japanese emoticons; but I've vowed not to give in. We'll see how long this will power lasts..). Plus, wouldn't you think that, gosh I don't know, maybe federal government agencies have run, perhaps if they were feelin' spunky, extensive background checks on any person entering United States politics? Or on any person being put into a place of power? THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT STUPID, AMERICA. Granted it can be dysfunctional, BUT IT IS NOT STUPID.

Of course there would be verification done on Obama's birth. Of course there would be extensive research about his family's history; maybe a little more research..for precaution...cuz ya know, he's black and all. Of course they wouldn't let Obama become president if he was not a citizen of the United States. COME OOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN AMERICA (ex. Trump, McPain, Palin *shudder shudder*, etc.). There are more important issues on hand! Wait, THIS SHOULDN'T EVEN BE AN ISSUE! America, you have forced me to give in -->  (-_-)

We just killed Osama Bin Laden! International officials and governators states have been involved in sex scandals! There are still Middle Eastern uprisings! There is major flooding in the southeast United States! Israeli Palestinian conflicts have emerged once more! Gas prices are up, up, up! China has just given fighter jets to Pakistan! Japan is still in ruins! There are massive tornadoes in the southern part of United States!The deterioration of the earth has just begun! The end is near! WE ARE ALL STRESSING THIS LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL TO STUDY FOR FINALS AND GET OUR BAJILLION PROJECTS TURNED IN AND DONE! There are much greater issues at hand America! QUIT. WORRYING. ABOUT. A. LIE.

What next thing you know, we'll be questioning Obama's SAT entrance scores to Harvard..

So America: it's not me, it's you. I need a break from 'us', time to see other people. I hope you understand. We can still be close friends. Just, first fix your problems, and call me in +20 years. I'll be...not here, if you need me.
All my love (not really),
Iman Kashmola

Doggone Menu

As I was browsing through CNN's website in search of something to blog about this week, the headline "Saving Dogs from Chinese Menu" caught my eye as i began to chew and swallow the Chinese meal that I was eating. A sense of guilt seemed to find it's way down my esophagus as well; even though I was not consuming dog (or at least I hope not) I did begin to remember the major cultural differences shared between the United States and Asia. I believe my father did eat dog at one point during a business trip to Korea... But regardless, the article about the puppies grasped my attention better than all the bloodshed and political wars that have been going on in the world so, I read on.

According to Erica Ho of CNN online, last Friday afternoon saw a standoff between animal rights activists and a determined truck driver in China's capital city, Beijing. While driving by the truck loaded with +100 dogs inside, a nearby driver pulled out in front of the truck to stop it and eventually held it there while he contacted local animal rights associations to come and remove all the eager cargo to safety. By buying the animals for almost $18,000, over 500 dogs were saved from being on the dinner menu.

It was also observed that most dogs were collared with name tags, sadly indicating that many could have been and or were abducted from their rightful owners, stowed away to become tomorrow's lunch special. Especially in season now, dog meat is said to "promote bodily warmth" in colder seasons and to be extremely healthy. Crocodile meat is extremely healthy too but you don't see truck loads of them being shipped around China now do ya?

Anywho, Local news reported that the truck transporters wouldn't be facing any charges because they were licenced and and legally permitted with all the right paper work. In addition to there being little to no Animal rights protection laws in China, I guess it'd be safe to say "don't shoot the messenger."

Alien President

Dear America,

Politics. They get gritty and grimy all the time. But to question the President's legitimacy? Come on America, there are others issues at bay! We are still in Iraq, loosing grip on Afghanistan, 6 weeks into the Libyan intervention, dealing with an exponentially growing deficit, dealing with a potential political shut down, a failing housing and credit crisis, and you guys in Washington have to concern yourselves with OBAMA'S LEGITIMACY? Goodness gracious people! He has been holding this country together since the last (failed) presidency, and granted sure some of his policies weren't the most effective, but at least he is getting things done in Washington while the opposing Republicans are constantly bickering over every minute detail that comes out of Obama's mouth!

 Please, please, please. Stop. Just stop. Both sides. Both of you. Just stop and sit down. Sit and talk like men and COMPROMISE. Please. I will move out of the country within the next 5 years if this constant battle keeps reoccurring. Understandably, there are two political parties for a reason, people disagree on different terms. However, to maintain a functioning and workable and effective government, it's gonna take some more morale in your systems to step up your game. DROP THE SUBJECT. Regardless if he is a U.S. Citizen or not, his term is almost over! And who in their right MIND would not do a background check on a person who is about to become president?

Let us take a moment to close our eyes, and relax. Breathe. Take a moment, and go to your happy place. Oh wait, you can't because the republicans have taxed you out the wazoo so going to your happy place won't be possible. So, thank you.

Now, back to Obama's birth. Please look below and study the document. Now, look back to me, in the eyes, and tell me, STRAIGHT to my face, that this is NOT legitimate. Just because he has a Middle Eastern name and has a Kenyan-born father doesn't mean that he is not a U.S. citizen. So please, if you are reading this now America, please. Just stop and think and think some more about your choices and ideals. Please.

Wedding of the Millenimum

Kate and Will. Prince William and Kate Middleton. William and Katherine. Kate and William. The Prince and his Princess. Such a fairytale story! But does it need to be this publicized? For real, there are a billion blogs out there about the wedding, a million more about her dress, 500,000 about the guest list, over 6 trillion about how they first met, and 1 about how overplayed it all is. Wanna know who's blog that is? Mine.

Now before you read on, you should know that I am a MAJOR royality/ monarchy/ European/ Ruling family, fan. MAJOR fan. I love all the history and drama behind each marriage and how it effects historical events. I know, history nerd alert. So when I heard that Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton, I was estatic! My friends and I would e-mail each other different links and sites dealing with the upcomming wedding; daydreaming about replacing Kate and marrying William all for ourselves.

But more recently, I've been comming across less and less about the genuine wedding and event and more about the commercial aspect of the big day on April 29. Souviner plates? Mugs with Kate and William on them? Stamps? Already?? Let's wait until AFTER she becomes a princess to dolly up all of London's currecny with her face! Understandably, the past few months have been undoubtably remarkable for the marketing buisness in Britain, but do we all really need to own a t-shirt with Kate and William on it?

