Capitalism Needs A Fix

Free market flawed, says survey

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a new BBC poll has found widespread dissatisfaction with free-market capitalism.

In the global poll for the BBC World Service, only 11% of those questioned across 27 countries said that it was working well.

Most thought regulation and reform of the capitalist system were necessary.

There were also sharp divisions around the world on whether the end of the Soviet Union was a good thing.

Twenty years on, this new global poll suggests confidence in free markets has taken heavy blows from the past 12 months of financial and economic crisis.

More than 29,000 people in 27 countries were questioned. In only two countries, the United States and Pakistan, did more than one in five people feel that capitalism works well as it stands.

Almost a quarter - 23% of those who responded - feel it is fatally flawed. That is the view of 43% in France, 38% in Mexico and 35% in Brazil.

And there is very strong support around the world for governments to distribute wealth more evenly. That is backed by majorities in 22 of the 27 countries.

If there is one issue where a global consensus seems to emerge from the survey it is this: there are majorities almost everywhere wanting government to be more active in regulating business.

It is only in Turkey that a majority want less government regulation.

For the rest of this story and a couple of really good charts, go to BBC NEWS Special Reports Free market flawed, says survey

Whether it is "more" or "less" government involvement, something needs to be done in most, if not all, of these capitalist societies. Look around YOU, "it really is NOT working for the majority of people. If some things do not change soon, there will be nothing but chaos.

"Global Neighbor Capitalism",

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Animalz": Wolves, Dogs And Mankind Facebook Bobby Sharpe

Arctic Ice Melt, Polar Shift?

Vast expanses of Arctic ice melt in summer heat

TUKTOYAKTUK, Northwest Territories - The Arctic Ocean has given up tens of thousands more square miles (square kilometers) of ice in a relentless summer of melt, with scientists watching through satellite eyes for a possible record low polar ice cap.

From the barren Arctic shore of this village in Canada's far northwest, 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) north of Seattle, veteran observer Eddie Gruben has seen the summer ice retreating more each decade as the world has warmed. By this weekend the ice edge lay some 80 miles (128 kilometers) at sea.

"Forty years ago, it was 40 miles (64 kilometers) out," said Gruben, 89, patriarch of a local contracting business.

Global average temperatures rose 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degree Celsius) in the past century, but Arctic temperatures rose twice as much or even faster, almost certainly in good part because of manmade greenhouse gases, researchers say.

In late July the mercury soared to almost 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in this settlement of 900 Inuvialuit, the name for western Arctic Eskimos.

"The water was really warm," Gruben said. "The kids were swimming in the ocean."

As of Thursday, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center reported, the polar ice cap extended over 2.61 million square miles (6.75 million square kilometers) after having shrunk an average 41,000 square miles (106,000 square kilometers) a day in July -- equivalent to one Indiana or three Belgiums daily.

The rate of melt was similar to that of July 2007, the year when the ice cap dwindled to a record low minimum extent of 1.7 million square miles (4.3 million square kilometers) in September.

In its latest analysis, the Colorado-based NSIDC said Arctic atmospheric conditions this summer have been similar to those of the summer of 2007, including a high-pressure ridge that produced clear skies and strong melt in the Beaufort Sea, the arm of the Arctic Ocean off northern Alaska and northwestern Canada.

In July, "we saw acceleration in loss of ice," the U.S. center's Walt Meier told The Associated Press. In recent days the pace has slowed, making a record-breaking final minimum "less likely but still possible," he said.

Scientists say the makeup of the frozen polar sea has shifted significantly the past few years, as thick multiyear ice has given way as the Arctic's dominant form to thin ice that comes and goes with each winter and summer.

The past few years have "signaled a fundamental change in the character of the ice and the Arctic climate," Meier said.

Ironically, the summer melts since 2007 appear to have allowed disintegrating but still thick multiyear ice to drift this year into the relatively narrow channels of the Northwest Passage, the east-west water route through Canada's Arctic islands. Usually impassable channels had been relatively ice-free the past two summers.

"We need some warm temperatures with easterly or southeasterly winds to break up and move this ice to the north," Mark Schrader, skipper of the sailboat "Ocean Watch," e-mailed The Associated Press from the west entrance to the passage.

The steel-hulled sailboat, with scientists joining it at stops along the way, is on a 25,000-mile (40,232-kilometer), foundation-financed circumnavigation of the Americas, to view and demonstrate the impact of climate change on the continents' environments.

Environmentalists worry, for example, that the ice-dependent polar bear will struggle to survive as the Arctic cap melts. Schrader reported seeing only one bear, an animal chased from the Arctic shore of Barrow, Alaska, that "swam close to Ocean Watch on its way out to sea."

Observation satellites' remote sensors will tell researchers in September whether the polar cap diminished this summer to its smallest size on record. Then the sun will begin to slip below the horizon for several months, and temperatures plunging in the polar darkness will freeze the surface of the sea again, leaving this and other Arctic coastlines in the grip of ice. Most of the sea ice will be new, thinner and weaker annual formations, however.

At a global conference last March in Copenhagen, scientists declared that climate change is occurring faster than had been anticipated, citing the fast-dying Arctic cap as one example. A month later, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted Arctic summers could be almost ice-free within 30 years, not at the century's end as earlier predicted.

This is a very interesting read, and, to some, "probably quite disturbing". However, there is much speculation going on, and, "it's not like this never happened before"! Also, if YOU read the previous story I posted on this blog, "the ice in Antarctica is actually growing". As I always say, "stay awake and pay attention".

"Be Informed, Pay Attention",

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's " Opyn Mindz": Anak Krakatau Volcano Growing Bobby Sharpe's "Indigo Spiritz": Ascending YOU

Argentinian Ice Grows

Glacier Grows Despite Global Warming

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (June 14) – Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.

Nourished by Andean snowmelt, the glacier constantly grows even as it spawns icebergs the size of apartment buildings into a frigid lake, maintaining a nearly perfect equilibrium since measurements began more than a century ago.

"We're not sure why this happens," said Andres Rivera, a glacialist with the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile. "But not all glaciers respond equally to climate change."

Viewed at a safe distance on cruise boats or the wooden observation deck just beyond the glacier's leading edge, Perito Moreno's jagged surface radiates a brilliant white in the strong Patagonian sun. Submerged sections glow deep blue.

