Tsunami warnings for Pacific after quake

A tsunami warning has been issued for New Zealand, the Philippines, American Samoa, Guam, and Fiji. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake, took place at 8:40 with a magnitude of 7.6 and was centered 25 miles south-southeast of New Georgia Islands, and 1330 miles (2145 km) north-northeast of Brisbane, Australia. The second earthquake minutes after had a magnitude of 6.7. There are no report of injuries or damage.

Pungent pulp: Panda poop perfect for paper

March 27, 2007

Researchers at a giant panda reserve in Southern China is trying to find paper mills to process panda excrement into paper. Liao Jun, a researcher find the idea after a visit to Thailand last year where they found paper made out of elephant dung. They hope to have the product available by next year. The purpose of this is not to make a profit, but to recycle the waste. In the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base the 40 pandas produce about two tons of droppings a day. When asked about customers that might consider the paper unsanitary. Liao Jun reply with "People won't find it gross at all, they won't even be able to tell its from panda poop".

Video appears to show brothers, 2 and 5, smoking pot

Video http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/law/2007/03/04/vo.tx.kids.smoking.pot.affl

Police in Fort Worth, Texas, said a video tape was founded in search of stolen goods in the apartment of 17 year old Demetris McCoy, uncle of two children and 18 year old Vanswan Poltry. The tape shows the two teenagers persuading a 2 year old boy and a 5 year old to smoke marijuana. "I have never seen anything like this quite so disturbing," said Bruce Ure, director of public safety for the Watauga Police Department. "Our children count on us to protect them; these individuals did everything but protect these children." These 2 teenagers were obviously trying to get the 2 children high, in the video you can see that the 2 children are stumbling and falling around. The boy’s mother was sleeping in the backroom during the incident. Ure said that he thinks this may not be the first time the children have smoked marijuana. Because in the video the children are holding the marijuana cigarette and inhaling, like they have done it before.

When I saw the video, I was shocked because those two teenagers are purposely trying to get the children high. You can hear them laughing in the background of the video. It’s even more amazing that the children are only 5 and 2 years old, and they are doing drugs already. I think the police should investigate this incident and put a stop to it.

Tire-sized calamari rings? Half-ton squid reeled in

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/22/colossal.squid.ap/index.html

In Wellington, New Zealand a fishing crew caught a colossal squid that weighed an estimate of 990 pounds and was about 39 feet long. This prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed. If we made calamari rings were made out of this squid, they would be the size of tractor tires. Colossal squid are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long. The squid found would be 330 pounds heavier than the next biggest specimen found. The frozen squid will be transported to New Zealand national museum, Te Papa to be preserved for further research.

Ask Why?

February 20, 2007

Many people immigrant to Canada looking for the “Canadian Dream”, I believe that they are looking for freedom, looking for a good job and a better future for their children. But that’s the case for 45 year old Maheswary Puvaneswaran. She is from Sri Lanka and she and her family immigrated to Canada, after 13 years of living in Canada she is still living in poverty. Her husband worked at a Toronto glass factory until he got injured and underwent two operations on his hand. He tried going back to work but failed. Two months ago her husband went back to Sri Lanka to visit his sick mother. Now Maheswary Puvaneswaran has to go back to work and take care of the family. She and her family lives in a one bedroom apartment with no sofas, no beds. She has to work from 11.pm to dawn at a condominium where she mops the floor, empty garbage and scrub toilets. She is only earning 1,150 dollars in a entire month, and sometimes less. Her rent for her apartment is 849 dollars. This leaves her with very little extra money to survive on. She stays optimistic and she said if her income was 1,200 she says, “she can manage”.

Rio samba school leader shot dead

February 14, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/02/14/rio.violence.ap/index.html

In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, a leader of the Samba parade groups was shot early wednesday. He was killed just days before Brazil’s famed Carnival celebrations in the "Sambadromo" Stadium this Sunday. Guaracy Paes Falcao, 42 years old and a woman was killed in their car by an unidentified gunman. Guaracy was the vice president of a top tier samba school. The Brazil media reports that as many as 20 shots were fired.

US helicopter crash near Baghdad

February 7, 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6338787.stm

A U.S. military helicopter has gone down near Baghdad. This is the fifth incident in Iraq this year. Witnesses says they saw the CH-46 Sea Knight aircraft go down amid gunfire from the ground, about 30km north west of Baghdad. "The helicopter was flying and passed over us, then we heard the firing of a missile, The helicopter then turned into a ball of fire. It flew in a circle twice, then it went down." quote from a farmer named Mohammad al-Janabi.
More recent helicopter losses in Iraq are: on 7 Feb: CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter goes down.

2 Feb: Apache helicopter goes down near US air base at Taji, two lives lost

28 Jan: Apache downed while supporting Iraqi troops near Najaf, two lives lost

23 Jan: OH-6A helicopter used by private US security firm Blackwater crashes in Baghdad after coming under "heavy gunfire"; four civilians killed

20 Jan: Black Hawk goes down near Baghdad, with loss of 12 lives
Now U.S. has loss more than 50 military helicopters in Iraq since May 2003.