Interesting Current Events

[VinReaper]

I thought that this would be a fun thread to start being that the forum is made of people from all over the world. So current events to me are most definitely different then current events to you! Let's make the world a little smaller and share all that's going on!

[VinReaper]

Lunar eclipse to occur Wednesday night

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science WriterTue Feb 19, 7:48 PM ET

The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings.

Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday.

As the moonlight dims — it won't go totally dark — Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.

Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show "Star Gazer," called the event "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse."

Wednesday's event will be the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. Last year there were two.

The weather could be a spoiler for many in the United States. Cloudy skies are expected for most of the Western states with a chance of snow from the heartland to the East Coast, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.

"It looks like it's going to be a hard one to spot," Seto said.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.

The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Wednesday's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Earth's shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast and 10 p.m. on the East Coast. West Coast skygazers will miss the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.

Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.

Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.

___

On the Net:

NASA's lunar eclipse page:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html

VR

[VinReaper]

Not a real story unfortunately. Snopes has debunked it, but its message of Patriotism still rings true. That feeling you get when you read it is what is important.




The K9 above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord. He's huge - part Boxer
and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler
took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some
Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just
before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he did. Brutus won the
Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq. His handler
and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents.
Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he
gave Brutus the signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me.
The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore
the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door.
He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being
held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his
handler and they all escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor.
If he knows you're ok, he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap.
Enjoys the company of cats.

Original Post -Nuff

VR

[spider-man]

Originally Posted by VinReaper

The K9 above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord. He's huge - part Boxer
and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler
took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some
Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just
before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he did. Brutus won the
Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq. His handler
and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents.
Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he
gave Brutus the signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me.
The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore
the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door.
He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being
held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his
handler and they all escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor.
If he knows you're ok, he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap.
Enjoys the company of cats.

Original Post -Nuff

VR

That is freakin awesome!!!! on a side note what the hell is wrong with this forum. I thought I was back on dial up

[VinReaper]

Originally Posted by spider-man

That is freakin awesome!!!! on a side note what the hell is wrong with this forum. I thought I was back on dial up

Please read the other thread I have posted called Bandwidth explained! it is also in the General discussion section!

[VinReaper]

Magnitude-6.2 quake hits Norway

By DOUG MELLGREN, Associated Press Writer 55 minutes ago

A magnitude-6.2 earthquake, the largest ever recorded on Norwegian territory, hit off the Arctic Svalbard islands early Thursday, the national seismic monitoring center said. No casualties or damage were reported.

The quake could have been catastrophic if it had hit a more densely populated area, said Conrad Lindholm, senior researcher of the seismic institute NORSAR.

"This is extremely rare," Lindholm said by telephone, adding it was the strongest quake in Norway since it started taking records about a century ago.

The Web site of the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 for the temblor, but did not say whether it was a record for Norway.

The quake was centered under waters, about 90 miles southeast of Longyearbyen, the main settlement on Svalbard, Lindholm said.

He said there could be aftershocks, but little chance they would move closer to the few settlements on the sparsely populated islands, some 300 miles north of the Norwegian mainland.

Small quakes are quite common in Norway and rarely cause damage.

Herdis Lien, one of roughly 1,800 residents of Longyearbyen, said on the state radio network NRK that she was woken up by the earthquake.

"I woke up because my bed was shaking, and everything was rattling in the house," she said. "It was very unpleasant."

The Svalbard governor's office told NRK that there were no immediate reports of damage, possibly because virtually all buildings in Longyearbyen are built on pilings driven into the permafrost, which can withstand more shaking than conventional foundations.

VR

[abarron]

Originally Posted by VinReaper

The K9 above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord. He's huge - part Boxer
and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler
took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some
Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just
before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he did. Brutus won the
Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq. His handler
and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents.
Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he
gave Brutus the signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me.
The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore
the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door.
He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being
held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his
handler and they all escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor.
If he knows you're ok, he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap.
Enjoys the company of cats.

Original Post -Nuff

VR

That is awesome.
That dog deserves a medal after that

[VinReaper]

Originally Posted by abarron

That is awesome.
That dog deserves a medal after that

And got the greatest one even a man can get in this country. The CMH! The Congressional Medal of Honor.

It was well deserved.

VR

[VinReaper]

Originally Posted by abarron

That is awesome.
That dog deserves a medal after that

Any great news from the UK! Please post it! I am sure there is!


VR

[abarron]

Not really.
Is cold the usual stuff