Happy Feet the penguin starts long journey home (Video)

Happy Feet, the lost emperor penguin who won the hearts of many people from all over the world, has been released Sunday after months of rehabilitation at the Wellington Zoo in New Zealand. Check out a video of the release of Happy Feet the penguin below:

Happy Feet penguin starts his swim home | Video courtesy of ITN News

On June 20, Happy Feet was found on a New Zealand beach, nearly 4,000 miles from his home in Antartica.

He was sent to Wellington Zoo where he underwent three surgeries to remove stones and sticks from his stomach.

Regaining 18 pounds of weight after the medical procedures, Happy Feet was finally cleared for release over the weekend.

"It's very exciting for me to get him to this point where we can release him," zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla told ABC News.

According to a CBS report, the release which happened on Sunday "went remarkably smoothly, given that the boat was being tossed about in 25-foot swells in the unforgiving Antarctic ocean."

A GPS tracker has been fitted to the penguin and fans can follow his progress online via the Zoo's website.

Tropical Storm Lee weakens but still expected to cause flooding

Tropical Storm Lee, September 5, 2011 NASA image

Tropical Storm Lee has been downgraded to a tropical depression but it is still expected to cause flooding, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Monday.

According to the bulletin issued by the NHC at 10:00 a.m. CDT, "the remnants of Lee are expected to cause flooding from the Gulf Coast states to New England."

The NHC has hoisted Flash Flood Watches and Warnings from the Central Gulf Coast states, Northeastward across the Southern and Central Appalachians.

"Lee was last located near latitude 30.5 N and longitude 89.9 W. It has become extratropical over Southern Louisiana as it merged with a frontal zone with cool and dry air infiltrating the circulation center from the North and West. The extratropical low center is expected to turn towards the Northeast, bringing the center into Alabama by Monday night. Tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Lee will continue to interact with the frontal zone and extremely heavy rain is expected to fall in locations well in advance of the circulation center." the NHC bulletin reads.

Tropical Storm Lee was the twelfth named storm and thirteenth system overall of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, developing from a broad tropical disturbance over the Gulf on September 1. It was designated as Tropical Storm Lee the next day. Due to the large size, as well as the slow forward movement of the storm, heavy rainfall has occurred, and prolonged rainfall is expected in the southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. The storm was expected to drop 10–15 inches (250–380 mm) of rain in coastal areas of those states, or as much as 20 inches (510 mm) in some areas. Lee was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Louisiana since Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

Vanautu Earthquake, September 4, 2011: Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Tanna

Vanautu Earthquake Map, September 4, 2011

A powerful earthquake has struck the South Pacific island of Vanuatu on Sunday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

According to the USGS, the quake measured 7.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale and was 132.4 km (82.3 miles) deep. It centered at 122 km (75 miles) SSE of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu and jolted the area at 09:55:36 AM on September 24, 2011 (Vanuatu Time).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake did not generate a destructive tsunami.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the Vanautu quake.

Vanuatu sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", an geographic zone where seismic activities are frequently experienced.

Eiffel Tower gets struck by lightning, caught on photo

Eiffel Tower struck by lightning |  Caters

Eiffel Tower, France's most popular landmark, was photographed being struck by a huge lighting bolt last summer.

The astounding photo of the Eiffel Tower, which was captured by an amateur photographer named Bertrand Kulik, made its way online after it was published in a French magazine recently, creating some buzz in social media sites.

The said photo is currently going viral in the internet. In fact, "Eiffel Tower" trended on Twitter yesterday and as well as on Yahoo! Philippines, today.

"The weather was dry and the sky appeared to be completely clear, but suddenly it started to thunder. I quickly grabbed my ­camera and put it on a tripod by the window in the hope I could get an action picture – but I never thought I would get such a ­magnificent shot," Kulik told British news website Daily Mail.

Standing very tall at 1,063ft, it is no surprise that the Eiffel Tower gets struck by thunderbolts occasionally. It is not often that someone catches it on photos, though.

Alaska Earthquake 2011: Magnitude 6.8 quake jolts Alaska

Alaska Earthquake Map, September 2, 2011 | USGS

A major earthquake with a preliminary measurement of magnitude 7.1 has jolted the remote portions of Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported Friday.

The USGS issued, then later canceled, a tsunami warning and also lowered the magnitude to 6.8.

The quake centered at 45 km (27 miles) Southwest of Amukta Island, Alaska, approximately half-way between Atka and Nikolski. The 35.5 km deep temblor hit the area at 10:55 UTC (01:55 AM, local time).

Almost half an hour later, an aftershock which measured 4.5 occurred, the USGS said. Earlier reports had it much closer to the surface.

There were no reports of damage or injuries from the quakes.

According to an Alaska Native News report, the area frequently experiences earthquakes "every day, although a majority of them have a magnitude less than this."

"There have been numerous earthquakes in the Alaska region in the past week with a majority of the larger ones taking place off-shore of Kodiak Island far out to sea. The last comparable earthquake of similar size occurred on June 23, 2011, at shortly after 6 in the evening and was located in approximately in the same place. It measured 7.2," the report added.

Prince Harry filmed diving fully clothed into pool at a club in Croatia (Video)

Prince Harry was caught on cam jumping with his clothes on into a pool at Veneranda Club on Croatia's trendy Hvar island.

An amateur video shows the British royalty dancing beside the pool and then diving right into it after he lost his balance a bit. He comes up from the water and dances again.

Check out the said video below:

Prince Harry spotted dancing at a club, diving into pool fully clothed | Video courtesy of Telegraph

"Harry was dancing around with his arms in the air. He was having a great time and seemed pretty tipsy," a fellow clubber told British tabloid The Sun. "Suddenly he just jumped into the pool and one of his friends jumped in after him. Everyone thought it was really funny and Harry was laughing his head off. He was soaked to the skin but he didn't care. He loved being the center of attention."

Another onlooker said, "Harry's dancing wasn't great. In fact it was embarrassing. But once they realized who he was, everyone wanted to have a photo with him."

Prince Harry, 26, who recently broke up with British lingerie model Florence Brudenell-Bruce, reportedly left the club at dawn arm-in-arm with two local models.

Hvar is said to be a favorite summer destination of celebrities. Gwyneth Paltrow, Gerard Depardieu and Steven Spielberg have reportedly visited the island in the past.

Bird Flu is back, mutant strain spreading: UN

Bird Flu resurgence feared

Bird Flu or the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 cases are on the rise again and the possibility of a major resurgence is being feared. These prompted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to advise health authorities around the world to step up surveillance and readiness.

"Wild birds may introduce the virus, but people's actions in poultry production and marketing spread it," said Juan Lubroth, the chief veterinary officer of FAO.

Lubroth added, "The general departure from the progressive decline in 2004-08 could mean that there will be a flare-up of H5N1 this autumn and winter, with people unexpectedly finding the virus in their backyard."

Since 2003, there have been 565 individuals reported to have contracted Bird Flu. According to the UN, at least 331 of them died.

Because of the Bird Flu, more than 400 million domestic poultry have been destroyed since 2003, damaging $20 billion to world's economies before bird flu was supposedly eradicated from the majority of the 63 nations infected in 2006 (bird flu peak).

However, H5N1 has continued to be endemic in six countries - Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Egypt, China and Bangladesh.

The number of domestic and wild birds infected fell from 4000 in 2006 to 302 in 2008. However, over the last twenty-four months, numbers have been steadily rising. 800 cases were reported in 2010-2011.

A mutant strain of the deadly Bird Flu is reportedly spreading in Asia and other parts of the world. The FAO has described its risks to the human health as "unpredictable."

At least eight people have reportedly died of Bird Flu in Cambodia this year. 

Virginia quake rattles Eastern US, Canada

Virginia quake map |  Source: USGS

The magnitude 5.8 Virginia quake on Tuesday was felt as far away as Canada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, according to reports.

The quake, which had an epicenter located 14 km (9 miles) South Southwest of Mineral, Virgina, struck the area at 17:51:04 UTC (1:51 PM EDT) at a depth of 6 km (3.7 miles), the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The intraplate earthquake reportedly was the strongest in Virginia's recorded history since 1897.

There are reports that many buildings were evacuated in New York and Philadelphia including the Capitol building and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

The temblor reportedly caused some damage to the Pentagon, the Washington National Cathedral and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

Civilians and military personnel evacuate the Pentagon after an earthquake on Tuesday. | Photo: Jason Graham

In Virginia, two nuclear plants were taken offline because of the quake. A couple of airports were also temporarily closed.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the quake.

California earthquake more mellow than East Coast quake

California earthquake vs Virginia quake

Wondering why the 6.0-magnitude California earthquake in 2004 was felt only 200 miles away (as far away as San Francisco and Los Angeles) while the less powerful magnitude 5.8 Virginia quake last Tuesday felt as much as 500 miles away (as far north as Ottawa, Canada; as far south as Georgia, and as far west as Chicago)?

According to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seismologist Lucy Jones, it is because of the differing geologic conditions of these two areas.

"The crust out in the East Coast is older, colder and harder, and does a better job transmitting the energy. So it's felt over a much wider area," Jones told LA Times.

In contrast, Jones added that in California, "the bad news is we have a lot of faults. The good news is all those faults break up our rock. And just like a cracked bell doesn't resonate as well as a solid bell, our cracked-up crust [weakens] the waves as they pass through. It dies off pretty rapidly.
"But out there, the rocks are old and cold and hard, and do a lovely job of transmitting the energy," Jones said.

A USGS article had also explained the phenomenon.

"Western rock is relatively young, which means it absorbs a lot of the shaking caused by earthquakes. Thus, western earthquakes result in intense shaking close to the epicenter, but fade more quickly the farther the earthquakes travel.

"In the eastern United States, on the other hand, the rock is far older, and so earthquakes can have a much larger and more widespread impact. Earthquake energy can therefore spread farther and have a greater impact." USGS wrote.

Bank of America 'most systematically risky' among major banks: NYU professor

Bank of America is the most vulnerable and the most "systematically risky" of the major banks in the US, NYU finance professor Viral Acharya told Yahoo Finance. According to him, Bank of America will need more capital under some economic scenarios. He added that it is necessary for the government to analyze its books, perform another round of stress-tests, and, if needed, re-capitalize it.



Check out the video Acharya's Yahoo Finance interview below:

5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Virginia, USA on August 23, 2011

Just hours after the Colorado earthquake, another temblor struck a US state Tuesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

A map of the August 23, 2011 Virginia Earthquake | Source: USGS

According to its bulletin, the quake measured a Richter Scale reading of magnitude 5.8 (earlier reported to be 5.9) and had an epicenter located 14 km (9 miles) South Southwest of Mineral, Virgina at 17:51:04 UTC at a depth of 6 km (3.7 miles).

The intraplate earthquake reportedly was the strongest in Virginia's recorded history since 1897. It was felt as far away as Ontario, Canada; Michigan; Pennsylvania; Ohio; South Carolina; North Carolina; New York and Massachusetts. Many buildings were evacuated in New York and Philadelphia including the Capitol building and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

There are also reports that it damaged the Pentagon, Washington National Cathedral and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

A couple of airports were temporarily closed and two nuclear plants in Virginia were taken offline because of the quake.

There were no reports of casualties.

Hurricane Greg heads to cool waters, expected to weaken - NHC

Hurricane Greg is heading to cool waters and is expected to weaken during the next 48 hours, according to the 8:00 p.m. PDT, August 18, 2011 bulletin of the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Hurricane Greg Track Forecast | Source: NHC

It added that Hurricane Greg was last located at about 380 miles Southwest of tip of Baja, California (18.9N 113.9W).

According to the NHC, the weather disturbance is packing maximum winds of 80 mph and is moving in a West Nortwest direction at the rate of 14 mph, with an estimated central pressure of 982 MB, 29 inches.

There were no watches or warnings raised.

Here's a discussion from the NHC:

HURRICANE GREG DISCUSSION NUMBER 10
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP072011
800 PM PDT THU AUG 18 2011

IT APPEARS THAT GREG HAS STARTED TO WEAKEN. THE MOST RECENT MICROWAVE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE EYE OF GREG HAS DISAPPEARED.

GEOSTATIONARY IMAGERY SHOWED THAT THE CONVECTION NEAR THE CENTER THINNED OUT LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BUT SINCE THAT TIME A NEW BURST OF DEEP CONVECTION HAS FORMED OVER THE ESTIMATED CENTER. DVORAK T-NUMBERS HAVE STARTED TO DECREASE AND THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS LOWERED TO 70 KT. THE HURRICANE WILL BE MOVING OVER PROGRESSIVELY COOLER WATER AND INTO A MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS SHOULD CAUSE STEADY WEAKENING AND GREG IS FORECAST TO BECOME A REMNANT LOW IN 3-4 DAYS.

GREG IS MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD OR 285 DEGREES AT 12 KT. THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE TO THE TRACK FORECAST REASONING. GREG SHOULD TURN WESTWARD TO THE SOUTH OF A MID/UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE THAT EXTENDS FROM NORTHERN MEXICO INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC. THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE RIDGE IS FORECAST TO WEAKENING DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A SLOW DOWN OF THE FORWARD SPEED OF THE CYCLONE. AS GREG WEAKENS AND BECOMES A SHALLOW CYCLONE...IT IS LIKELY TO TURN TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST IN THE LOW-LEVEL NORTHEASTERLY FLOW. THE NEW TRACK FORECAST IS ESSENTIALLY AN UPDATE OF THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY AND IS NEAR THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS.

Shark attack kills British honeymooner in Seychelles

A shark attack has killed a British man spending his honeymoon in an island in Seychelles.

A video report of the said shark attack incident courtesy of ITN News

Ian Redmond, 30, was snorkeling off the Anse Lazio beach in Praslin when a 6-foot shark attacked and killed him.

His wife Gemma Houghton, 27, was reportedly sunbathing on the beach when the incident happened.

"We heard screaming and people started running down the beach towards the water.

"Someone had seen a fin sticking out of the water, and then we saw a dinghy pulling a man from the water.

"I saw the swimmer, who was missing a huge chunk of flesh from his left leg, so much so that I could see the bone of his thigh. He was sickeningly pale, but still had his flippers on both feet.

"At this point, a woman ran over and started screaming. She said, 'That's my husband. We were just married.'

"Someone grabbed her and tried to keep her away. People all over the beach were just hugging whoever was close to them or trying to keep any children from witnessing what was going on." an American man told Daily Mail.

Just last August 2nd, another shark attack incident killed a 36-year-old French tourist diving in the area.

Authorities reportedly had closed the beach and there is an ongoing hunt for the shark killer.

Noah's Ark theme park project aims to prove Bible stories are true

Noah's Ark is being rebuilt in a theme park in Kentucky and it is said to prove truth of the Bible.

Noah's Ark Theme Park

Here's our featured story from the Canadian Press.

HEBRON, Ky. - Tucked away in a nondescript office park in northern Kentucky, Noah's followers are rebuilding his ark.

The biblical wooden ship built to weather a worldwide flood was 152 metres long and about 25 metres high, according to Answers in Genesis, a Christian ministry devoted to a literal telling of the Old Testament.

This modern ark, to be nestled on a plot of about 325 hectares of rolling Kentucky farmland, isn't designed to rescue the world's creatures from a coming deluge. It's to tell the world that the Bible's legendary flood story was not a fable, but a part of human history.

"The message here is, God's word is true," said Mike Zovath, project manager of the ark. "There's a lot of doubt: 'Could Noah have built a boat this big, could he have put all the animals on the boat?' Those are questions people all over the country ask."

The ark will be the centrepiece of a proposed $155-million religious theme park, called the Ark Encounter, and will include other biblical icons like the Tower of Babel and an old world-style village.

It's an expansion of the ministry's first major public attraction, the controversial Creation Museum. It opened in 2007 and attracted worldwide attention for presenting stories from the Bible as historical fact, challenging evolution and asserting that Earth was created about 6,000 years ago.

Read more here: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/noahs-ark-theme-park-project-ky-seeks-show-175211937.html

11-year-old mayor renames street after Justin Bieber

11-year-old mayor names street "Justin Bieber Way" | AP

Caroline Gonzalez, an 11-year-old girl who won a "Mayor for a Day" contest, renamed a street in her hometown after teen singer Justin Bieber when she took office for a short period of time.



After a request from the tween mayor, a sign saying "Justin Bieber Way" went up on Main Street during a ceremony in Forney, Texas Tuesday.



Caroline said she likes the "Baby" singer so much that is why she rebranded the street in his honor.



"Because I really like Justin Bieber, I like his music and I like him. And I thought, why not have a street in my hometown named after my favorite singer?" she told E! Online.



According to Press Association (PA), the contest meant to get young people interested in municipal government. It added that Caroline is active in student council, recycling and community service projects.



The sign, which cost the local government about 20 dollars, was displayed only for the said day, PA said.



Update: The sign was reportedly stolen. A new sign was made and will be up until Monday, the first day of school. - Dallas Morning News

Renana, a rare sand cat, born at a zoo in Israel

After 9 weeks of gestation, a rare baby sand cat named Renana was born at Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday.

A video of Renana and her mother Rotem

According to Sagit Horowitz, the safari zoo's spokesperson, it is their first successful Sand Cat birth. The kitten is hoped to be included in the Israel's Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to help reintroduce the species into the wild.

London Riot Videos

London riot turns mad!



Said to be caused by local tensions and anger over economic situation which first flared after a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of a man by police on Saturday, riots have spread over London the past days. Stores and shops were looted by angry teenagers and buildings were set to fire. They are said to be the worst riots in the British capital for years.

London Riots: A building set to fire in Croydon | Courtesy of Russia Today

Related upheavals were also seen in Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol.