And when the wind blows in a cloud cover, the 3-mile-wide (5 kilometer) glacier seems to glow from within as the surrounding mountains and water turn a meditative gray.

Every few years, Perito Moreno expands enough to touch a point of land across Lake Argentina, cutting the nation's largest freshwater lake in half and forming an ice dam as it presses against the shore.

The water on one side of the dam surges against the glacier, up to 200 feet (60 meters) above lake level, until it breaks the ice wall with a thunderous crash, drowning the applause of hundreds of tourists.

"It's like a massive building falling all of the sudden," said park ranger Javier D'Angelo, who experienced the rupture in 2008 and 1998.

The rupture is a reminder that while Perito Moreno appears to be a vast, 19-mile-long (30 kilometer) frozen river, it's a dynamic icescape that moves and cracks unexpectedly.

"The glacier has a lot of life," said Luli Gavina, who leads mini-treks across the glacier's snow fields.

Another example of how "everywhere" is NOT going through "global warming". One of the biggest myths ever. Right up there with religion! Not only is this glacier growing, the ice packs on the eastern side of Antarctica are thicker and deeper than they were 50 plus years ago. As I have told YOU many times before, "we are OVERDUE for an "ice age".

"Global Neighbor Argentina",

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's " Opyn Mindz": 2012 & Bobby's Innervision Facebook Bobby Sharpe

White & Black Folks Fading Away

Me and my son Sean 1st & 2nd generation MR

Multiracial Americans Fastest Growing Demographic Group

Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges traditional notions of race.

The number of multiracial people rose 3.4 percent last year to about 5.2 million, according to the latest census estimates. First given the option in 2000, Americans who check more than one box for race on census surveys have jumped by 33 percent and now make up 5 percent of the minority population — with millions more believed to be uncounted.

Demographers attributed the recent population growth to more social acceptance and slowing immigration. They cited in particular the high public profiles of Tiger Woods and President Barack Obama, a self-described "mutt," who are having an effect on those who might self-identify as multiracial.

Population figures as of July 2008 show that California, Texas, New York and Florida had the most multiracial people, due partly to higher numbers of second- and later-generation immigrants who are more likely to "marry out." Measured by percentages, Hawaii ranked first with nearly 1 in 5 residents who were multiracial, followed by Alaska and Oklahoma, both at roughly 4 percent.

Utah had the highest growth rate of multiracial people in 2008 compared to the previous year, a reflection of loosening social morals in a mostly white state.

"Multiracial unions have been happening for a very long time, but we are only now really coming to terms with saying it's OK," said Carolyn Liebler, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota who specializes in family, race and ethnicity.

"I don't think we've nearly tapped the potential. Millions are yet to come out," she said.

In Middletown, N.J., Kayci Baldwin, 17, said she remembers how her black father and white mother often worried whether she would fit in with the other kids. While she at first struggled with her identity, Baldwin now actively embraces it, sponsoring support groups and a nationwide multiracial teen club of 1,000 that includes both Democrats and Republicans.

"I went to my high school prom last week with my date who is Ecuadoran-Nigerian, a friend who is Chinese-white and another friend who is part Dominican," she said. "While we are a group that was previously ignored in many ways, we now have an opportunity to fully identify and express ourselves."

The latest demographic change comes amid a debate on the role of race in America, complicating conventional notions of minority rights.

Under new federal rules, many K-12 schools next year will allow students for the first time to indicate if they are "two or more races." The move is expected to cause shifts in how test scores are categorized, potentially altering race disparities and funding for education programs.

Five justices of the Supreme Court have signaled they would like to end racial preferences in voting rights and employment cases — a majority that may not change even if Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed as the first Hispanic justice. Blacks and Hispanics, meanwhile, are touting a growing minority population and past discrimination in pushing for continued legal protections.

Left out of the discussion are multiracial people, who are counted as minorities but can be hard to define politically and socioeconomically. Demographers say that while some multiracial Americans may feel burdened or isolated by their identity, others quickly learn to navigate it and can flourish from their access to more racial networks.

"The significance of race as we know it in today's legal and government categories will be obsolete in less than 20 years," said William H. Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution.
"The rise of mixed-race voters will dilute the racial identity politics that have become prevalent in past elections," he said.

Liebler noted a potential dilemma where a white student who is one-eighth Cherokee applies to college and seeks an admissions preference based on race and disadvantaged status. Should the college give the multiracial student the boost, if one-eighth of his family suffered a past racial harm but seven-eighths of his family were the perpetrators?

"It's a huge question for our legal system and our policies," she said. "Tomorrow we could have a legal case that challenges whether a multiracial person is a minority."

Census data also show:

• More than half of the multiracial population was younger than 20 years old, a reflection of declining social stigma as interracial marriages became less taboo.

• Interracial marriages increased threefold to 4.3 million since 2000, when Alabama became the last state to lift its unenforceable ban on interracial marriages. (The Supreme Court barred race-based restrictions on marriage in 1967.) About 1 in 13 marriages are mixed race, with the most prevalent being white-Hispanic, white-American Indian and white-Asian.

• Due to declining immigration because of legal restrictions and the lackluster economy, the growth rates of the Hispanic and Asian populations slowed last year to 3.2 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, compared to multiracial people's 3.4 percent. The black population rose at a rate of about 1 percent; the white population only marginally increased.

Currently, census forms allow U.S. residents to check more than one box for their race. But there is no multiracial category, and survey responses can vary widely depending on whether a person considers Hispanic a race or ethnicity.

"It's all about awareness," said Susan Graham, founder and executive director of California-based Project Race, which advocates for a multiracial classification on government forms. "We want a part of the pie chart."

The 2008 census estimates used local records of births and deaths and tax records of people moving within the U.S. The figures for "white" refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity. For purposes of defining interracial marriages, Hispanic is counted as a race.

Very interesting read. In the late 1970's, I read a novel, which I cannot remember the name, that was based on projections of the future. In that novel, by a certain time period, "there will be no more white or black people". There will only be multiracial people. This prophecy seems to be accelerating. Which is fine by me, since I have been of multiracial heritage all my life. Just like Tiger, Barack and many many more multiracial souls on this planet. This way, YOU look at life from more than just one perspective. Something more humans need to cultivate.

