San Diego Zoo polar bears on thin ice.. [ 803 ]

Polar Bears on Thin Ice ??

March 25, 2010 - 11:13 AM | by: Adam Housley

At the San Diego Zoo polar bears are now on thin ice, at least that's the word from the zoo as a new million dollar expansion to its polar bear experience opens this week. The zoo has spent considerable time and money to make the exhibit interactive, but some critics complain with this interaction comes politics and they argue the zoo should stay out of a policy debate.

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As you make your way through this exhibit there's a carbon calculator, a walk that shows a shrinking ice cap and multiple displays showing the problems associated with climate change. For the consumer the displays are catchy, interactive and colorful. People here at the San Diego Zoo say the whole experience helps visitors better understand the arctic and the loss of habitat for polar bears as climate change continues. They tell me their exhibit features "the best science out there."

As you might imagine not everyone is happy with this display and claim the zoo is jumping into politics and a very heated (no pun intended) debate. Some scientists and a few supporters of the zoo contend that climate change is not happening as sold to the public and even if it is, man is not causing it. Some also argue that polar bears adapted before and can do so again and to assume that man can kill them off by CO2 emissions is an unfair and untrue claim.

When presented with this argument the Zoo stands strong. They maintain the Polar Bear Experience is all about the best science out there and whether you believe in climate change or not, what's wrong with cleaning and preserving the environment anyway. Officials here have heard some of these complaints, but they tell me the overwhelming response has been nothing but positive.

While the Zoo isn't the first in the country to take a side on the global warming/climate change debate, they are the most visible and most famous zoo in the world to do so. The climate change portion of the exhibit has grabbed the attention of the press so far, but the big news is an interactive wall that lets visitors see a polar bear up close...only a few feet from a feeding point and that is quite impressive.

On this morning I got a look at 'Chinook', a 580-pound, 8-foot tall bear. She is part of a breeding pair that the zoo hopes will produce its first cub born here in captivity. At 15-years old, Chinook wanders out of her den and over to the wall, stopping to smell places along the way. The water gently laps onto the shore, kept about 50 degrees. She walks up to the wall and snacks on grapes and yams fed to her by her trainer and live on TV we get quite a look.

What do you think about all this?

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Osama bin Laden... threatens again.[ 802 ]

Bin Laden threatens Americans with execution

Rania Oteify and Cynthia Johnston

DUBAI, ( Reuters )

Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:28pm EDT

A video grab from an undated footage from the Internet shows Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden making statements from an unknown location.

Credit: Reuters/REUTERS TV

DUBAI (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden threatened al Qaeda would kill any Americans it takes prisoner if accused September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is put to death, according to an audiotape aired on al Jazeera on Thursday.

U.S.

Senior U.S. officials may recommend that Mohammed, who was being held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, be prosecuted in a military trial, officials said in March.

Such a decision, after intense political pressure, would reverse plans to hold criminal trials for Mohammed and four accused co-conspirators in a lower Manhattan court.

"This message is about our prisoners who you are holding," bin Laden said in the tape, complaining that U.S. President Barack Obama was still following "his predecessor's steps" on many issues including on al Qaeda detainees such as Mohammed.

"The White House has expressed its desire to execute him. When America makes this decision, it will have made a decision to execute whoever of you is held prisoner by us," bin Laden said in the tape recording, whose authenticity could not be immediately confirmed.

The White House had no immediate comment. A U.S. counter terrorism official dismissed as absurd al Qaeda leader bin Laden's threat to execute any Americans in captivity.

"It's the height of absurdity for anyone associated with al Qaeda to even suggest that now, at long last, they're going to start treating captives badly," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"They may have forgotten Danny Pearl and all the others they've slaughtered, but we haven't."

KIDNAP RISK

The threat could signal an increased kidnapping risk targeting U.S. citizens that could last throughout the trial in the United States, the U.S.-based IntelCenter, which monitors jihadist propaganda, said in a note.

"The threat of kidnappings will increase further as the trial begins. Attempts to kidnap Americans would not be limited to core al Qaeda," the note said.

"The group's regional arms such as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and al Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb, which has been aggressively targeting Westerners for kidnapping in North Africa, may follow through on bin Laden's threat," it added.

Mohammed has claimed responsibility for organizing the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and bombs in Indonesia, Kenya and elsewhere, and if convicted of murder, conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, could face the death penalty.

"It is fair to treat each other the same. War is a back-and-forth," bin Laden said.

"The White House politicians were and still are oppressing us, particularly in providing support to the Israelis and occupying our land in Palestine. They were thinking that America was safe behind oceans from the anger of the oppressed until the reaction was strong in your house on the 11th."

