Interesting stories from around the world

[bailadora]

A couple of weeks ago I was speaking with a friend who used to be the research librarian for a major corporation and she told me that one of the things she really missed about that job was access to all the foreign newspapers because 1) it gave her a new perspective on world events without the US media spin and 2) she came across some really interesting stories that she might not have heard of otherwise. That conversation combined with poking around on several other newsites from around the world sparked the idea for this thread, because for as much as I love to read about what's happening around the world, my research time tends to bit limited and I'm betting there is a lot out there that I miss. So let's try it, shall we? Please share with me and your fellow Litsters links to any news item(s) you find noteworthy. Depending on what's posted, we may end up with some fascinating discussions.

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So while poking around on Mosnews.com, I found this article that says air conditioners have been banned in the city of Ashgabat, capital of the Republic of Turkmenistan where temperatures have been known to soar to 50 degrees Celsius (122 F) during the hot season, which lasts from May to September. No reason was given by the government for the ban.

I've heard of some crazy things being banned, but seriously - this one I don't understand. *shakes head*

 

[silverwhisper]

that's surreal and seemingly designed to piss off people!

i imagine your friend is familiar with reuters odd news but on the off chance, i find this helpful and entertaining viewing now & again.

ed

 

[bailadora]

Oh man, I wasn't aware of that: it's a treasure trove! Thanks, Ed!

 

[silverwhisper]

my pleasure! it's amazing the weird-assed stuff you can pick up when you've been in the financial services industry.

ed

 

[bailadora]

Irish student hoaxes world's media with fake quote

Interesting article that comments on the state of today's journalism.

This really stood out:

"I was really shocked at the results from the experiment," Fitzgerald, 22, said Monday in an interview a week after one newspaper at fault, The Guardian of Britain, became the first to admit its obituarist lifted material straight from Wikipedia.

"I am 100 percent convinced that if I hadn't come forward, that quote would have gone down in history as something Maurice Jarre said, instead of something I made up," he said. "It would have become another example where, once anything is printed enough times in the media without challenge, it becomes fact."

Makes me wonder what else is floating around in history as accepted "fact".

 

[silverwhisper]

i lack the time to read the linked article just now, but re: the last sentence--that's why i'm glad there's snopes. :>

ed

 

[bailadora]

The Marriage Hunting Bra

The Japanese have contributed some wonderful innovations to the world, but I'm not so sure about this one. Men are allegedly commitment phobic as it is..

 

[bailadora]

Tatooed Man Pledges his skin to the National Gallery

I have to admit, before I came to Lit and stumbled across Shankara20's thread over on the BDSM board, I never gave much thought to tattoos in general nor as an art form specifically. Like anything else in the world, there are good artists and then there are great artists. Retired teacher, Geoff Ostling has spent the last 15 years in collaboration with ink artist eX de Merci, having all the flowers of a Sydney garden tattooed on his body from neck to ankles and plans to donate his skin to the National Gallery upon his death. Even if the idea of the donation squicks you, go take a peek. It's truly amazing and you won't be grossed out, promise.

As an aside, I remember being fascinated by Bradbury's short story, The Illustrated Man when I read it as a young teen and often wondered what such an individual would look like. Yep - gotta say, I'm pretty sure I'll think of Mr. Ostling from now on.

 

[bailadora]

It's been a long running debate over whether or not celibate priests were qualified enough to understand the needs and issues married couples face. Polish priest, Father Ksawery Knotz thinks he is and has even written a book entitled Sex as you don't know it: For married couples who love God, which some in Poland are calling the Catholic Kama Sutra. Full article found here. I,for one can't say whether or not the man is actually qualified, but it sure is refreshing to see at least one member of the clergy trying to emerge from the dark ages.

 

[Cathleen]

Volcano Eruption Creates Colorful Sunsets

(July 1) - Many people in the United States and Europe are seeing gorgeous lavender sunsets lately thanks to the eruption more than two weeks ago of Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano.

The volcano blew its top June 12, generating a remarkable shock wave in the atmosphere seen in a photo taken by astronauts. It also hurled massive plumes of sulfur dioxide into the air, and that material has been circling the globe.

Deep purple hues and ripples of white characterize the spectacular views the past few evenings.

The phenomenon occurs when the ash and fine particles sprayed high into the atmosphere by the volcano scatter light. The sulfur dioxide ejected by Sarychev Peak interacts with the atmosphere to form tiny particles called sulfate aerosols.

Light scattering happens all the time. It's why the sky is blue and sunsets often red or orange. Particles in the atmosphere scatter short-wavelength blue light more effectively, to make the sky appear blue. When the sun sets, its rays have more atmosphere to travel though to reach our eyes, so more of the long-wavelength red light makes the journey.

Lately, the volcanic aerosols are combining with the normal scattering particles to create more obstacles for light to pass through, increasing the coloring effect.

"I could tell, late in the evening that there was 'something' to the clouds, the lighting as the sun was setting was off, so I found a nice view of the horizon and waited," wrote Liem Bahneman of Kirkland, Washington, who posted photos he took of the sunset on June 28 on SpaceWeather.com. "The aerosols light up well after the normal sunset has expired, so it takes some patience, but it is well worth it to experience the violet."

"This evening, the volcanic aerosols were still visible over Kentucky," Rick Schrantz, of Nicholasville, Ky., wrote on SpaceWeather.com. "The delicate wispy streamers were a beautiful background for a few regular clouds."

Similarly colorful scenes were spotted across the Northern Hemisphere in August 2008, when Alaska's Kasatochi volcano erupted. One of the most dramatic volcanic eruptions in modern history — Pinatubo's 1991 explosion in the Phillipines — ejected so much material into the atmosphere that global temperatures dropped by about 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 degrees Celsius). The last time Sarychev Peak blew was 1989.

http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/news_gallery/6/2/621876/1246479958858.JPEG
The eruption of the Sarychev Peak volcano has prompted beautiful sunsets like this one in Nicholasville, Ky., on June 29.




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