"Multiracial Is Good For The Planet",

Bobby Sharpe "Dragon, Book Of Shang"2 Bobby Sharpe's "Indigo Spiritz": You, The One & Only

Dragons Terrorizing Indonesians

Komodo Dragon goes Grizzly

Komodo Dragon Attacks Terrorize Indonesian Villages

KOMODO ISLAND, Indonesia — Komodo dragons have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite. Yet villagers who have lived for generations alongside the world's largest lizard were not afraid — until the dragons started to attack.

The stories spread quickly across this smattering of tropical islands in southeastern Indonesia, the only place the endangered reptiles can still be found in the wild: Two people were killed since 2007 — a young boy and a fisherman — and others were badly wounded after being charged unprovoked.

Komodo dragon attacks are still rare, experts note. But fear is swirling through the fishing villages, along with questions on how best to live with the dragons in the future.

Main, a 46-year-old park ranger, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name, was doing paperwork when a dragon slithered up the stairs of his wooden hut in Komodo National Park and went for his ankles dangling beneath the desk. When the ranger tried to pry open the beast's powerful jaws, it locked its teeth into his hand.

"I thought I wouldn't survive... I've spent half my life working with Komodos and have never seen anything like it," said Main, pointing to his jagged gashes, sewn up with 55 stitches and still swollen three months later. "Luckily, my friends heard my screams and got me to hospital in time."

Komodos, which are popular at zoos in the United States to Europe, grow to be 10 feet long and 150 pounds. All of the estimated 2,500 left in the wild can be found within the 700-square-mile Komodo National Park, mostly on its two largest islands, Komodo and Rinca. The lizards on neighboring Padar were wiped out in the 1980s when hunters killed their main prey, deer.

Though poaching is illegal, the sheer size of the park — and a shortage of rangers — makes it almost impossible to patrol, said Heru Rudiharto, a biologist and reptile expert. Villagers say the dragons are hungry and more aggressive toward humans because their food is being poached, though park officials are quick to disagree.

The giant lizards have always been dangerous, said Rudiharto. However tame they may appear, lounging beneath trees and gazing at the sea from white-sand beaches, they are fast, strong and deadly.

The animals are believed to have descended from a larger lizard on Indonesia's main island Java or Australia around 30,000 years ago. They can reach speeds of up to 18 miles (nearly 30 kilometers) per hour, their legs winding around their low, square shoulders like egg beaters.

When they catch their prey, they carry out a frenzied biting spree that releases venom, according to a new study this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors, who used surgically excised glands from a terminally ill dragon at the Singapore Zoo, dismissed the theory that prey die from blood poisoning caused by toxic bacteria in the lizard's mouth.

"The long, jaded teeth are the primary weapons. They deliver these deep, deep wounds," said Bryan Fry of the University of Melbourne. "But the venom keeps it bleeding and further lowers the blood pressure, thus bringing the animal closer to unconsciousness."

Four people have been killed in the last 35 years (2009, 2007, 2000 and 1974) and at least eight injured in just over a decade. But park officials say these numbers aren't overly alarming given the steady stream of tourists and the 4,000 people who live in their midst.

"Any time there's an attack, it gets a lot of attention," Rudiharto said. "But that's just because this lizard is exotic, archaic, and can't be found anywhere but here."

Still, the recent attacks couldn't have come at a worse time.

The government is campaigning hard to get the park onto a new list of the Seven Wonders of Nature — a long shot, but an attempt to at least raise awareness. The park's rugged hills and savannahs are home to orange-footed scrub fowl, wild boar and small wild horses, and the surrounding coral reefs and bays harbor more than a dozen whale species, dolphins and sea turtles.

Claudio Ciofi, who works at the Department of Animal Biology and Genetics at the University of Florence in Italy, said if komodos are hungry, they may be attracted to villages by the smell of drying fish and cooking, and "encounters can become more frequent."

Villagers wish they knew the answer.

They say they've always lived peacefully with Komodos. A popular traditional legend tells of a man who once married a dragon "princess." Their twins, a human boy, Gerong, and a lizard girl, Orah, were separated at birth.

When Gerong grew up, the story goes, he met a fierce-looking beast in the forest. But just as he was about to spear it, his mother appeared, revealing to him that the two were brother and sister.

"How could the dragons get so aggressive?" Hajj Amin, 51, taking long slow drags off his clove cigarettes, as other village elders gathering beneath a wooden house on stilts nodded. Several dragons lingered nearby, drawn by the rancid smell of fish drying on bamboo mats beneath the blazing sun. Also strolling by were dozens of goats and chickens.

"They never used to attack us when we walked alone in the forest, or attack our children," Amin said. "We're all really worried about this."

"They never used to attack us when we walked alone in the forest, or attack our children," Amin said. "We're all really worried about this."

The dragons eat 80 percent of their weight and then go without food for several weeks. Amin and others say the dragons are hungry partly because of a 1994 policy that prohibits villagers from feeding them.

"We used to give them the bones and skin of deer," said the fisherman.

Villagers recently sought permission to feed wild boar to the Komodos several times a year, but park officials say that won't happen.

"If we let people feed them, they will just get lazy and lose their ability to hunt," said Jeri Imansyah, another reptile expert. "One day, that will kill them. "

The attack that first put villagers on alert occurred two years ago, when 8-year-old Mansyur was mauled to death while defecating in the bushes behind his wooden hut.

People have since asked for a 6-foot-high concrete wall to be built around their villages, but that idea, too, has been rejected. The head of the park, Tamen Sitorus, said: "It's a strange request. You can't build a fence like that inside a national park!"

Residents have made a makeshift barrier out of trees and broken branches, but they complain it's too easy for the animals to break through.

"We're so afraid now," said 11-year-old Riswan, recalling how just a few weeks ago students screamed when they spotted one of the giant lizards in a dusty field behind their school. "We thought it was going to get into our classroom. Eventually we were able to chase it up a hill by throwing rocks and yelling 'Hoohh Hoohh."

Then, just two months ago, 31-year-old fisherman Muhamad Anwar was killed when he stepped on a lizard in the grass as he was heading to a field to pick fruit from a sugar tree.

Even park rangers are nervous.

