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",

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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

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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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