Can't we just celebrate the love between two people? Regardless of social standings? I also do recognize that since the wedding of William's father to Diana, his wedding to Kate will be the next biggest thing. Just, lay off the tacky key-chains, kay?

Hosni Mubarak Hospitalized

 

It seems as though the egyptian uprisings have been too much for former president Hosni Mubarak. CNN online reports that Mubarak was recently hospitalized at harm el-Sheikh International Hospital in Egypt after suffering a heart attack during a news report earlier this week.

Supposedly after being questioned about corruption charges by journalists, Mubarak started to feel unwell and as the world saw, suffer a minor heart flub.

"Egypt's health minister, Ashraf Hatem, later said that Mubarak's condition was stable enough to allow prosecutors to resume questioning at the hospital, according to the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper," as stated on CNN online.

In defense of himself and his family, Mubarak was noted to have denied all accusations and attacks on his personal life, attempting to keep all questions and threats strictly political-based. Go so far as to allow investagators into his homes and federal documents in order to scan for corruption, Mubarak has tried to prove his innocence in more ways than one to the rest of the world.

It makes you wonder, Mubarak was obviously doing something wrong, otherwise there would have been no uprising January 25. However did he do anything directly  wrong? In no way am I supporting the three decade rule of Mubarak and his policies, but could he have helped how his country was run? Well, yes, because he is the President, but the same goes with President Obama now in America. It wasn't HIS fault we were involved in Iraq. Or HIS fault we were stuck in a massive economic slump. Or HIS fault that the BP Oil Spill happened. Or HIS fault that republicans and democrats cant get along... See where I'm going with this? Perhaps 30 years of that was too much for the Egyptians (or anyone else for that matter), but come on people, let the guy at least take a breather from his recent health scare.

Musically Diverted

So to take a break from the current actrocties of the world, other things have been on my mind: State Solo contest. Each year, all the musicians from all over the state meet in Cedar Rapids to perform for judges and to have their performaces rated. Each person can perform a solo, in a duet, trio, quartet, vocal or chamber group, select strings, brass emsemble, etc. Nearly any form of music is acceptable performace material, and is welcomed by all the judges.

This year I am in 3 events: a quartet, our school's chamber group, and my solo. I am writing this right after my solo (which I got a 1 on! But more on the scoring system later) which went pretty well and am about to be off to perform with my chamber group.

It becomes nervewracking not before you perform or when you warm up, but when you walk into the room and are followed by 8 of your friends and your parents as they all settle into the desks and chairs and wait for the judge to get situated. THAT'S when you start to feel butterflies, during the awkward moments before you begin playing. The minute after you introduce yourself and look to your piano accompaniast to begin, you feel nothing. You feel like time has stopped and nothing is around you or inside of you. But the moment you take that 1st breath to start your song, you get a sense of warmth and feeling that progressivly builds and encompasses your mind as you read the notes on the page.

Then you just play and pray that you sound decently okay.

After your performace, the awkward moment strikes again as you finish your last note, with your bow in the air, and everyone looking at you, while trying not to burst out laughing at how bad you just thought you did. But in reality, you proabably just did so much better than you thought. That is always the case with contest.

Regardless, you find out your scores later in the day. The scoring system is on a 5 point scale, with 5 being the worst and a 1+ being the best (and only attainable through playing a solo; the highest you can get for an ensemble is a 1). And it was weird, a friend of mine last night brought up the point that the AP exams are graded in the exact opposite manner which I found interesting. I remember I was thinking about what he had said before I began my first note during the begining awkward moments of my solo an hour ago. I remember thinking it was funny how two different competitive situations could grade so oppositly.

After that random thought, I began to play and all went well.

Fukushima Daiichi Spewing Radioactive Water 1,000,000 Times over Limit

"Another attempt by Japanese officials to stop the leaking of highly radioactive water from a nuclear reactor into the ocean failed Tuesday, the country's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said," Courtstey of CNN World reports on Tuesday.

Awesome.

 A liquid, sillica-based filler was injected into the damaged plant early Tuedsay morning in hopes of sealing the radioactive leake before things got too out of hand at the nucelar plant. This wasn't the case. The "No. 2 reactor -- one of six at the crisis-plagued plant -- had radiation 7.5 million times the legal limits," stated an official with the Tokyo Electric Power Company who owns the plant. In the words of Ray William Johnson, "GEEZUS!"

"To put this in perspective, the Pacific Ocean holds about 300 trillion swimming pools full of water, and they are going to release about five swimming pools full," said the chair of the radiation safety committee at Georgetown University Medical Center,Timothy Jorgensen. "So hopefully the churning of the ocean and the currents will quickly disperse this so that it gets to very dilute concentrations relatively quickly."

Hopefully. HOPEFULLY. HOPEFULLY?? not good enough kid.

With the delicate balance of the ocean's ecosystems in line, I'm not too sure if the owners of the Fukushima plant were well aware of the actrocitiets that nuclear radiation could have on the deliacte ecosystem balance of the Pacific ocean. With the harmful effects of radiation evident among humans, wouldn't there be a same effect on the ocean life; more even, since the radiation is directly in the waters they live?

It seems that humans will not be the only organisms that will feel the effects of Japan's earthquake for many many years to come.

Okay, let's use our heads here Libya...

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.....NO. For real? You've got to be kidding me right now. Please tell me April Fool's day in Libya is on April 4th. Please. Gadhafi's SON will be (rumored to) take power from his father? .....NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.

Not the point of Libya's massive state of rebellion. Not the point of loosing countless civilian lives in this bloody political battle. Not the point of responding to rebel requests for deeming Lybia a no fly zone. Not the point of American and NATO ally bombings on Gadhafi's forces. Not the point of stimulating economic fears felt here and around the world.

Come on guys. Let's think here.

Understandably, it makes sense to tell the people that "yes! we ARE listening to your wants! we are taking Gadhafi out!"

'Cept no, you really aren't.

Like any father-son bond between a leader and his heir, support for the "throne" and ruling standards are a common feat; which seems to be the case of 38 year old Saif al-Islam Gadhafi and his public support of his father's hold on power ever since the Libyan rebellion has taken forth. By just switching out one family member for another, isn't really going to be doing much good, no matter the claims you make.

However, government officials claim that the change in power from Gadhafi to his son would be a "...take over from his father and help to usher in swift reform" in order "...to avoid instability, the transition must be a gradual handover of power.'"

Well dam* right it had better be.

The source given to CNN online also stressed the a need to negotiate a "respectful solution" so that the elder Gadhafi is not seen as being forced out should be planned.

yeeeeah. The minute Gadhafi started attacking his own people, all credibility and respect went down the drain. So....a "respectful" and/or a "not-forced-out-of-power" deal, in my opinion, would not go down too well with the enraged Libyan rebels; let alone the world.

Commuter Jet Flies into Massive Flock of Birds

 This Picture says it all.

Blood stained sides? No wait, blood SPLATTERED sides? Ouch. The Atlantic South East Airlines had to deviate from their oirginal flight path after runing into a head-on collision with a flock of cranes abou the skies in Arkansas yesterday. With 49 passanges on board, it seemed safe to assume that no amount of crane blood would stop the piolit from making sure he landed the plane safely at an emergency landing sight at the Little Rock National Airport last friday. SIGNIFICANT damage to the nose of the plane is evidnet; a sign of the poweres of physics. A hole was reported as well as parts of dead cranes still lodged inbeween the crushed metal edges of the collasped nose.

No humans were harmed in the duration of this flight. But cranes were.

30 Foot Tsunami Wall Failed to Protect Village

Okay people, If a 30 foot wall can't protect you from a tsunami, I don't know what can (well I do, but not the point of this post).

The small fishing village of Ryoishi, Japan was relying on the 9.3 meter wall encircling their village to protect them against the massive tsunami a few weeks back. They were relying on it with their lives; literally. Also noted, the same village was wiped 90% out by a tsunami over 100 years ago. Ohhhh the irony.

As local residents try to pick up the washed up remains of their past lives, many find nothing more than a few fishing supplies that were once used in their booming and bustling businesses. A clock found belonging to a local fisherman of Ryoishi is discovered; stopped at the final time of the massive wave of water that overcame the wall and drowned the small fishing village.

Now onto the nitty-gritty. Why in the name of all that is good would building a massive encircled wall be a good idea? Let's discuss the benefits of that. oh yeah, none. Well yes, it adds moral security to the minds of the residents on the other side of the wall, but come on let's be real here.  A 30-ish foot high wall will protect you from a tsunami that has been formed by a 9.0 earthquake mere miles from your village? Japanese government! Hello!

But in reality, I do understand why people were so devastated at the failure of the "water wall" and how much of a life saver they were relying on it to be. My condolences still each out the the millions affected directly, and the thousands more world-wide. 

Iraq in the News?

Wait, I though we were done. Weren't we out? I was hoping I wouldn't hear this again.

"Six Iraqi security forces were killed and eight others were wounded in two separate attacks on police and army on Saturday morning, police and health officials tell CNN. Four Iraqi soldiers and a police officer were killed and four soldiers and a police officer were wounded.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi soldier was killed and four people, including three soldiers, were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near an army patrol."

This was definitely something i had heard before. Something familiar; an unwelcome friend.

After 9 years of hearing the same thing nearly everyday, the anxiousness of the situation dies down, but the concern continues to grow.

 "...Car bomb in Iraq today..." "14 civilians were killed, others wounded in Iraq this past weekend..." "...a suicide bomber killed 6 police men and wounded many others in a Mosque bombing today..." "two American soldiers were wounded today after a roadside bomb killed 8 others..."

You just fall into a numb lull when you hear the same words being tossed around day after day about the war. About death.

The first few news reports of the imminent effects of assassination, roadside bombing, and suicide bomber attacks in Iraq were very un-nerving. Feelings of disgust, hatred, and disbelief were common to experience. 

After the years continued to pass, the same effects of assassination, roadside bombing, and suicide bomber attacks in Iraq stirred up different emotions; a lack of emotions.

Hearing Brian Williams report a new car bomb or gun fight against innocent Iraqi civilians and American troops is unsettling. Hearing Brian Williams report a new car bomb or gun fight against innocent Iraqi civilians and American troops everyday, is exhausting. By no means am I requesting that the news of our Soldiers dying for what we believe in is a wrong thing, it is a right of the people to know what is going on to their fellow Americans on the battlefields.

However the idea of hearing troop, police, and civilian death everyday during the course of a 9 year war begins to get progressively old.

Are we doing anything to prevent this? Why is this still happening after we declare we are leaving the country, and putting it in the hands of the people? Isn't this what they wanted all along? Why am I even writing this? Really, the news about our war in the country has dwindled down so much, I would not be surprised if some Americans forgot we were even there. But to hear another attack in Iraq? A recollection of a lack of emotion plagues me as I brush this occurrence off as a tragic, yet daily, endeavor.

A Day in the Life of Me: U.S. Military Intervention in Libya

Click here for CNN's report of the Libian attacks

The minute Brian Williams appeared on my screen for the daily 5:30 world news, i noticed a very, very tired look in his expression. Call me crazy, but by watching someone 30 minutes everyday since you first watched television, you pick up on these things. Anywho, Brian looked more concerned and worried than usual. First briefed headline of the evening? U.S. sends military aid to Libya. GREAT.

Then the next few minutes were a difficult few to decode, so let's go through this step by step.

Step 1: I look over at my dad. Well, actually I was in the process of looking over at my dad, but I could have guessed his expression just as easily coming from the loud "YES!!!" I heard coming from his direction on the couch.

Step 2: I begin to develop a sense of disappointment in Obama for agreeing to go through with this intervention

Step 3: My younger brother hears my dad yell "YES!!!" and gets frightened and jumps up from the couch, almost taking his dinner down with him

Step 4: My mom has a look of both disappointment and dissatisfaction; both in due to the news report as well as the few grains of rice that had spilled out of my brother's bowl

Step 5: Brian continues on to the second headline briefing of radiation discovered in Japanese food

Step 6: I sigh heavily and begin to think about how the world is going to end with us eating radiated food and being drenched in bombs while my mom is trying to shush my dad up so she can listen to the rest of the Japanese story

Step 7: My dad keeps yelling yes and clapping his hands and gets up and starts to do a happy dance

Step 8: We all begin to laugh; but inside I am truthfully thinking that Obama seems to be making a mistake...

Step 9: we finally make it through watching the news.