Gone are the days of goofing around with the lizards, poking their tails, hugging their backs and running in front of them, pretending they're being chased, said Muhamad Saleh, who has worked with the animals since 1987.

"Not any more," he says, carrying a 6-foot-long stick wherever he goes for protection. Then, repeating a famous line by Indonesia's most renowned poet, he adds: "I want to live for another thousand of years."

What is there to say, "these are NOT your domesticated house pets" to be played with and harrassed. After all these years, I guess the lizards have had enough.

"Indonesian Animals Rule, Even Komodo Dragons",

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Techertainment": Terminator: Salvation & District 9 Bobby Sharpe's " Opyn Mindz": Melting Ice, Problems With Water

Brazilians, Anacondas, Alligators Flee

Brazilians flee flooding, stay in cow pens

BACABAL, Brazil – Brazilians huddled in cow pens converted into emergency shelters Friday, as swollen rivers continue to rise and northern Brazil's worst floods in decades boosted the number of homeless to nearly 300,000. The death toll rose to 39, and coffins started popping out of the soaked earth.

More than 1,000 people forced from their homes were crammed into a sprawling complex of stables and wooden shacks that hosts the annual August cattle fair in this city of 95,000 surrounded by small farms and jungle.

Up to six people were staying in each pen, sleeping in hammocks, mattresses and on the floor. They cooked government handouts of rice and beans over open wood fires, many with the TVs they toted with them stacked among their belongings.

Others stayed in shacks normally used to sell trinkets and cattle products during the annual fair. The pigs, chickens and dogs they brought with them roamed a concrete courtyard where children kicked around balls.

Local health officials acknowledged sanitary conditions were deplorable and could lead to outbreaks of disease, but those staying in the stables said they worried conditions could be worse elsewhere if they are forced to go.

Luz Gomes said a cow pen felt like a safe temporary home for her three children, with her neighbors living in the stall next door after all were evacuated by flatbed truck as floodwaters swept through their poor neighborhood of wooden shacks and mud-brick houses.

"We've gotten used to being here, I've got my family by my side, we know this place and we don't know what we'd find in another shelter," said Gomes, while cradling her baby son.

None thought about returning home anytime soon as unusually heavy rains continued Friday, extending two months of rainfall across 10 of Brazil's 26 states. Three times the size of Alaska, the affected area stretches from the normally wet rainforest to coastal states known for lengthy droughts.

In Belterra, about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from Bacabal, the rains washed earth from a cemetery, dislodging four coffins that later washed up on riverbanks and sending an unknown number floating down the Tapajos River that feeds into the Amazon.

"The current was so strong that it dragged them away," said city official Edicley Dias.

Meteorologists blame the heavy rain on an Atlantic Ocean weather system that typically moves on by April — and they forecast weeks more of the same. And fleeing presented its own perils: In the same newly formed rivers that flood victims waded through or plied with canoes there swam anacondas, rattlesnakes and legless, rodent-eating "worm lizards," whose bite is excruciating.

Alligators also were seen swimming through many flooded cities and towns, and scorpions congregated on the same high ground as people escaping the rising water. No injuries to people from wild animals were reported.

Rivers still were rising in the hardest-hit state of Maranhao, where Bacabal is located. The surging torrents wrecked bridges and made it too dangerous for relief workers to take boats onto some waterways. Mudslides were stranding trucks, preventing them from delivering food and supplies to places cut off from civilization.

"They are stuck and waiting until we can clear the roads, which for some highways could be in a week if alternative routes aren't found," said Abner Ferreira, civil defense spokesman for Maranhao.

Cleide Soede dos Santos, camped out at the fairgrounds, said her devastated neighborhood would probably take months to rebuild once waters recede.

"Our houses are falling down, and on my street there are houses that were completely destroyed because the river's flow was so strong," she said.

Ferreira said authorities were trying to improve conditions: "We are doing the best we can to find sanitary shelters so that people can live in adequate places."

The flooding in northern Brazil is the worst in 20 years, and experts have warned river levels including the Amazon could hit records not seen since 1953 by June.

Needless to say, this is another natural disaster that these people have no control over. They are having to deal with some incredible circumstances. Once again, the weather patterns and climatic conditions are under going global changes. YOU need to pay attention!

"Global Neighbor Brazil,"

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Animalz": New Species(200)Found Bobby Sharpe's " Opyn Mindz": Drink White Tea, Fight Weight

Iceland - Centre-left Comeback

Centre-left wins Iceland election

Iceland's ruling centre-left government looks set to have won a major victory in the country's early elections.

Preliminary results show the coalition has won 35 of the 63 seats available, its first ever parliamentary majority.

Iceland has been one of the countries most dramatically affected by the global economic crisis.

The conservative Independence party, which resigned in January amid widespread protests over the economy, won 15 seats and has conceded defeat.

The Social Democratic Alliance and the Left Green Movement formed a coalition caretaker government in February, under Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir.

Ms Sigurdardottir said if the results were correct it would be "historic".

"This is the first time that leftist parties will hold a majority. I hope this will be the result," she said.

Ms Sigurdardottir told supporters the nation was "settling the score with the neoliberalism" and with the Independence party who "have been in power for much too long".

"The people are calling for a change of ethics. That is why they have voted for us," she said.

Independence leader Bjarni Benediktsson said it was clear that his party had lost the trust of voters.

"We lost this time but we will win again later," he said.

EU debate

The small North Atlantic nation has a population of only 300,000.

But it had to take a $10bn (£6.8bn) rescue package, led by the International Monetary Fund, after its banking sector imploded late last year.

The next government will face many challenges, centred around the economy, the BBC's Nicholas Walton says.

It needs rebuilding, with financial services no longer at its core. Unemployment and the government's ruined finances also need attention, our correspondent says.

There is also the question of whether or not to apply to join the European Union.
In the past, Icelanders felt that they were better off outside the EU.

But the financial crisis has changed opinions, our correspondent says. Now, many see EU membership or adopting the Euro as Iceland's currency, as part of the solution to the country's problems.

Pro-EU Ms Sigurdardottir said if the country applied immediately for membership it could begin using the Euro "within four years".

Congratulations to Ms. Sigurdardottir and her party. Hopefully, this will be the fix that Iceland needs to get back to being the wonderful country it has become. I have had contact with a number of friends in Iceland made over the years online, and, I want nothing but the best for them. They helped me tremendously with my first book and I am chomping at the bit to get there one day soon for a visit.

