Massive Cloud to Strike Milky Way, Scientists Say

An incoming cloud of hydrogen gas will likely trigger a huge burst of star formation—and then numerous violent supernovae—when it collides with the Milky Way in less than 40 million years, scientists say.

National Geographic

We always say we have to look forward to the future and plan for the future. However, don't you think scientists nowadays are looking a bit too far? 40 million years. You've got to be kidding me. By that time, we might have evolved right back into dinosaurs.. lol.. Unless The End of the world and The Judgement comes first lar.

Red Zone

My room has unofficially become the red zone of Gunma. For influenza, that is. ^^ I live between two other foreigners who have contracted the influenza virus during the winter holiday. One guy has gotten better, but another has just been told by the doctor to stay in his room and not have any contact with anybody for 5 days.

It seems that some people do not know the difference between influenza(abbreviated as flu) and a simple cold(風邪) and how dangerous it is. Well, in a simple sentence, in the worst case, influenza might cause pneumonia and the person contracted would eventually cease breathing. The worst case lar.. hehe.. A healthy teenager wouldn't die so easily though. The highest death rate is among the elderly. However, it is absolutely not fun to contract the virus at any costs!

Anyways, to check if you are in the red, please visit Influenza Info. For Japan lar.. Malaysia don't have yet kua...... For those who have checked the map, you would notice that Hokkaido is in the red. Well, commonly, the virus has a long life where it is cold, and Hokkaido also has many forest reserves which allow a lot of bird emmigration. So, to our friends in Hokkaido, please be careful! Remember to wash your hands properly! (no matter how cold the water is.. hehe)

Earth-Set and Earth-Rise

Have you seen the photograph of Earth taken from space? If you have, you would know how beautiful it is.. but nothing until now could beat the photos taken by Japanese lunar satelite Kaguya (SELENE, Selonogical and Engineering Explorer).

Picture Source: JAXA

This picture was captured by the satellite from the moon. The earth here is seen setting into the horizon of the moon's surface.The sky-blue colour of the sea and white of the clouds and green earth are such a good contrast against the horizon. What a beautiful planet we live on.. なんと美しい星ですね、我等の地球よ。

The full video of both the earth-set and earth-rise can be watched on Youtube. Please do watch it if you have the time. Afterall, it is our beautiful planet.

A Romantic Story

So, most of you know I have been trying to form a group of people to force Calvin to talk about his girlfriend, whom he has denied existence uncountable times..

I am here very sad to say that our mission has ended.. First of all, Calvin himself wrote this message in her chatbox.

michelleg: calvin:

29 Sep 07, 22:46 michelleg: ben: haha. well busy ppl arent we?

29 Sep 07, 22:46 michelleg: mrbherng: wow, so FAST?

29 Sep 07, 11:03 calvin: i miss you

Source: copied directly from her page

Second of all, she herself put up an image which would prove a lot about their relationship.

Source: her page

Okay, so you're asking, "what the heck does that have anything to do with Calvin?". Well, let me tell you. Some of the presents in the box are souvenirs from Aomori,Furano and Hakodate, which Calvin and I covered during our trip. Pay close attention to the red and white packet on the right side corner of the box and also the half transparent packet on the left side corner. Now let me show u this..

Please compare with the white packet on the left side.. this is a cheese biscuit from Furano, which we both bought for souvenir.
And this is an apple pie from Aomori which we both also bought as souvenirs.
And we actually bought 25 packets of this Ika Meshi for souvenirs too.(this is the back part of the plastic). My hand there shows that it's mine.. not some prank.

And in case you thought I just took her picture and zoomed and cropped and blurred it, I also took these pictures to prove that they are my own.



Ok, so what if Calvin DID send those souvenirs to her. No problem with sending present to a friend right? Well, what I heard from Calvin is that they are only friends on the internet, or blogger pals. It's hard to understand that you could be so friendly to a person on the net to actually send her so many things! Including a snoopy plushie in that case.. Like Cedric said, there's something fishy.. The rest is for you all to decide. For me, I have proved Calvin GUILTY of this affair!

Sorry Calvin, since I didn't really force you into telling although I promised I would. Instead, you gave yourself in on her website.. sighs.. kuyashii.. heh..

Another Earthquake(not japan)

Powerful earthquake shakes buildings violently in Indonesian capital

JAKARTA (AP): A powerful undersea earthquake rattled Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets, officials and witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of damage, and geophysicists said there was little risk of a tsunami.

The temblor, which struck just after midnight, had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered 110 kilometers east of Jakarta at a depth of around 290 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Residents said tall buildings and single-story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million, and water sloshed from swimming pools. Many people were woken up by the power of the quake, and screamed "Allah Akbar" or "God is great" as they ran outside.

The jolt could be felt from Indonesia's westernmost island of Sumatra to Bali in the east, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, most likely because of its depth, local officials said.

Source: The Jakarta Post

BrIdGe CollApSe!!

I guess some of you have read this news.. An interstate bridge in USA has collapsed, resulting in loss of lives and properties..


Some more pics..