It's a weird feeling developing a different idea than of someone in your family. Usually with events relating to the Middle East, I agree with my father and understand his point of view much better than most. However, I couldn't find it in my heart to really support the U.S. military action now taken in Libya.

So the same day, I have a few friends come over. As we start discussing the news like the awesome/cool geeks we are, I bring up the U.S. military intervention in Libya. A surge of Deja vu overwhelms me as they both begin to throw their hands in the air and yell, "YES!!!"

Okay by this point I was seriously getting ticked. Why was everyone supporting this notion? To go in and bomb another country? We are already in two un-winnable wars in the Middle East! Why another?! DID YOU NOT READ MY LAST IN-CLASS ESSAY???? HELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AMERICA IMPLEMENTING THEIR DEMOCRATIC WAYS IN MIDDLE EAST = BIG NO NO. TRUST ME.

But then the explanations began pouring out: "but see they are killing innocent civilians....", "Lybia is America's established country! We need to support it....", "the guy is crazy! We gotta send in re-enforcements! We aren't battling, just dropping bombs here and there."

Okay yes, but 1) America has no money 2) our resources are already (and still ) in Iraq and Afghanistan 3) is it really America's responsibility?

I feel bad for all the innocent lives that these brutal uprisings in Lybia and across the middle east have brought, however is America really needed in this too? I'm sure my opinion of this U.S. intervention will change within the course of this involvement, however as of now, I'm just not seeing how or why America is taking initative in Lybia. I mean, okay yes I do understand, however I'm just confused on how and what to feel. In the mean time, the president still has my support; it's just unclear to me (as of now) how much of it is really there.

Japanese Nuclear Troubles Reach Germany

The 8.9 earthquake that shook Japan to its core has reverberated globally all the way to mainland Germany.

Earlier this week thousands of Germans protesters demaned that their country's nucelar power plants be shut down in result of Japan's disasterous nuclear reactor woes. According to CNN News, Thorben Becker, of the Federation for Enviornmental Protection, claims that although this push for the closing of German nuclear raectors has been evident, the devistation of the Japanese reactors has prompted a much larger demand to close these facilities. With radiation fears being felt abroad (almost seemingly more so than domestically in Japan), German protesters marched in Berlin for the closing and removal of their nuclear power plants.

By forming a "...45-kilometer human chain between Stuttgart and the nuclear power plant Neckarwestheim," as reported by the Berlinian police, protesters sought this defiance out to be a peaceful one. In total, roughly 60,000 people showed up to this support raly, orgnized by a conglomeration of anti-nuclear reform groups.

However German chancellor Angela Merkel announced a three-month extension period for the plants, as well as a law that extends the lifespan of the German nuclear facilities.

Even though Japan is seemingly on the other side of the world, it's effects have and will continue to be ever-lasting.

5th Largest Earthquake Throws Earth off Balance

As the world begins to pour in millions of dollars worth of flood relief to the desperate nation, scientists have begun to evaluate the long-lasting effects of the world's 5th largest earthquake.

Here are a few things that has happened within the last 3 days of this terrible global phenomenon:

•  Has shifted the earth's axis by 6.5 inches
• Was caused by the pacific tectonic plate diving under the North American plate, which shifted Eastern Japan towards North America by 13 feet, now shortening the length of the Pacific Ocean
• Sank Japan down 24 inches
• Chopped off 1.6 microseconds off of the 24 hour day, due to the abrupt shift in the Earth's mass which is now causing the planet to rotate slightly faster.....darn centrivical forces....
• thousands of corpses floating back to shore as the aftershocks of the tsunami wave being to recede 
• small hints of nuclear radiation detected within a 30 mile radius of the exploding power plants

........and countless more emotional, physical, economic, and global tradgides. Below are linked videos and pictures of the destruction: 

• Video of Tsunami flowing in
• Photos of Japanese reactions

Devastating Death Toll and Destruction in Japan

As if the massive 8.9 earthquake wasn't enough destruction for one nation, the tsunami that followed presented an even bigger problem to the ever changing landscape of Japan. Since Japan is a nautical-based country, naturally many thousands of people would congregate along the island nation's many coast lines, therefore putting millions in the path of danger if a tsunami were to strike. And one did. In the city of Minami Sanriku alone, half of the city's population -9,500 people- have been estimated to be unaccounted for. That is more than five times the amount of students and faculty at Kennedy.

As CNN reporter Paula Hancocks writes, "Only a handful of buildings were left standing, with the rest a mangled mess of rubble. A boat sat on the edge of town, carried more than two miles inland by the tsunami."

Local government official Choushin Takahaski stated that "Most people ran away... some had to leave the elderly or disabled behind on the second floor. I think a lot of those left behind probably died." He then continues on, "I saw the bottom of the sea when the tidal wave withdrew and houses and people were being washed out, I couldn't watch anymore."


With massive increase in natural disasters happening worldwide -Australian and Brazilian floods, earthquake in Japan, heavy snow storms in the United States- everyone can has has been trying to provide the rest of the world with as much aid and support as possible.


 

Bahrianian Students Attacked in Peaceful Protest

As Middle Eastern revolts continue to progress, tragic news stories like this are frequently becoming part of the everyday norm. Yet sadly, we just have to sit and watch. Are we capable of preventing these daily revolts and tradgies? Well, of course not, no. But this hopefully promotes specific governments to take a step back from their smokescreen lives and look at what is really happening to their countries. Eyewitnesses of this most recent attack stated that pro-government forces attacked a peaceful protest of 5,000 college students. According to the CNN Wire Staff, "About 150 supporters of the royal family tried to get onto Bahrain University campus during the protest there, but only some managed to get in. An unknown number of people were injured, but it's not clear how many or how badly."

Why can't we all live in peace? At least deaths aren't being reported. Most government attack weapons consist of tear gas; still those are brutally painful. Reports earlier this week tell of approximately 350 protesters withholding tear gas during their advancement. Now understandably, with a Sunni Muslim minority government ruling over the predominately Shiite island nation in the Persian Gulf, yeah you are going to see rev lots happening. However when the government does not recognize these revolts or acknowledges them as happening at all, there is a problem. A problem that must be solved soon.