"Peace & Success To Iceland",

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Animalz": Hero Puppy Saves The Day "Dragon, Book Of Shang"2

Antarctica Icing And Cooling

Report: Antarctic Ice Growing, Not Shrinking

Ice is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental ice cap.

The results of ice-core drilling and sea ice monitoring indicate there is no large-scale melting of ice over most of Antarctica, although experts are concerned at ice losses on the continent's western coast.

Antarctica has 90 percent of the Earth's ice and 80 percent of its fresh water, The Australian reports. Extensive melting of Antarctic ice sheets would be required to raise sea levels substantially, and ice is melting in parts of west Antarctica. The destabilization of the Wilkins ice shelf generated international headlines this month.

However, the picture is very different in east Antarctica, which includes the territory claimed by Australia.

East Antarctica is four times the size of west Antarctica and parts of it are cooling. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research report prepared for last week's meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Washington noted the South Pole had shown "significant cooling in recent decades."

Australia Antarctic Division glaciology program head Ian Allison said sea ice losses in west Antarctica over the past 30 years had been more than offset by increases in the Ross Sea region, just one sector of east Antarctica.

"Sea ice conditions have remained stable in Antarctica generally," Allison said.

Ice core drilling in the fast ice off Australia's Davis Station in East Antarctica by the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-Operative Research Center shows that last year, the ice had a maximum thickness of 1.89m, its densest in 10 years.

A paper to be published soon by the British Antarctic Survey in the journal Geophysical Research Letters is expected to confirm that over the past 30 years, the area of sea ice around the continent has expanded.

Even though I am not a scientist or any other kind of scientific person, I do know some things. I know that we are overdue for an "ice age" and we are NOT warming as some would have YOU believe. Furthermore, humans have NO CONTROL over what is happening in this aspect on the planet. Get over yourself people. We control how badly we screw ourselves, but, have absolutely NO control over what the planet does. Remeber that when YOU are running around talking about "save the planet". YOU need to worry about saving YOU!

"The Planet & Universe Rule, Globally",

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Animalz": Unknown Population Found Thriving Bobby Sharpe's " Opyn Mindz": If YOU Are Still Here - Apophis

Somalia Pirates, Wipe Them Out NOW! PT 2

USS Bainbridge

I would like to give props to President Barack Obama, the US Navy, The Seals, Capt. Richard Phillips, the FBI and anyone else who helped bring this ridiculous situation to a wonderful conclusion for the "good guys". The US manned up and did what needed to be done. And did it without losing our hostage! It is time for the world to stop playing footsie with dirtbags like this and take a hard line as the French have done, and now the US. YOU cannot negotiate with scum like this without compromising your ethics and what the right move should be. Not to mention, paying this trash ridiculous amounts of money just makes them want more.

While we are "wiping out the pirates", who some seem to think are no more than pawns, why don't we start looking for whoever or whatever is behind these low level punks? Listen, these people are using highly sophisticated gps/tracking devices, computer technology, satellite cell phones and some pretty complex technology. Where are these people getting this stuff, AND, who is teaching them how to use it? Remember, this is Somalia! Not some high tech, highly developed, well educated society. We need the head of the beast. NOT the arm or leg.

Food for thought. How about going to Somalia and freeing the rest of the captive ships and crews? Wiping out these losers bases might give them something to think about.

"The Game Is Over" - United States Of America

Bobby Sharpe Bobby Sharpe's "Techertainment": Santana To Obama, "Legalize The Weed" Bobby Sharpe's "Animalz": Polar Bear Moat, Woman=Stupidity

Somalia Pirates, Wipe Them Out NOW

Tense Standoff Between U.S., Pirates

Mirrors Lawless Trend Off Somali Coast

The intensifying scene of a pirate standoff with the U.S. Navy is a bleak case study in the lawless dynamics of the piracy problem off the coast of Somalia.

The captain of a U.S.-flagged ship hijacked this week by a band of pirates attempted to escape Friday but didn't make it far, as the pirates fired gunshots and recaptured him. They then proceeded to demand a $2 million ransom, according to a Somali negotiator.

The Navy has sent the USS Bainbridge to the scene, and the pirates reportedly have called in reinforcements as well, seeking help from other bands of pirates on hijacked ships in the region.

The fate Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, hangs in the balance, but he is not alone. At least a dozen ships and more then 200 crew members are being held by pirates in the region.

YOU know, this really chaps my ass. These low life dirtbags, that are lower than any animalz on the planet, have the nerve to sit over there in their piece of crap out house of a country and try to dictate to the rest of the world "what the deal is". Who do they think they are to go out and just take ships and people captive and then demand a ransom? Obviously, they are that ignorant and stupid!

I want nothing more than to see these innocent hostages set free unharmed. However, there comes a time when YOU have to "break some eggs to make an omelet". It has been proven that negotiating with these a--holes and paying ransom is not going to stop the ongoing hijackings. It is time to start blowing their collective asses out of the water, and, if I am not mistaken, do what the Russians wanted to do months ago. Go on land in Somalia and wipe out these scums bases etc. Until we do that, this crap is going to keep on happening!! Man up United States and go and start kicking some ass and quit pussy footing around with the scum of the earth. Let them all know, "GAMES OVER"!!!!

"Wipe Out The Pirate Trash",

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Nuked Twice, Now 93

Man Survived 2 Atomic Bombings

TOKYO (March 24) — A 93-year-old Japanese man has become the first person certified as a survivor of both U.S. atomic bombings at the end of World War II, officials said Tuesday.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi had already been a certified "hibakusha," or radiation survivor, of the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing in Nagasaki, but has now been confirmed as surviving the attack on Hiroshima three days earlier as well, city officials said.

Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on Aug. 6, 1945, when a U.S. B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city. He suffered serious burns to his upper body and spent the night in the city. He then returned to his hometown of Nagasaki just in time for the second attack, city officials said.

"As far as we know, he is the first one to be officially recognized as a survivor of atomic bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Nagasaki city official Toshiro Miyamoto said. "It's such an unfortunate case, but it is possible that there are more people like him."

Certification qualifies survivors for government compensation — including monthly allowances, free medical checkups and funeral costs — but Yamaguchi's compensation will not increase, Miyamoto said.