By Eliott C. McLaughlin
CNN

(CNN) -- Nearly a quarter of the nation's roughly 600,000 major bridges carry more traffic than they were designed to bear, according to reports based on federal government data.
Experts said Thursday that the problem stems from a lack of money and leadership.

Federal Highway Administration data from 2006 shows that 24.5 percent of the nation's bridges longer than 20 feet were categorized as "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" (data from Utah and New Mexico was from 2005).

"Our bridges are not in very good condition in this country," said Ruth Stidger, editor in chief of the trade publication Better Roads, which compiled the data.

Source: CNN
heh.. hope Japan wont follow their footsteps.. >.<

Price War!!! in a globalized world

Updating on what I posted a few days ago, the price war of the seventh Harry Potter book between major bookstores and supermarkets continues to heat up..It's hot on the newspaper, and one of the subjects of heated discussion in the Harry Potter fan community..So, I searched up on the internet for the price of the book around the world to see if there are price wars in other parts of the world too..

Cash tills ring to the tune of Harry Potter

LONDON (Reuters) - Cash tills around the world rang to the tune of Harry Potter over the weekend and the seventh and final book in the boy wizard series looked on course to become the fastest selling book ever.

The Asda supermarket chain has been selling the hardback at a heavy loss, charging five pounds ($10) for the 608-page volume, a fraction of the recommended retail price of 17.99 pounds.

The heavy discount paid off in terms of volume, with the store selling 97 percent of its 500,000 copies within about 36 hours of the book's release. More copies have been ordered.

Source: ABC News

And a bit more on that...

Asda sparks Harry Potter price war

Press Association
Thursday July 19, 2007 6:43 PM

Asda has sparked a Harry Potter price war by charging just £5 per copy for JK Rowling's final tale.

The supermarket had earlier put a maximum £8.87 retail price on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - the same as rival chains Tesco and Sainsbury's.

But Asda's allocation of 500,000 copies will be priced at £5 per book when it launches on Friday night, the chain said.

Asda stores will limit sales of the £5 books to just two per person to prevent bulk-buying.

Customers who have already placed pre-orders with the chain will be charged the same price.

Spokesman Ed Watson said: "Kids trust Asda as the place to get a copy of the Deathly Hallows at a great price and that's exactly what we'll be giving them.

"Harry Potter has reignited children's passion for reading and our colleagues and customers are gearing up for the biggest book launch we've ever seen."

Asda's announcement will prompt other retailers to slash their prices.

The supermarket was forced to apologise to Bloomsbury earlier this week after it criticised the publisher's recommended retail price of £17.99 for the seventh and final Harry Potter instalment.

Waterstone's and Woolworths have set their prices at £8.99 per copy while WH Smith will charge £10.99.

© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2007, All Rights Reserved.

Source:Guardian Unlimited

As you can read here, different supermarkets offer such different prices in the UK.And it's not just about the price war, or the profit.Asda actually made a heavy lost selling it at 5 Pounds.. It was about providing the book at the most affordable price people(in this case, children) could get.I believe that the price or market is not a problem.. It's about availability and affordability..If the supermarkets in Malaysia did not sell the book, obviously, there would be less books on the shelves(but because the bookstores didn't sell, I guess it didn't change that much in the end)..and less privileged people(ex:children who save their pocket money just to buy the book) won't have the chance to buy the book at a lower price than the retail price at major bookstores which are available for bookings(the richer ppl can buy from there..=D)..The major bookstores have to come out of their shells..It's not just about the profit anymore!

Oh,btw,Amazon Books is selling it at $17.99 half the retail price of $34.99.

Day 9 of abstinence

Ooooh.. this is hot..

Schoolboys hungry for sex

SCHOOLBOYS are willing to go hungry so that they can spend their money on illicit sex, Harian Metro reported.

Some were even willing to share their pocket money to fulfil their basic instinct, the tabloid said in its exposé.

“My mother gives me RM4 every day for my school money and I skip my meals to save the money.

“At the end of the month, my friends and I pool our money to visit prostitutes,” said a 15-year-old boy who introduced himself as Ahmad Firdaus.

The paper learnt that the students would visit brothels in the day, when the rate is cheaper.

Ahmad, interviewed by the daily in Kuala Lumpur, said he had been going to these places for a year after being persuaded by an older friend.

Initially, the elder youth, in his 20s, took him to Lorong Haji Taib “to just mencuci mata (ogle)” at the women soliciting there.

“A man who confided that he was a pimp offered to get me a woman for RM50,” Ahmad said, adding that the experience was an eye-opener for teens craving to try something new.

Another friend of his, however, had a painful encounter when a man, who claimed he was the boyfriend of the woman the boy had booked, beat him up.

The 15-year-old boy, who said his name was Ahmad Rosli, said he has since stayed away from vice dens and regretted his immoral activities.

Source: Star Newspaper

Darn, 15 year olds visiting prostitutes?? Talk about underage prostitution.. ^^;

Harry Potter Book

Amazon Books

Bookstore chains refuse to sell Potter book (update)

KUALA LUMPUR: Four major bookstore chains -- MPH, Popular, