Tibet
Dalai Lama’s nephew dies on Valentine’s day ‘Walk for Tibet’ in Florida
Elspeth Lodge February 15, 2011 – 12:38 pm
A Valentine’s Day “Walk for Tibet” turned deadly for the nephew of the Dalai Lama late Monday, when he was struck by a car on a Florida highway.
Jigme Norbu was walking on the edge of a local highway in north-eastern Florida when hit by an SUV at 7:26 p.m.. He “was determined to be deceased upon the arrival of emergency services,” the Highway Patrol said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We got the message today,” the Dalai Lama’s personal secretary Chhime Rigzing told AFP by telephone. “He asked about how this had happened. He was saddened by the news.”
“We have requested His Holiness to remember Mr. Jigme (Norbu) in his prayers today.”
Mr. Norbu was on a Valentine’s Day “Walk for Tibet” with a small group of activists who aimed to raise awareness of human rights abuses in Tibet, according to an activist website.
The 45-year-old victim was the son of The Dalai Lama’s oldest brother, Takster Rinpoche, and was a resident of Bloomington, Indiana.
With files from AFP
Thailand
New Thai airline recruits ‘third-sex’ flight attendants
Asif Hassan / AFP / Getty Images
A female Air Hostess
Elspeth Lodge January 28, 2011 – 6:33 pm
PC Air, a newly formed Thai airline, is recruiting trangendered flight attendants, and over 100 members of the “third-sex” applied for jobs this week, reports the Telegraph.
Thailand is one of the biggest transgendered hot-spots in the world, so the number of people who applied for the position wasn’t surprising to the airline officials.
The owner of the airline looks at this as his opportunity to give the “third-sex” a new career choice. And he hopes that other airlines will follow his lead:
“I think these people can have many careers,” he said to the Telegraph, “not just in the entertainment business – and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess. I just made their dream come true. Our society has changed. It’s evolution. I’m a pioneer and I’m sure there will be other organisations following my idea.”
Out of the 100 applicants, three were chosen for positions, while 17 men and 10 women were hired as well.
‘Our initial quota was set at three transsexuals, but we will consider taking more in the future depending on their qualifications,’ a PC Air spokeswoman said to Thailandnews.net.
A transgendered person chosen for a position stated “At first I thought they would just take applications but not actually recruit us,”
The third-sex will wear gold name badges to help passengers and immigration staff identify what gender they are speaking to.
February 1, 2011 | Categories: Breaking News | Leave A Comment » | Edit
Japan: How an earthquake’s final magnitude is determined
KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / Getty ImagesElspeth Lodge Mar 15, 2011 – 2:44 PM ET | Last Updated: Mar 15, 2011 5:18 PM ET
Reports released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Monday updated the magnitude of the March 11 earthquake in northern Honshu, Japan to a 9.0. on the Richter Scale. (Initial estimates pegged the quake as 8.9). Below, understanding the change, and how an earthquake’s final magnitude is determined.
What do the numbers on the scale mean in terms of magnitude?
More than eight on the moment magnitude scale means “great magnitude”; Seven means “major magnitude”; Six “strong magnitude,” Five “moderate magnitude”; Four “light magnitude”; three “minor magnitude”; two and one are both “micro magnitude.”
Why do scale ratings vary?
The USGS updates an earthquake’s magnitude in the hours and sometimes during the days following a quake. The reasons boil down to the following: a) More data becomes available for analysis b) More time-intensive analysis is performed. “Additional updates are possible as a part of the standard procedure of assembling a final earthquake catalog,” says the USGS on their website. “After the initial magnitude is released, there are generally two processing points at which the magnitude of a significant earthquake may be updated. The first generally comes within a few hours of the earthquake, when the majority of the real-time data has arrived at seismic stations around the earth and more sophisticated, time- intensive, processing has been completed,” says USGS. “The second comes within days to weeks after the event when the event is reanalyzed for inclusion in an archival earthquake catalog. At this point the USGS has received most available seismograms as well as magnitude estimates from other contributing national and international agencies.”
More on one of the information sources, The Global Seismographic Network….
“‘The Global Seismographic Network’ is a permanent digital network of state-of-the-art seismological and geophysical sensors connected by a telecommunications network,” says USGS. The system serves as a multi-use scientific facility and societal resource for monitoring, research, and education. The system of gauging quakes was formed in partnership among the USGS, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS).
“The GSN provides near-uniform, worldwide monitoring of the Earth, with over 150 modern seismic stations distributed globally,” says the USGS on their website. “GSN stations are operated by the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, the IDA group at UC San Diego, and other affiliate organizations. Data from the GSN are archived at the IRIS Data Management Center.”
Japan earthquake: The latest statements from Canadian and world politicians
Peter Souza / ReutersREUTERS/U.S. President Barack Obama (C) receives a briefing on the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami warnings across the Pacific in the Oval Office, March 11, 2011. Briefing the President, from left, are Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan, National Security Staff Senior Director for Resilience Richard Reed, and National Security Staff Director Asian Affairs Daniel Russel.
Elspeth Lodge Mar 11, 2011 – 5:08 PM ET
World leaders have come together to express their condolences and offer words of support to Japan after a devastating earthquake (find our complete coverage here). Below, the latest from Canadian and world politicians on the quake.
Stephen Harper
Blair Gable / Reuters
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Canada’s Prime Minister spoke Friday to Japan’s Ambassador to Canada and offered assistance, said the PM in a statement.
“The first thing is to offer sympathy and condolences to the Japanese people,” he told AFP. “We have had a terrible reminder of the destructive power of nature.”
David Johnston, Governor General of Canada
Blair Gable / Reuters
Canada’s Governor General David Johnston
“My wife, Sharon, and I were shocked and extremely saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck parts of Japan today,” Mr. Johnston said in a statement on his website. “On behalf of all Canadians, we would like to offer sincere condolences to those who are suffering in the wake of this catastrophe. The enormity of the disaster and the images of destruction that have followed are truly humbling, underscoring our fragility as human beings and the importance of our solidarity as peoples.”
Toronto mayor Rob Ford
Aaron Lynett / National Post
TORONTO, ON: MARCH 9, 2011 — Toronto mayor Rob Ford
“I have contacted Mr. Tetsuo Yamashita, Consul General of Japan in Toronto, and have offered my condolences and support during this time. Toronto is home to approximately 14,500 people of Japanese origin who contribute to the diversity that makes Toronto special. When a tragedy like this occurs, it is felt by everyone in Toronto.”
U.S. President Barack Obama
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the South Court Auditorium at Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House March 11, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Obama discussed the earthquake that has devastated Japan and spoke about rising energy prices among other issues.
In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama called Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan to offer help, an official told AFP. And the first lady also sent her condolences: “(First lady) Michelle (Obama) and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis,” Mr. Obama said in a statement.
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron
John Thys / AFP / Getty Images
British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks
“The first thing is to offer sympathy and condolences to the Japanese people,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said. “We have had a terrible reminder of the destructive power of nature.”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicholas Kamm / AFP / Getty Images
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he “wanted to express our solidarity with the Japanese people. I want to tell all the Japanese people that France stands with you in this terrible catastrophe… We will send rescue teams, planes, whatever is needed to help.”
China’s Premier Wen Jiabao
Jason Lee / Reuters
China’s Premier Wen Jiabao
Premier Wen Jiabao, whose country is no stranger to major quakes, expressed his “deep sympathy” to the Japanese government and people, and offered any “necessary help” to its neighbour, the foreign ministry told to AFP.
The Indian Foreign Ministry
“We are saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage to property and infrastructure,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
South Korea
South Korea expressed its sympathy and pledged “every possible support” to help neighbour Japan recover, adding that around 40 rescue workers had been put on standby to head to the quake-hit nation.
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse
In Sri Lanka, badly hit by the 2004 tsunami, President Mahinda Rajapakse said Japan was a “very close and dear friend” and its people possessed “incredible resilience and courage” to overcome destruction.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his country was ready to help, reports AFP.
With files from AFP
Posted in: Posted, World Tags: Barack Obama, David Cameron, Japan, Japanese people, Prime Minister of Japan, Stephen Harper, United States, Wen Jiabao
First robot marathon kicks off in Japan
Elspeth Lodge February 24, 2011 – 1:53 pm
A group of knee-high androids have crossed the starting line in Osaka, Japan for the first ever robot marathon, reported the BBC.
The race, which started on Thursday, is expected to take about four days and will require 423 laps around an indoor track.
The rules are as follows: bot operators are allowed to change robots’ batteries and motors during the race, but they can’t pick them up if they fall over — the droids must right themselves.
The robots gathered for a training session one week ago to test the waters.
Pint-sized pooch joins Japanese police squad
A long-haired Chihuahua named “Momo” (Japanese for “Peach”) sits on the grass during an examination to become a police dog in Yamatokoriyama, western Japan November 12, 2010. The brown-and-white Chihuahua, a first for Japan and perhaps the world, was one of 32 successful candidates out of 70 dogs, passing a search and rescue test by finding a person in five minutes after merely sniffing their cap. Picture taken November 12, 2010. REUTERS/KyodoElspeth Lodge November 23, 2010 – 2:13 pm
Momo or “Peach” is a cute, fuzzy, feminine name, but in January this pint-sized Chihuahua will join the Japanese Police Department as a valuable asset to its disaster rescue squad, becoming its first three-kilogramme (seven-pound) police dog.
On Friday, Momo proved that bigger isn’t always better when she won a one-year contract after sniffing out a human target after smelling its cap. She did this in a disaster simulation environment, in under five minutes. Seventy dogs tried out for the force, among them much larger breeds like Golden Retrievers, German Shepards and Beagles — but only 32 made the cut.
Momo’s small, high-pitched bark cannot terrify the enemy– and her bite is probably as feeble as her bark– but she has an enormous advantage in certain disaster situations– being able to fit her small frame into spaces other dogs can’t. This makes her a valuable asset after earthquakes and other natural disaster situations where people are often trapped under rubble.
“We would like it to work hard by taking advantage of its small size,” said a spokeswoman to Sankei Shimbun Daily, reports Yahoo News.
Momo’s owner is Keiko Matsuyoshi, an office worker in Sakurai, according to Japan Today. After Momo made the squad, Matsuyoshi rewarded her by cooking her favorite dish of chicken breasts stewed in tomatoes.
Read more:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11/23/pint-sized-pooch-joins-japanese-police-squad/#ixzz16DAQg4ht
China
Puppy sells for $1.5M: reports
The TelegraphElspeth Lodge Mar 15, 2011 – 3:56 PM ET | Last Updated: Mar 15, 2011 4:05 PM ET
Celebs are known for carrying around teeny dogs in designer clothing, but there’s a larger and more expensive canine status symbol out there.
The giant Tibetan Mastiff is becoming one of China’s premier symbols of wealth and status — one Tibetan Mastiff pup was chauffeured to his new home by a motorcade of 30 black limousines in 2009, reports the Telegraph. He had been purchased for four million yuan or $597,756.88.
Recently, a man purchased a Tibetan Mastiff puppy for 10 million yuan, or $1,495,929.73, reports the Telegraph.
For centuries, the breed protected nomad camps and monasteries on the Tibetan plateau. The dogs are rarely found outside Tibet, and in the past five years prices have risen from 5,000 yuan or $748.101 a puppy to hundreds of thousands and even millions of yuan today.
The $1.5-million, 11-month-old dog, named Hong Dong (or Big Splash) was raised by a breeder on a diet of of chicken and beef, spiced up with Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone, reports the Telegraph.
He already stands nearly three-feet-high at the shoulder and weighs more than 180lbs. ”The price is justified,” said the breeder. “We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay.”