Japan is the only country to have suffered atomic bomb attacks. About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Yamaguchi is one of about 260,000 people who survived the attacks. Bombing survivors have developed various illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer and liver illnesses.
Details of Yamaguchi's health problems were not released.

Thousands survivors continue to seek official recognition after the government rejected their eligibility for compensation. The government last year eased the requirements for being certified as a survivor, following criticism the rules were too strict and neglected many who had developed illnesses that doctors have linked to radiation.

This is an incredible story to say the least. It is also a testament to the will to survive of the soul. It also points out, "that when it is not your time to go, YOU will not go regardless." What I would like to know is, "what was going through his mind when he got back to Nagasaki and it got nuked". It would have to be something like, "are YOU freaking kidding me, who did I tick off to deserve this"?

Long & Peaceful May YOU Live Mr. Yamaguchi,

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Japanese Economy & Shame Equal "Suicide"

Desperate Japanese head to 'suicide forest'

AOKIGAHARA FOREST, Japan (CNN) -- Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan: breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides. Also called the Sea of Trees, this destination for the desperate is a place where the suicidal disappear, often never to be found in the dense forest.

Taro, a 46-year-old man fired from his job at an iron manufacturing company, hoped to fade into the blackness. "My will to live disappeared," said Taro. "I'd lost my identity, so I didn't want to live on this earth. That's why I went there."

Taro, who did not want to be identified fully, was swimming in debt and had been evicted from his company apartment.

He lost financial control, which he believes to be the foundation of any stable life, he said. "You need money to survive. If you have a girlfriend, you need money. If you want to get married, you need it for your life. Money is always necessary for your life."

Taro bought a one-way ticket to the forest, west of Tokyo, Japan. When he got there, he slashed his wrists, though the cut wasn't enough to kill him quickly.

He started to wander, he said. He collapsed after days and lay in the bushes, nearly dead from dehydration, starvation and frostbite. He would lose his toes on his right foot from the frostbite. But he didn't lose his life, because a hiker stumbled upon his nearly dead body and raised the alarm.

Taro's story is just one of hundreds logged at Aokigahara Forest every year, a place known throughout Japan as the "suicide forest." The area is home to the highest number of suicides in the entire country.

Japan's suicide rate, already one of the world's highest, has increased with the recent economic downturn.

There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 percent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government.

The Japanese government said suicide rates are a priority and pledged to cut the number of suicides by more than 20 percent by 2016. It plans to improve suicide awareness in schools and workplaces. But officials fear the toll will rise with unemployment and bankruptcies, matching suicide spikes in earlier tough economic times.

"Unemployment is leading to this," said Toyoki Yoshida, a suicide and credit counselor.

"Society and the government need to establish immediate countermeasures to prevent suicides. There should be more places where they can come and seek help."

Yoshida and his fellow volunteer, Norio Sawaguchi, posted signs in Aokigahara Forest urging suicidal visitors to call their organization, a credit counseling service. Both men say Japanese society too often turns a cold shoulder to the unemployed and bankrupt, and breeds a culture where suicide is still seen as an honorable option.

Local authorities, saying they are the last resort to stop people from killing themselves in the forest, have posted security cameras at the entrances of the forest.

The goal, said Imasa Watanabe of the Yamanashi Prefectural Government is to track the people who walk into the forest. Watanabe fears more suicidal visitors will arrive in the coming weeks.

"Especially in March, the end of the fiscal year, more suicidal people will come here because of the bad economy," he said. "It's my dream to stop suicides in this forest, but to be honest, it would be difficult to prevent all the cases here."

One year after his suicide attempt, Taro is volunteering with the credit counseling agency that helped him get back on his feet. He's still living in a shelter and looking for a job. He's ashamed, he said, that he still thinks about suicide.

"I try not to think about it, but I can't say never. For now, the will to live is stronger."

Not being of Japanese descent, or, part of their culture, I cannot fully understand what they are going through and their thought processes. Therefore, I neither can condemn nor support their actions. However, as a living breathing soul, to me, "suicide is surrendering to the forces that got YOU to this point". Hence, "YOU lose, they win". YOU were the weaker force, YOU quit! In my being, "that is not part of the game plan". Unless YOU programmed your journey to end like this when YOU were ready to incarnate, "there is no excuse for this action".

"Global Neighbor Japan, Be Strong",

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Undersea Volcano Erupts Off Tonga Coast

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga (March 18) - An undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga shooting clouds of smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the South Pacific ocean, officials said Wednesday.

Spectacular columns spewed out of the sea about 6 miles from the southwest coast off the main island of Tongatapu — an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, said Tonga's geological service head, Keleti Mafi.

"It's a very significant eruption, on quite a large scale," he told The Associated Press.

There was no sign the offshore eruption posed any danger to residents, he said, with trade winds blowing gas and steam away from the island.

Residents said the steam and ash column first appeared on Monday morning, after a series of sharp earthquakes were felt in the capital, Nuku'alofa.

"This is not unusual for this area and we expect this to happen here at any time," Mafi said, adding that a similar eruption took place there in 2002.

A Defense Force boat was expected to travel to the region soon to check the area.

It was likely the underwater eruption was taking place to the west of the low-lying twin volcanic islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai, within sight of Nuku'alofa.

Large amounts of pumice thrown up by the erupting volcano would likely clog beaches on the southern coast of nearby Fiji islands within a short time, he said.

Tonga, a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti, is part of the Pacific "ring of fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down through Vanuatu to Tonga.

This is an update to this story Major quake strikes off Tonga - CNN.com

This eruption fits right in with all of the other recent volcanic activity around the globe. It's almost like they are synching up. Pay attention.

"Global Neighbor Tonga",

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Japanese Volcano Blows!!

Volcano erupts in Japan

TOKYO - A VOLCANO in southern Japan erupted on Tuesday leading to a warning to nearby residents, the meteorological agency said.

The 1,117-metre Mount Sakurajima near Kagoshima city belched lava seven times from 5.22am (4.22am, Singapore time on Tuesday) and ejected cinders that were found nearly two kilometres from the crater, an agency official said.

'It's possible that the volcano will step up activity, and we have issued a warning to residents living nearby,' he told AFP.

The volcano, about 950km southwest of Tokyo, continued to spout fumes, although they were down from an earlier high of 1,200m.

The volcano last erupted in February, and the agency earlier this month boosted the alert level by a notch.

If YOU go to this link Volcano in Japan Erupts there is "raw video"(no sound)of the eruption. Pretty nasty!

"The Shift Is Underway",

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Dalai Lama - Chinese Take(opinion)

Dalai Lama should focus on Buddhism
By Shen Dingli (China Daily)

With his New Year message on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama once again proved his hostility toward his fellow Tibetans and his motherland.

As a long self-claimed Buddhist, the Dalai Lama should have focused on spreading Buddhist tenets and culture instead of showing an extreme interest in politics in an attempt to intervene in the country's political process under religious guise.

A few years ago, the Dalai Lama stopped playing any official role in the so-called Tibetan government in exile. That should have offered him a chance to be committed to Buddhism and make contributions for its development. Unfortunately, the Dalai Lama has chosen otherwise.

In his message to his compatriots on the eve of the Tibetan New Year, the Dalai Lama once again demonstrated his lack of basic knowledge about the country's legal system as well as a lack of common sense that religion is separated from politics worldwide.

Given his religious background and identity, the Dalai Lama should be disqualified from talking about politics at any time.

In his message, the Dalai Lama claimed that the large-scale "peaceful protests" launched in Tibetan-inhabited regions last year caused hundreds of deaths. His remarks are a serious denial of facts.

It is true that organized unrests and violence did occur in Tibet and beyond, but they were only confined to a small part of Tibetan-populated areas, not the whole area as the Dalai Lama claimed.

Enough material and facts indicate that an overwhelming part of the Tibetan region enjoyed a peaceful, stable and tranquil environment last year. Even last March, when Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, experienced a bloody riot, the rest of the region still remained stable.

The Dalai Lama was also wrong when he used the phrase "peaceful protest". Available facts have indicated that participants in the violence chose to use sticks, clods, stones and swords not only against security forces, who always maintained self-restraint in trying to restore stability in the region, but also against civilians, including shop owners, tourists and passersby.

His remarks that "hundreds of Tibetans lost lives" also proved to be a sheer lie. To restore peace and stability, the local government maintained self-restraint from the beginning of the outbreak of the riot. Persuasive talks and warnings were used to deal with violence. In that round of violent clashes, a total of 18 civilians died, not hundreds as the Dalai Lama put it. And they were beaten or burned to death by the rioters. Obviously, there exists an ulterior intention behind his lie.

On Feb 11, the Dalai Lama claimed that "the situation in Tibet is very strained, and incidents might burst out". In his New Year message two weeks later, he demanded that Tibetans should not take any action in a hasty manner.

The change of tones are obviously aimed at creating and disseminating a tense atmosphere in Tibet in an attempt to tell more people it is time to rise up and riot. Such practices will unavoidably cause people to heavily doubt whether the so-called Tibetan spiritual leader wants a peaceful and stable or a turbulent Tibet.

The answer is absolutely clear to all.

In his New Year speech, the Dalai Lama also hoped Tibetans care and value life and avoid violence. However, there are also exposed motives behind his words. On one hand, he aims to encourage extremist Tibetans to use violence, and on the other hand prepare a pretext in advance to evade his own responsibility in case unexpected things happen.

Since Chinese people have dealt with the Dalai Lama for ages, we are quite capable of grasping his overtones. Despite staying overseas for a long period as a religious figure, the Dalai Lama has never stopped his intervention in the country's politics.

Thus, he is completely incapable, morally or physically, to confront with the irreversible current of the national unity. Being such a busy person flying around the world, the Dalai Lama should have contributed to disseminating the essence of Buddhism.

However, he has chosen to sacrifice self-dignity and succumb to other countries' attitudes by distorting facts and fermenting riots. All his motives are doomed to failure.

As a religious figure, the Dalai Lama should conform to the historical trend of the national unification and focus on Buddhist teachings. His choice of a religious career should not be distracted by other affairs.

If he really cares about the Tibetans just as he said, the Dalai Lama should abide by the country's laws and sincerely put himself under the leadership of the central government, and take real actions to be a good Chinese citizen.

The author is director of the Center for American Studies at the Shanghai-based Fudan University.

I am NOT going to get caught up in this long standing conflict. I will say though, "I like the Dalai Lama". However, this is where YOU need to use your "opyn mindz" and form your own conclusions.

Peace, Love, & Opyn Mindz,

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Anchorage & Tokyo Volcanoes

Asama volcano eruption 2004

Some Alaskans Nervous About Volcano

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Feb. 3) — Maree Shogren knows firsthand the toxic power of a volcano, so don't blame her for being a little freaked out about the expected eruption of Alaska's Mount Redoubt.

The Anchorage woman vividly recalls the 1992 eruption of Mount Spurr, how its ash got into her car's electrical system, destroying the vehicle. The volcano 80 miles to the west spewed a huge black cloud over Alaska's largest city. It turned the bright day into night, raining abrasive gray ash that blanketed everything in eerie silence. The fine, gritty layer covered the soles of Shogren's shoes.

"I thought it was kind of apocalyptic, like it was the end of the world," said Shogren, who nervously anticipates a similar experience from Redoubt, 100 miles southwest.

Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Center said Monday they would expect a smaller mess in Anchorage from Redoubt — and no worse an ashfall in smaller, closer communities — unless an eruption is larger than expected.

The volcano has shown no escalation of tremors for two days, exhibiting a "waxing and waning of activity," but scientists still believe an explosion is more a matter of when than if, according to geologist Tina Neal.

Seismicity remains far above normal and steam continues to rise from the mountain. There are other telltale signs noted in a weekend flyover, including the discharge of volcanic gas and a hole in a glacier that doubled in size since Friday, spanning the length of two football fields on the north side of the volcano.

Geologists are monitoring Redoubt round the clock.

"The volcano is still displaying quite a bit of restlessness," Neal said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction for a 10-mile radius around Redoubt, from ground level to 60,000 feet, said Mike Fergus, an agency spokesman.

The volcano last blew in 1990, piling ash as deep as one-fifth of an inch in closer communities, but only slightly darkening the snow in Anchorage.