Additional 1,700 police officers have been deployed in London and at least 400 have been arrested.



Check out some dramatic videos of the London Riots below:

Teens and Facebook: Positive and Negative Effects

Teens and Facebook: Positive and Negative Effects



Facebook and other social networking sites can have harmful effects on teens according to a recent study.

Harmful Effects of Facebook on Teens

Dr. Larry Rosen, a Psychology professor at California State University, outlined his findings before the American Psychological Association over the weekend.



“While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young people, we are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives,” said Rosen.



Here are negative effects of Facebook on kids according to Rosen:

1. Teens who are heavy gamers or Facebook users have more trouble sleeping, higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stomach aches.



2. Young adults and teens who spend their days inside Facebook are more narcissistic and show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania, and aggressive tendencies.



3. Students who use more technology are likely to miss more school.



4. The more teens and adults use Facebook, the more likely they are to also use alcohol.



5. Students from junior high through college age were observed to generally check social networks or text messages every few minutes while studying, leading to lower test performance than students who focus for longer periods of time.



6. The average teen sends 2000 texts per month, which can lead to problems communicating with family and even carpal tunnel syndrome in a few cases.

Rosen also laid out the following positive influences linked to social networking:

1. Young adults who spend more time on Facebook are better at showing “virtual empathy” to their online friends.



2. Online social networking can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialize behind the safety of various screens, ranging from a two-inch smartphone to a 17-inch laptop.



3. Social networking can provide tools for teaching in compelling ways that engage young students.

“If you feel that you have to use some sort of computer program to surreptitiously monitor your child's social networking, you are wasting your time. Your child will find a workaround in a matter of minutes,” he said. “You have to start talking about appropriate technology use early and often and build trust, so that when there is a problem, whether it is being bullied or seeing a disturbing image, your child will talk to you about it.” Rosen advises parents.

EuroMillions Result - July 12, 2011 (Video)

The 397th EuroMillions draw took place at 10pm CET (9pm UK time) on Tuesday July 12, 2011 . Check out the winning numbers for the said draw below:

EuroMillions Result - July 12, 2011

17 - 19 - 38 - 42 - 45 | (9) - (10)

 

Update: Here's a recorded video of the said draw:




The jackpot for the draw reached £166million which is the said lottery's cap. This means that it will remain at £166million until a ticket-holder matches all seven numbers. Any additional prize money will be added to the jackpot pool for the next lower prize level containing at least 1 winner.

It has been reported that whoever scoops the £166million jackpot will instantly become the 418th richest person in the United Kingdom. (We are still waiting for the official website to give the details about the winner, if there's any.)

EuroMillions is a pan-European lottery held every Tuesday and Friday night. A standard EuroMillions ticket costs €2.00, £2.00 or CHF3.00 per line played. All prizes, including the jackpot, are paid in lump sum and are tax-free.

Update: The jackpot has been won by a lone bettor! The largest in history. Here's a tally of the number of winners courtesy of the EuroMillions official website:

Prize:	Euro Value (€)	GBP Value (£)	Dollar Value ($)	Winners:
Match 2:	€4.00	TBC	$5.59	3,226,558
Match 2 and 1 Star:	€9.00	TBC	$12.58	1,454,004
Match 1 and 2 Stars:	€14.00	TBC	$19.57	332,005
Match 3:	€12.00	TBC	$16.77	224,075
Match 3 and 1 Star:	€16.00	TBC	$22.36	100,310
Match 2 and 2 Stars:	€27.00	TBC	$37.73	63,155
Match 3 and 2 Stars:	€80.00	TBC	$111.80	4,534
Match 4:	€100.00	TBC	$139.75	5,100
Match 4 and 1 Star:	€227.00	TBC	$317.23	2,247
Match 4 and 2 Stars:	€5,020	TBC	$7,015	116
Match 5:	€77,639	TBC	$108,501	15
Match 5 and 1 Star:	€2,435,077	TBC	$3,403,020	11
Match 5 and 2 Stars:	€185,000,000	TBC	$258,537,500	1

Eguchi Aimi, Japanese pop star, not human!

Eguchi Aimi, the freshest addition to the all-girl Japanese pop group AKB48 has been revealed to be computer-generated and does not live in the real world!

Eguchi Aimi of AKB48

A video on how Eguchi Aimi came to "life" has been released. It appears that Eguchi was nothing more than the outcome of combining the facial features of the AKB48 members using a computer software. Take a look on how this clever publicity stunt was created.



Fans were said to have been disappointed upon learning that Eguchi Aimi of AKB48 is fake.