Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years


No, this isn't a make-believe place. It's real.

They call it "Ball's Pyramid." It's what's left of an old volcano that emerged from the sea about 7 million years ago. A British naval officer named Ball was the first European to see it in 1788. It sits off Australia, in the South Pacific. It is extremely narrow, 1,844 feet high, and it sits alone.

What's more, for years this place had a secret. At 225 feet above sea level, hanging on the rock surface, there is a small, spindly little bush, and under that bush, a few years ago, two climbers, working in the dark, found something totally improbable hiding in the soil below. How it got there, we still don't know.

npr.org

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Tierschützer jagen Walfänger mit Drohne


Mit Hightech wollen Umweltschützer den Walfang torpedieren. Eine Drohne hat laut der Organisation Sea Shepherd die japanische Fangflotte gesichtet - der Startschuss zu einer langen Verfolgungsjagd. Wenn die japanische Walfangflotte Richtung Antarktis ausläuft, starten auch ihre Verfolger. Die für ihre riskanten Störaktionen bekannte Naturschutzorganisation Sea Shepherd hat dieses Jahr nicht nur Schiffe im Einsatz, um die Walfänger aufzuspüren. Sie nutzen erstmals auch eine Drohne.

spiegel.de

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"Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis" ?


Denken Sie daran, den Film "Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis"? Nicht nur hatte das Glück, Pottwal, die plötzlich aus dem Nichts ein paar Meilen über der Oberfläche des Planeten entstanden. Wie bei der Pottwal ist eine sehr ungewöhnliche Situation, hatte das arme unschuldige Geschöpf nur sehr wenig Zeit, um ein Bild der Welt zusammensetzen, um unseren Platz in ihr zu verstehen und erkennen, dass dieser Ort wird in Kürze frei geworden.

Die Experten der Society of Wildlife Yorkshire gefunden Meerestiere etwa 800 Meter vom Ufer des Stausees, schreibt Yorkshire Post. Es ist noch unbekannt, wie genau die Wale so weit vom Wasser entfernt wurde. Wie von den Experten gesagt, lief das Tier auf Grund, und wandte sich dann an der Küste, und dann scheinbar auf die Seite gedreht. In dieser Position blockiert den Wal Auslauf auf dem Kopf.

Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis

telegraph.co.uk via

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Monsanto Denies Superinsect Science


As the summer growing season draws to a close, 2011 is emerging as the year of the superinsect—the year pests officially developed resistance to Monsanto's genetically engineered (ostensibly) bug-killing corn.

While the revelation has given rise to alarming headlines, neither Monsanto nor the EPA, which regulates pesticides and pesticide-infused crops, can credibly claim surprise. Scientists have been warning that the EPA's rules for planting the crop were too lax to prevent resistance since before the agency approved the crop in 2003. And in 2008, research funded by Monsanto itself showed that resistance was an obvious danger.

motherjones.com

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Japan Quake Map


About this site On the 11th of March 2011, the world's media reported a massive earthquake off the East coast of Japan. It turned out to hit magnitude 9 on the Richter scale, and caused a devastating tsunami; the region's nuclear power facilities have been experiencing major difficulties since the earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of events leading to massive overheating.

japanquakemap.com

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The penis festival (Kanamara Matsuri) in Kawasaki was cancelled this year for respect of the disaster in Tohoku.


The annual Kanamara Matsuri parade, a raunchy procession of giant phalluses borne aloft on omikoshi (portable shrines), which are marched down the streets of Kawasaki, Tokyo’s southern neighbor, has been cancelled.

Tokyo Sports (Mar. 30) reports that the parade, organized by the Kanamara Shrine, had been planned for the first Sunday in April (falling on April 3 this year), but will not be held out of respect for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Kanamara Matsuri

tokyoreporter.com

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Earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hits Thailand, 69 miles north of Chiang Rai


North-east Burma has been rocked by two 7.0 magnitude earthquakes, close to the borders with Laos and Thailand, the US Geological Survey has reported.

bbc.co.uk washingtonpost.com

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Super Moon


During the full moon on March 19th 2011 the moon was only 221,565 miles (356,575 kilometers) away. The closest it’s been in almost 20 years. It appeared 14 percent bigger and 30% brighter than usual. As of this writing, Flickr members have uploaded more than 3,700 pictures of it and the night isn’t even over!

Super Moon

flickr.net

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This is What the Japan Earthquake Sounded Like..


We have seen horrifying videos of areas in Japan being torn up by the tsunami and magnitude 9 earthquake, but how did it actually sound?

A new video overlays the sounds caused by the earthquake with footage from the disaster.

fooyoh.com

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Japan: Hopes fade for finding more survivors


As officials desperately tried to prevent disaster at a damaged nuclear facility, hopes faded for finding survivors amid the rubble as snow and cold blanketed the areas most affected by the earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan. Residents were allowed back into damaged areas for the first time since the disaster to inspect what might be left of their homes. And flights out of Japan were full as foreign nationals and others left the country. The Big Picture continues special daily coverage of the disaster through tomorrow, with later updates anticipated as events merit. -- Lane Turner (27 photos total)

boston.com

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The Big Picture - Japan: Continuing crisis


As if conditions for survivors and emergency workers weren't bad enough after the massive earthquake and tsunami, snow fell today in chilly Northern Japan. The dire situation prompted the first-ever televised address to the nation from Emperor Akihito, who made no such speech even after the Kobe earthquake in 1995. As aid and personnel poured into Japan, the nuclear crisis prompted neighboring countries to step up inspections of Japanese foods, and prompted governments worldwide to study their own nuclear energy policies. Meanwhile the grim work of recovery continued. -- Lane Turner (28 photos total)

STR/AFP/Getty Images

boston.com

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Magnitude 6.2 in Shizuoka - Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station


The focus of the quake is in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture and is estimated to be at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 23:05 +0900 (JST)

nhk.or.jp jnes.go.jp/atom-db/en/general/ Hamaoka_Nuclear_Power_Plant

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