Geologist Chris Waythomas said Anchorage was untouched by a 1989 explosion. But that eruption sent ash 150 miles away into the path of a KLM flight carrying 231 passengers, flaming out its four engines. Pilots ultimately restarted the engines and landed safely.

But even a small amount of ash goes a long way. The Spurr ashfall in Anchorage did a lot of damage to cars. Shogren sold her ruined car for spare parts and this time she has stocked up on air filters and a tarp for her current vehicle, as have many other residents of Alaska's southcentral region. She's also stocked up on face masks, bottled water and canned goods so she can hole up inside if necessary.

"I'm thinking that if Redoubt did blow, I would just take a cab everywhere I needed to go," she said. "I wouldn't want to risk my car again."

Cars are extremely vulnerable to ash, said Mike Feeney, a longtime Anchorage mechanic. The ash is like sandpaper and can scratch up car paint and windshields. It also works swiftly through air filters, so Feeney recommends placing pantyhose in front of the vehicle's air intake system.

In the Spurr eruption, Feeney's repair shop worked on a lot of cars damaged by ash.

"Cars were coming in running just bad, plugged up air filters," he said. "Some people even pulled the air filter out trying to get from point A to point B. Ash can be a slow death to some older cars, destroying the engine so it's not worth fixing."

Breathing in volcanic ash feels heavy on the lungs and throat, and it lingers for months in backyards and roads. It finds its way into homes and offices, so many people also plan to cover computers with plastic and block off doors and windows with wet, rolled up towels.

One pleasant surprise for many after Spurr was the fertilizing effect ash had on lawns and gardens all over town. Feeney liked it so much he bagged the stuff and used it each summer for almost a decade.

"The soil loves it," he said.

Tokyo Volcano Eruption

Instead of posting the story for this eruption, I will just post the link to the story so YOU can watch the fly over video. Japan has 108 volcanoes. Two have recently erupted.Volcano Spews Smoke, Rock Near Tokyo

I post these stories on "Global Peoplz Newz" because volcanic eruptions, major ones especially, have an effect on the global community. Not just the origin of eruption.

"Global Neighbors Tokyo & Anchorage",

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Global News@France24.com

While watching tv the other day, I ran across some "new" hd channels on my set. One of the channels was showing a program called "France 24". It was a news show from France. It was really incredible and had a different spin on things. However, the really cool part was when they announced YOU could go to France24.com and get all the same stuff. SO, for all of YOU that like to stay globally connected, here is another outlet for YOU to check France 24 Latest world news report, find the events that make international Hope YOU enjoy as much as I do. Hey, we have to stay connected.

While YOU are checking out the site, YOU might want to listen to one of my favorite songs. This is "Sanctuary" by "Origene".

Global Neighbor France,

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Australia, Summer = Shark Attacks

Shark Attacks Rattle Australian Swimmers

SYDNEY, Australia (Jan. 14) - A recent string of shark attacks across Australia has rattled swimmers' nerves, but experts say fear not — it's (relatively) safe to go in the water.

"This is a mild hysteria," said Rachel Robbins, chief scientist at Australia's Rodney Fox Shark Research Foundation, named for and founded by the famed shark expert. "I think it's just a freak coincidence that we've happened to have three shark attacks" in two days.

Despite the assurances, a debate is raging over whether there are indeed more sharks in Australia's waters — or whether simply more swimmers are aware of the creatures' presence.

The trouble began on Dec. 27, when 51-year-old Brian Guest vanished while snorkeling with his son off a beach in Western Australia. A piece of his wet suit was later found, and officials said he was almost certainly eaten by a shark.

On Sunday, a 13-year-old surfer in the island state of Tasmania was dragged under water by a 16-foot (5-meter) great white shark, and a 31-year-old surfer was bitten while surfing at a remote beach in New South Wales state. Both survived.

On Monday, Steven Fogarty was snorkeling in southern New South Wales when a shark latched onto his leg. He survived after letting fly a flurry of punches that caused the shark to let go.

Several beaches have been closed after sharks were spotted close to shore, while officials have warned people to swim in groups, avoid swimming at dawn and dusk when sharks feed, and to stick to patrolled beaches.

Despite Australia's reputation as a haven for the man-eaters, only one fatal shark attack occurs on average each year, according to the Australian Shark Attack File database.

Database curator John West said there was no evidence that the number of sharks along Australia's coastline has grown in recent years and that the latest flurry of sightings probably came about because swimmers — frightened by the cluster of attacks — were on the lookout.

But Michael Brown, managing director of Surfwatch Australia, which conducts observational flights along beaches in the Sydney area several times a week, said there has been an "unbelievable increase" in the number of sharks spotted in the past few years.

Currents pulled nutrient-rich waters closer to the coast following storms off New South Wales about four years ago and left a perfect environment for smaller fish, which fed larger fish and, in turn, more sharks, he said.

Some Australian beaches are protected from sharks by submerged nets that run parallel to the shore. This week there have been heightened calls for nets to be installed at more beaches.
But the effectiveness of the nets is questionable: They do not create full enclosures, and sharks sometimes become caught on the inside as they swim away from the beach.

"Shark nets actually provide a perception of protection that's not there," said Trevor Long, a marine scientist at Sea World on Australia's Gold Coast.

Others have argued for targeted killings of large sharks.

But shark species including the great white — considered the most dangerous to man — are protected in Australian waters, and many dismiss the idea of killing them as misplaced.

They include Daniel Guest, whose father disappeared in the suspected attack just days after Christmas.

"Anybody who knows anything about the ocean knows that this is their (the sharks) territory and they're going to do what they're going to do," the 24-year-old said. "I don't want anybody to be scared to go into the water."

But if you're standing on the beach pondering a dip, it's hard not to ask the question: Is it safe?

"The rational (response) is you've got a much higher chance of dying (while) driving to the beach," said Adam Smith, director of the Great Australian Shark Count Project, which compiles statistics on shark sightings.

"The emotional one is: No one wants to be eaten alive."

As Daniel Guest stated above, "this is their(sharks)territory. It's where they live, breed and propagate their species". YOU don't just go and wantonly kill them because a few humans get nailed. If they are coming on land and searching out people, that's another story. But they aren't! So, either stay out of the water, or, follow the rules and guidelines for swimming in water that is occupied by the sharks. OR, be lunch!

"Global Neighbor Australia",

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