Mickey Gubas' Blog: February 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Cambodians Admit to Raping French Tourists in Thailand: Foreign Ministry by REUTERS

By REUTERS

Five Cambodian fisherman have confessed to raping and assaulting French tourists on an isolated Thai beach, Cambodia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Published: February 29, 2016 at 07:17PM

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Julius Caesar and Leap Days

Today, February 29th, is a leap day – a relatively rare occurrence. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar, featured here in a self-decreed minted coin, created a calendar system that added one leap day every four years. Acting on advice by Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar did this to make up for the fact that the Earth’s year is slightly more than 365 days. In modern terms, the time it takes for the Earth to circle the Sun is slightly more than the time it takes for the Earth to rotate 365 times (with respect to the Sun — actually we now know this takes about 365.24219 rotations). So, if calendar years contained 365 days they would drift from the actual year by about 1 day every 4 years. Eventually July (named posthumously for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern hemisphere winter! By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four years, the calendar year would drift much less. This Julian Calendar system was used until the year 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII provided further fine-tuning when he added that leap days should not occur in years ending in “00”, unless divisible by 400. This Gregorian Calendar system is the one in common use today. via NASA http://ift.tt/1QGtTw8

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Alice Arlen, Screenwriter With Premier Journalistic Pedigree, Dies at 75 by ROBERT D. McFADDEN

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

Ms. Arlen and Nora Ephron were nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for the 1983 film “Silkwood,” directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep.

Published: February 29, 2016 at 07:00PM

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In ‘Half Earth,’ E.O. Wilson Calls for a Grand Retreat by CLAUDIA DREIFUS

By CLAUDIA DREIFUS

In a new book, the renowned biologist argues that it is time for humans to abandon much of the planet to other species.

Published: February 29, 2016 at 07:00PM

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Ending Labor Abuses in Thailand’s Seafood Industry by Unknown Author

By Unknown Author

The ambassador of Thailand describes how his country has taken steps to combat human trafficking, illegal labor practices and illegal fishing.

Published: February 29, 2016 at 07:00PM

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Thai Police to Tighten Security After 4 Tourists Attacked by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Police said Monday they will have to tighten security on an island in eastern Thailand after four French tourists were brutally assaulted, including two women who were raped. The attack raises fresh concern about tourist safety in Thailand, which…

Published: February 29, 2016 at 02:01AM

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AP PHOTOS: Editor Selections From the Past Week in Asia by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Parading national flags, North Koreans marched during a “70-day campaign of loyalty” in the run-up to a major meeting of its ruling Workers’ Party in May.

Published: February 28, 2016 at 11:34PM

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Sunday, February 28, 2016

IC 1848: The Soul Nebula

Stars are forming in the Soul of the Queen of Aethopia. More specifically, a large star forming region called the Soul Nebula can be found in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, who Greek mythology credits as the vain wife of a King who long ago ruled lands surrounding the upper Nile river. The Soul Nebula houses several open clusters of stars, a large radio source known as W5, and huge evacuated bubbles formed by the winds of young massive stars. Located about 6,500 light years away, the Soul Nebula spans about 100 light years and is usually imaged next to its celestial neighbor the Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The featured image appears mostly red due to the emission of a specific color of light emitted by excited hydrogen gas. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Rcu039

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Putting Donald Trump’s Promises Under Scrutiny by ALBERT R. HUNT | BLOOMBERG VIEW

By ALBERT R. HUNT | BLOOMBERG VIEW

To date, Mr. Trump, who is emerging as the likely Republican presidential nominee, has been immune from substantive criticism.

Published: February 28, 2016 at 07:00PM

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Drone-Mounted Handgun, Flamethrower Reignite Lawmaker Debate by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The quiet whirring of the drone’s propellers gives way to the sound of gunshots — pop, pop, pop, pop — in the 14-second video titled “Flying Gun.”

Published: February 28, 2016 at 06:09AM

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Thai Police: 5 Arrested in Rape, Assault of French Tourists by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Police in eastern Thailand said Sunday that they have arrested several Cambodian sailors suspected of attacking four French tourists on a resort island, raping the two women in the group.

Published: February 28, 2016 at 03:31AM

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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Northern Pluto

Gaze across the frozen canyons of northern Pluto in this contrast enhanced color scene, imaged last July by the New Horizons spacecraft. Currently known as Lowell Regio, the region has been informally named for Percival Lowell, founder of the Lowell Observatory. Also famous for his speculation that there were canals on Mars, in 1906 Lowell started the search that ultimately led to Pluto’s discovery. Pluto’s North Pole itself is above and left of center in the the frame. The pale bluish floor of the broad canyon on the left is about 70 kilometers (45 miles) wide, running vertically toward the south. Higher elevations take on a yellowish hue. New Horizon’s measurements have determined that in addition to nitrogen ice, methane ice is abundant across northern Pluto’s Lowell Regio. via NASA http://ift.tt/1TFkkD3

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No Ice Means No Winter Smelt-Shack Fishing for Mainers by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The ice fishing shacks that normally dot the Kennebec River and Merrymeeting Bay in the winter have folded up for the year, curtailing a Maine tradition because there’s no ice to be found.

Published: February 27, 2016 at 05:37AM

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Jail Terms Sought for Men Trafficking Fishermen in Indonesia by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Indonesian prosecutors on Friday sought up to 4 ½ years jail for five Thais and three Indonesians accused of human trafficking in connection with slavery in the seafood industry.

Published: February 26, 2016 at 08:35PM

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Friday, February 26, 2016

The Tarantula Nebula

The Tarantula Nebula is more than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star forming region within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 180 thousand light-years away. The largest, most violent star forming region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies, the cosmic arachnid sprawls across this spectacular composite view constructed with space- and ground-based image data. Within the Tarantula (NGC 2070), intense radiation, stellar winds and supernova shocks from the central young cluster of massive stars, cataloged as R136, energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments. Around the Tarantula are other star forming regions with young star clusters, filaments, and blown-out bubble-shaped clouds In fact, the frame includes the site of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A, at the lower right. The rich field of view spans about 1 degree or 2 full moons, in the southern constellation Dorado. But were the Tarantula Nebula closer, say 1,500 light-years distant like the local star forming Orion Nebula, it would take up half the sky. via NASA http://ift.tt/1XPFyyp