When Obama took office in January 2009, he set a one-year deadline to close the Guantanamo facility but political and diplomatic complications have forced a delay.

The administration plans to prosecute almost three dozen terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay but has not announced where all the trials will be held and whether they will be criminal or military.

(Additional reporting by Amena Bakr in Dubai and David Morgan in Washington; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

Russian strategic bomber over British airspace'[ 801 ]

Russian bombers 'intercepted in British airspace'

By Barry Neild, CNN

London, England (CNN) -25/3/2010- Rare photos of Russian strategic bomber jets purportedly intercepted in British airspace show Moscow's war machine is becoming increasingly bold, analysts said Thursday as Russia denied any territorial violations.
Britain's Ministry of Defence released images it said were taken earlier this month of two Russian Tu-160 bombers -- known as Blackjacks by NATO forces -- as they entered UK airspace near the Outer Hebrides islands off Scotland's northwest coast.

It said the March 10 incident, which resulted in crystal clear images of the planes against clear blue skies and a dramatic sunset, was one of many intercepts carried out by British Royal Air Force crews in just over 12 months.

"This is not an unusual incident, and many people may be surprised to know that our crews have successfully scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft on more than 20 occasions since the start of 2009," Wing Cdr. Mark Gorringe, of the RAF's 111 Squadron, said in a statement.

The RAF said two of its Tornado fighter jets from its base at Leuchars, on Scotland's east coast, were dispatched to tail the Russian Blackjacks as they approached the western Isle of Lewis.

"The Tornados shadowed the Russians as they flew south, then the Blackjacks turned north, just short of the Northern Ireland coast, and eventually left UK airspace," the statement said.

"After four hours, the Tornado crews stood down and returned to Leuchars."

Several of the images show the name Vasily Reshetnikov in Russian lettering near the cockpit of one plane. Reshetnikov was a celebrated Soviet pilot who fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.

Russian military authorities on Thursday confirmed their aircraft had been in the area, but denied any violation of British airspace.

"Our planes fly in strict accordance with the international rules government the use of airspace over neutral waters without violating the borders of foreign countries," Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Drik told CNN.

"The routine flights by the Tu-160 missile carriers took place in accordance with those conditions on March 10. They did not violate British airspace, and objective control materials confirm that."

Experts say regardless of the exact flight paths, the increased sorties by Russian aircrafts in international airspace show Moscow is flexing its muscles as it re-emerges as a global military player.

"Russia is now an oil exporting state so they've got more money to spend on their armed forces after the 1990s when they were bankrupt," defense analyst Tim Ripley told CNN.

Ripley said the increase in air activity began shortly before Russia's brief 2008 territorial skirmish with Georgia, but while it was a clear show of strength, it did not represent sinister intent.

While ties between Russia and the UK have been strained in recent years, Ripley said talks with Washington that look set to result in a new arms control deal were a clearer indication of Moscow's global military outlook.

CNN's Maxim Tkachenko in Moscow, Russia, contributed to this report

Greek Independence March 25,1821 [ 800 ]

Remember the March 25th, 1821

Better an hour's free life,,,
--.--

NASA Image of the Day, March 25th..[ 799 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

Learning Can Be a 'Drag'
When Ajay Ramesh and Prithvi Aiyaswamy, two seventh graders from Chaboya Middle School, San Jose, Calif., visited the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center they found that the principles of fluid mechanics are not such a 'drag' after all.

The two youngsters both showed up for their experiment with a half dozen toy cars they found at home. "Our project is to find the best design shape that has the least amount of drag," said Aiyaswamy. "As we began the experiment, we realized that cars with a sloping shape perform better."

The orange liquid behind the car illustrates the wake, which can be used to determine drag for the car. The green lines across illustrate the air moving across the car. The boys were fortunate to request their visit when the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory was uniquely set up to accommodate their request. Kurtis Long, test engineer at the Fluid Mechanics Lab received permission for the boys to visit and donated his lunch hour to help the boys perform their test.

The boys placed the cars in a pool of water. Dye was added to the water and photos were taken of the dye flowing around the toy cars. "Air and water have the same flow characteristics, but by using water we can slow down time and see the flow more clearly," explained Long.

With these photos, the boys could measure the drag of each car. The orange liquid behind the car illustrates the wake, which can be used to determine the car's drag. The green lines across illustrate air moving across the car. Image Credit: NASA/Eric James

Πέμπτη, 25 Μάρτιος 2010 6:00:00 πμ