Earthqake's Effect on Japanese Nuclear Reactors

As the aftershocks of the massive 8.9 earthquake shudders in the distance of the Pacific ocean, much of Japan has drastically been reduced down to nothing but a pile of wet rubble. However what most effected by the massive earthquake-tsunami combo were the nuclear reaction power plants scattered throughout the island. Early reports Friday night stated that multiple nuclear reactors had exploded, causing much more destruction on top of the devastating death toll already reported in Japan.

So how did this happen, what were the causes of it, and how could it have been prevented? Well as Dylan Renyolds of CNN news reports in his "Q&A: What Has Quake Done to Japanese Nuclear Reactors?" an exploration of the structure of these power plants is needed to understand the basics of this atrocity.

The reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant were hit hard this past week, all of them being boiling-water generators. The fuel inside each one is comprised of Uranium 235 which then undergoes nuclear fission. Because of this reaction, massive amounts of heat are given off, causing the  water to steam. The steam is then used to power a turbine in order to generate electricity.

Now these power plants have an automatic "earthquake-proof" feature that are designed to shut down all reactors in use and flood the systems with water to cool them down before further instruction. However because of the Tsunami, the water generators were flooded by the massive waves, causing them to malfunction. Ironic, I know.

So as you can very well guess, the three out of the six nuclear generators that were up and running last week overheated as a part of their earthquake warning feature; and due to the lack of the available water cooling system as a result of the Tsunami, the power plant exploded.

Nature's wrath.

• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Saturday that the plant operator confirmed there was no damage to the steel container housing the reactor, just that an explosion due to a massive build-up of heat occurred
• Associate Fellow for Energy Malcolm Grimston stated that he believed the explosion had been caused by a build-up of pressure inside the inner containment of the reactor, and didn't have any direct result with the physical nuclear reactors themselves."Because they lost power to the water cooling system, they needed to vent the pressure that's building up inside. My suspicion is that as the temperature inside the reactor was rising, some of the metal cans that surround the fuel may have burst and at high temperature, that fuel cladding can react with water to produce zirconium oxide and hydrogen. That hydrogen then will be part of the gases that need to be vented. That hydrogen then mixes with the surrounding air. Hydrogen and oxygen can then recombine explosively. So it seems while the explosion wasn't directly connected with the nuclear processes, it was indirectly connected, because the hydrogen was only present because of what was going on in the reactor core." (Click here for the full story)

Be it a pressure build-up or an extreme rise in temperature, Japan's nuclear plants are still at risk of major catastrophic occurrences. As rescue efforts are still underway, much focus is on the thousands of displaced citizens and their well being. I completely agree, but special attention should and must be given to the nuclear reactors in Japan if a catastrophe is to be avoided.

Doomed Democracies 2

As recently seen, citizens of the Arab world have begun to collect the ingredients to serve up the dish of democracy and in some cases, succeeding. With the recent ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, it has become clear that democracy and reformed governments are wanted in the Arab world and that the time for them is now. Fighting for their freedom and basic human rights, many college students in Egypt had turned to sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook in order to use modern technology as an advantageous tool to aid thousands in a battle that has been raging on for decades. With steady access to mass social media, more awareness of political corruption and government dishonesty is easier to surface, prompting a call for change in what so many have been used to for much of their lives. But because of the Middle East’s colored history of government corruption, America will fall short in its attempts to establish democracy upon people who have been accustomed to different historical occurrences and developmental situations. As my dad makes note of, the impracticality of the idea is quite simple: people do not like being bossed around, especially by invading foreigners who cannot relate to or comprehend why things are the way they are in the Middle East. This is why I believe that America’s effectiveness in instituting democracies in the Arab world is, and will continue to be, an unsuccessful endeavor due to the incompatibility of these conflicting societies.

The days when my family used to be able to visit my uncle were the days when I felt like a kid in a candy shop. All the women of the family would congregate out on the patio and all the men in the garden. I would be serving tea to my uncle and father when I would stumble upon discussions about their pasts as Iraqi civilians and how deep the Arab desire is to be living in a democratic country where they can be treated humanely by their governments. Setting down the cups of tea, I found myself gradually voicing my own opinions and interweaving my ideas with theirs. Ever since the terrorism hysteria had begun when I was old enough to comprehend current events, any opportunity to hear primary interpretations of Middle Eastern issues was strangely exciting to me. Taking this enthusiasm further, I have been able to develop my own ideas and come to similar conclusions as to why the people of the Middle East are the only ones in charge of their future, and not so much the American government. My father and uncle repeatedly bring up the idea that it is indeed right to help someone in need, but when it comes to dealing with reconstructing a foreign country’s political system and way of life, there needs to be a distinctive limit. America does not have the right or dexterity to successfully establish democracies in the Middle East; it is up to the citizens and people of the region to develop how and what they want done.

As an American, I recognize the value of living in a successful and beneficial democracy. As a daughter of an Iraqi immigrant, I can just as easily sympathize with the struggles of being oppressed by unjust governments. Even today, I have conversations with my father about the concept of Democracy being advanced in the Middle East. With the successes of the Egyptian riot making headlines every day, the topic is hardly avoidable. However what is not avoidable is the idea that Democracy has to be achieved and fought for by the people who strive for it, not by the desire of other nations to embed it. As America continues to progresses further into Middle Eastern affairs, I often reflect back to that fateful morning on September 11 when my perception of how people react to Arab issues began to change. Regardless of what future democratic endeavors the United States government tries to pursue in the coming years, I believe that as genuine as the intentions might be, the end result of trying to establish democracies in the Middle East will not be as successful as hoped. 

Portfolio

In leiu of finals week, starting and finishing my portfolio, studying, catching up with a few reading notebook entries, studying, helping with my brother's birthday party, babysitting, studying, and quartet rehersal; i have decided to fall away from my usual blog theme of crazy current events and just take these last two blog posts to express my emotions regarding how i feel and/or cope with tackling the start of my profolio and the finished product sunday night around 11:48.

At the moment, I have last term's reading notebook entry sprawled out in front of me. Looking through the waves of rainbow post-its and commentary that i marked, I am begining to think that the high 72/70 I got lat term miiiiiiiiiiight not be as achievalble this term given i have less time to work on it (perhaps not the roughly 10 trillion hours i used last time....). However, I also went through and read my introduction and thought it almost odd, how that I stayed very close to specific guidelines and didn't really let my voice as a writer shine.

In reading other people's introductions and writing/reading commentaries, I could see more of their sarcastic and humerous side, where as mine was strictly professional. As I leave Blogger, progress to opeinging my bookmarked Pandora webpage and ensue typing, I bid all thee good luck in you quest of finishing your portfolio.  

Breast Milk Ice Cream Served in London

Picky kid not wanting to take his breast milk? Buy him the breast milk ice cream instead.

An ice cream parlor in the heart of London has devised a new flavor, never seen before in the ice cream world: Breastmilk. The "organic" and "free-ranged" delicacy is selling for 14 pounds a scoop, the equivillant to $23 U.S. dollars.

the breast milk ice cream dubbed the "Baby Gaga" was available in London's racy Covenent Garden as of toady. The ice cream's founder Matt O'Connor exictedly launched his new prodct today in hopes of promoting a new and unique health food.

"The Baby Gaga tastes creamy and rich. No one's done anything interesting with ice cream in the last hundred years. We've came up with a method of infusing ice-cream with breast milk. We wanted to completly reinvent it. And by using breast milk we've definitely given it a  one hundred percent makeover. Its just one of a dozen radical new flavours we've invented. We want to change the way people think about ice cream," O'Connor stated.

But how did they get all the breast milk? O'Connor paid women 15 pounds for every 10 ounces they "dispensed" for the Ice cream parlour. Victoria Hiley, 25, provided 30 fluid ounces, providing enough for the first 50 servings.

"Victoria works with local women who have issues with breat feeding their babies. She stated that if adults begin to realize how tasty breast milk actually is, more new mothers would be more keen on the natural method of baby feeding their newborns.

"You can kid yourself that its a healthy ice cream!" Victoria stated.

And it is; being a mixture of Madagascar Vanilla, a hint of lemony extract, and donated breast milk, the Baby Gaga will surely entice taste buds for years to come.


Click here to read more

End of the Term

As the end of the term approaches, i finally begin to realize that our final exams are approaching. darn. This past year has gone by so fast! People! IT'S 2011! One more year and the world will end. So why not make this year all the best it can be? Instead of stressing over finals and homework, let's just take a step back and ask ourselves: wait. when the world ends, will i be needing to know who were on the Allied forces in WWII? or What parallel sentence structure is and how to use it? Or how to calculate the limits on a parabola? The answer is no. What schools should be teaching now is how to defend ourselves against a zombie Apocalypse.

Really? No actually. Countless predictions of the earth's doom have been predicted, however none have come true. If the world did end on the 21st of the 12th month in 2012, then i believe that i won't be the only one chuckling at our demise :)

Middle Eastern Riots

The only way you would not know about the current Middle Eastern uprising would be if you were stuck in a cave high in the alps. Wait, scratch that. I'm certain you'd be able to get reception there for a T.V. You'd have to be dead to not know about this Middle Eastern uprising. Seriously.

With extreme unrest triggered by Tunsinia that lead to a domino effect of mass riots in Egypt, Liberia, Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, and many others (not to mention Wisconsin), the Arab world is looking at a massive historical event that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Doomed Democracies

Making my way from the kitchen to the couch to watch the news with my father like any other morning, I glanced up at the calendar: September 11, 2001. As the television screen flickered into clarity, horrid images of two burning buildings and frantic civilians scurried across the screen like it was the end of the world. Puzzled, I looked up and asked my Iraqi father what was going on. He responded, eyes fixated on the screen, that someone had crashed a plane into a New York building. At the time, this fact didn’t trouble me; what startled me was that he began to mutter frantically in Arabic as the news reporters repeated the words, “Islamic terrorist.”

Ever since that fateful day in 2001, mass terrorism hysteria has broken lose within the United States at its ally counties. As frustration and fear resulted in hasty actions by the American government, the United States found itself in the focal point of tackling a War on Terror. As a byproduct of this rapid surge of national security and retaliation, the United States –not knowing at the time – had positioned itself to be caught up in a black hole of never-ending calamities within the Middle East. By commencing an invasion, the United States government tried to make the world a safer place for democracy. However noble those intentions were, the unrealistic goals set forth by this administration lacked many truthful verifications of their new undertaking. More crucially, they lacked the understanding that we as a society cannot enforce democratic ideals upon the traditions and culture of others, specifically those of the Middle East. 

Ever since September 11, my father and I have had discussions about various situations in the Middle East, particularly geared towards the development of democracies in the Arab world. Surprisingly, his beliefs are harmoniously parallel to many of the leading international agencies that deal with Middle Eastern predicaments. “Today, the Middle East lacks the conditions, such as a democratic political history, high standards of living, and high literacy rates, which stimulated democratic change in, for example, central Europe and East Asia,” according to Christopher Preble and Patrick Basham of CATO, an international organization devoted to “the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.” What most in the world do not realize is that the Middle East and its culture that thrives in the modern world today is the same Middle East as it was when Islam emerged thousands of years ago, also implying that the same traditions of government policy and corrupt leaders of the past are currently still in power.

My father acknowledges that because Arabs have acquired years of unilateral knowledge of how to live their lives passed from generation to generation, many are stuck in the factory line mindset of how to be ruled by their governments. However, upon realizing and understanding the ideals of democracy, many now wish to break free of the customary routine of oppression and obtain their natural rights as human beings. But is the United States responsible for taking up the task of establishing democracies in the Arab world? Naturally many might suggest that because the United States is one of the world’s most successful democracies and a leading world power, it would have the capability to do so. However, the lack of cultural understanding and traditional values of the region make it very impractical for an outside force to try and modify the beliefs of millions of civilians. If democracy were to ever be established in the Middle East, it would have to be done through the will and force of the people. “The reality is that the ingredients for successful democracy are found in domestic political kitchens,” Preble and Basham continue on arguing, “Democracy is a dish that Iraqis and others throughout the Middle East must prepare for themselves.”

(second part comming soon)

Swallowed Cell Phone Keeps Ringing in Crocodile

The notorious croc in Peter Pan has a twin.



A report earlier this week in Keiv, Ukraine stated that 20 year old Rimma Golovko had accidentally dropped her Nokia phone in the crocodile exhibit at a local aquarium while trying to obtain a very up close shot, resulting in a crocodile swallowing it whole. How can vetreniarians tell? Golovko's phone still rings when called.

 "But then the phone started ringing and the sound was coming from inside our Gena's stomach and we understood she wasn't lying," said Maria Danilova of AOL News about an employee working with the crocodiles at the aquarium.

An X-Ray test will be done next week if the crocodile still refuses to eat or to pass a bowel, and would be under the care of  chief veterinarian Oleksandr Shushlenko.

"Everything (including possible surgery) will depend on where the foreign body is located," Shushlenko stated. "We don't have much experience working with such large animals."


but either way, I guess you don't have to go to neverland to experience the thrill of the ticking, sorry, ringing, croc.

Padded Underwear Enhance Male Butts Worldwide

Need more junk in your trunk?



A Canadian based manufacturing company strategically named "BottomsUp" and started by founder Rick Mucha, has run their successful padded  underwear line for men and women under the motto "Building a Better Bottom" for about 10 years. The Company develops various kinds of shape-enhancing garments for both men and women, but focus their attention more on the male derriere.

 Mucha has told AOL Online News that he has been selling padded boxer-briefs for the past 10 years; and that the male market for them is expanding.

"The underwear have built-in pockets in the butt area designed to hold special BottomsUp butt pads, which come in three gradually expanding sizes: 'Quarterback,' 'Halfback' and 'Fullback'. The garments, which are priced at $39.99 per pair, also boast a pouch in the crotch area in case men want to slip a separate pad in the front for added girth," states Monica Garske of AOL News.

"First-time customers usually go with the 'Quarterback' size, just to give it a try. Once they get comfortable and are satisfied with the product, they gradually go up in size to 'Halfback' and 'Fullback.' The padding looks really natural. It's an easy, inexpensive way for guys to be able to fill out their jeans better," Mucha said.

And what's more, all the design that went into this is anatomically accurate, as theses were based off of real idealistic butts. Mucha's team of researchers scoped out the best looking butts (well someone had to do it.....), took the owners of these desired rear-ends in for molding, and designed on from there.

Each set of underwear creates a defined image of a butt due to the middle seam separating the two pads, removing the awkward design of just having one expanded butt cheek.

However from the start, Mucha claims that he did not design these pads for aesthetic purposes, but for the relief of those who wore his padded undergarments. In 2001 Mucha designed his first pair of BottomUp undergarments to help a friend of his suffering from muscle deteration due to contracting HIV/AIDS. When it became excruciatingly uncomfortable for him to sit, his good friend Mucha came up with the design for the padded underwear.

Soon after this initial idea, many frequent fliers were known to have purchased these butt cushions in order to add some support to their effort some derrieres for long flights.

With all this focus on men, many have asked about Mucha's products for women. As Garske states again in this story, "...he also offers a line of padded panties for women but, let's face it, we gals have plenty of butt-enhancing products out there to choose from," leaving the men in Mucha's focus.

"I like big butts and I cannot lie..............."

Woman Eats Couch Cushions

Many cope with stress in different ways: exercising, eating, playing video games.....eating couch cushions...

click here to watch the TLC "My Strange Addiction" segment of Adele's problem

A Bradenton, Floridian native, 30 year old Adele has been compulsively munching on sofa cushions for the past 20 years. As of today, she has successfully consumed 7 couches and 2 chairs,

"even going so far as to prepare snack-sized servings of couch cushions," states Joe Peacock from AOL Online News.

Adele is featured on TLC's "My Strange Addiction" which features many Americans and their, well, strange addictions. However Adele's, according to psychologist Jason Mihalko, is a lot more detailed than most; most notably based off a medical condition termed "Pica".

"Pica is characterized by an individual having a desire to eat nonfood substances," Mihalko told AOL News. "It's most often seen in young children and women. There are cases of pica where people eat metal, dirt, feces, chalk, writing utensils and  tree sap," he said.

But what is the cause of this strange psychological disorder? Well no on knows. Many have suggested that some from of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder could play a role in the development of craving to consume non-food substances, however not enough research has been done to verify this hypothesis.

As for Adele, she stated that she started her couch consumption at the age of 10; the same year her parents divorced, leading to speculation about her addition to be just a psychological mishap.

"Some people with OCD get relief from enormous amounts of stress when they engage in whatever their particular behavior is, whether it be checking locks, washing hands or other obsessive behavior, while some experience enormous stress in engaging in these behaviors." Mihalko states.

But whatever the cause may be, expect to be sitting on the floor when you visit her house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First off, and I think most reading this would have this same question, but, how does her body digest the couch foam? And how has it done so for 20 years??!?! In all honesty I have had pieces of couch cushion in my mouth before (come on we've all jumped into those foam pits at gymnastics class before....) and quite honestly, the taste is distasteful, the feel is awkward, and just consuming it would feel wrong to me. However i do respect that this is indeed a psychological occurrence and that I do find it interesting and respect Adele's privacy and ways. But really....... with all those couch cushions out of the way, I'm sure she can find those pennies that fell through the cushions last week..... 

Bleeding Heart Candy in Time For Valentines Day

The biology geek inside of me is begging desperately for one of these. DESPERATELY.





Just in time for the holiday of love, stop by your local candy store to pick up your special someone hearts to spill out your undefying love. Okay wait, pick up A heart. A anatomically accurate, 2.5 pound, candy blood oozing, heart.


From the makers of the world known Jelly Belly's comes this newest rendition of candy hearts. Able to ooze blood in 11 different places (or everywhere granted you just slice it in half.......), this newest creation will be stocked on the shelves alongside of, "...foot with a gangrenous toe, candy urine and a plateful of candy barf," as AOL News reporter Deconinck stated earlier this week.


Ahhhhh love.....


Click here to read more about these delictably scientific treats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So sooooooooo many punns", "I love you. And to show you, here is my heart.", "Take my heart, and keep it forever.", "LOOOOOOOOK!!!!!!!!!! IT OOZES BLOOD FROM THE SUPERIOR VENA CAVA AT THE ANATOMICALLY CORRECT RATIO THAT THE LEFT VENTRICAL WOULD BE PULSING AT SWEETIE!!! " Okay yeah that last one I can see myself doing in the future if my cardiologist husband (well we can all dream, can't we?) were to have brought that home. Frankly, to the non-sicence nerds out there, this might be a bit too much, but I would LOVE  to receive one of these on Febuary 14th.
  

Spanish King's Ringtone Deemed Funny

The King of Spain might need one of these....


Last Monday it became annoyingly clear that King Juan Carlos of Spain is just like any other common man with a cell phone. During a meeting between the Spanish King with South and Central America's newest Ambassadors from Honduras, the 73 year old King was abruptly cut off as the sound of giggling children filled the news room.

As Spanish guards began to react, they soon realized it was a cell phone...the KING'S cell phone. 

A flustered King Juan supposedly shuffled over to the drawer where his phone was located and turned it off, apologizing after for the minor interruption and continued on with congratulating the newest members of the Spain's ambassadors. 

After the incident, the King reportedly said nothing on the matter, claiming nothing in particular to be the source of his unusual yet adorable incoming call ring. However as Andra Varin of Aol News reports that,
"...he (the King) and Queen Sofia do have eight grandchildren. The youngest are the 5-year-old Infanta Leonor and 3-year-old Infanta Sofia, daughters of Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia, and 5-year-old Irene Urdangarin, daughter of Infanta Cristina."

A case of a super lovable grandfather? I think so.

Click here for more information about this embarrassing incident
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Above all, what caught me off guard was that i began to realize, "oh yeah. Kings and Queens and royalty CAN have cellphones." It just doesn't fit my stereotype of fancy robes and knights in armor defending their royal castles. Now that I think about it, those knights are their secret service; contacted, how? Through their phones and other wireless devices. Now on the subject of the actual phone going off...WOW. HAHAHA E.M.B.A.R.R.A.S.S.I.N.G. Seriously though, why would you have your phone sitting in a nearby desk? Okay, better than your gold encrusted pockets of the fancy-schmancy pants you are dawning right now, but at LEAST put it on vibrate! Silent would have even been better your highness. 

Da Vinci's Lint "Last Supper"

I hope you aren't allergic to dust.


Just this past week Laura Bell of Roscommon, Michigan had completed her rendition of one of Leonardo Da Vinci's greatest masterpieces: The Last Supper. However it is not in an "artistic" element, so to speak. Laundry lint dawns the faces of Jesus and his disciples as Da Vinci had portrayed them over 300 years ago. 





 According to Bell, her 14 foot long by 4 foot tall masterpiece took 200 hours to create, on top of another 800 loads of laundry to do.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bell had, "...bought towels of the colors she wanted and laundered them separately to get the right shades of lint."

Soon catching the eyes of the infamous book series "Ripley's Believe It or Not", Bell's replica of this historic masterpiece might soon be inducted into one of the company's museums nationwide.

Amen.

Click here to read up more about this amazing feat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It astonishes me to see how much time this woman had on her hands to make this amazing feat come true. I'm sure it took a lot of patience and of course loads of laundry to make this epic rendition reality. I feel like most would overlook this detail, but I hope everyone realizes that her electricity and water bill must have been through the roof over the course of this "art project". I"m interested in finding out if she washed these towels continuously everyday? Or just on family laundry day? Either way, AWESOME rendition. Kudos to you!

Suicidal Man Jumps from Bulding, Saved by Garbage Below

Geranimo!!!!

After 26 year old Vangelis Kapatos was standing on his 9th story window ledge about to jump out and end his life, authorities were sure that he wasn't expecting the massive heap of garbage awaiting his decent.

Sanitation workers in New York city have not collected the trash since December 26th of last year due to freak snow storms and the hiloday season. In effect, mountians of garbage lined the streets of New York several feet high, which served as a soft and unsuccessful landing for Kapatos.

Because of the suicidal jump Kapatos was hospitalized in a critical but stable condition on monday, and his family's complaints about the lack of garbage pickup have all but dissappeared.

"Everybody is complaining that the trash hasn't been picked up," Kapatos' aunt said on Monday. "But me, I'm thankful that it was never picked up."


New York mayor Michael Bloomberg stated eariler this week that he expects his workers to be caught up with all the trash collection by this friday(1/7/11): all 77,000 tons of it since last christmas.

"It will take a few days to catch up," Bloomberg states, "But they're out there today and hopefully in the next three to four days, we'll be done with it."


Supposed depression triggered Kapatos to jump from his 9th story building, in addition to worry for eviction from his apartment, and his loss of finicial aid.


Now he has a medical bill to add to his expenses.....just saying.

Hijacking Alert Activated from Spilt Drink in Cockpit

HELP!! THE PLANE IS BEING HIJACKED!!!BY.... a cup of coffee?

Reports from earlier this week described a hijacking alert sent to air traffic control: all becuase of a spilt beverage in the cockpit.

During a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, light turbulance was experienced, causing one member in the cockpit to spill his beverage on some equiptment. The drink happened to damage the radio control box between air traffic control and the pilots, enevitably triggering a hijacking alert to be enacted.

To verify this clame true and not a trickery of terrorit organizations, United spokesperson Rahsaan Johnson told reporters that, " During a period of light turbulence, a cockpit crew member's beverage spilled, causing issues with the airplane's communications equipment."


Rather than continuing with the risky 8+ hour flight to Frankfurt with no radio contact, the pilot decied to land the plane monday night in Toronto. Passangers were then provided with hotel accomidations and flights back to Chicago in attempt to fly them back to their Frankfurt destination once more.

North Pole Shift Affects Tampa Flights

Santas going Russian.

In a report given earlier this week by a National Geographic News report, the Earth's north pole is slowly shifing towards Russia almost 40 miles per year. And who is affected? Airports, namley Tampa International Airport in Florida.

As Airport officials close their runways until the 13th of this month, many are left wondering why and what the correlation is between the magnetic shifts and airplane flights.

"Magnetic changes in Earth's core are causing this, possibly due to 'a region of rapidly changing magnetism on the core's surface,'" according to a National Geographic report.

But usually magnetic shifts don't cause major airport shut downs, but in the case of Tampa International, piolits wanted to be absolutley sure of their correct heading.


"You want to be absolutely precise in your compass heading," FAA spokesperson Paul Takemoto said. "To make sure the precision is there that we need, you have to make these changes."


Another FAA spokesperson, Kathleen Bergen also stated that the earth's magnetic poles are shifting constantly; however with changes of more than three degrees, airports need to re-calculate headings and direction based on longitude, lattitude, and the magnetic poles.

As of now it is not known if other airports world-wide will need time off for re-calibration.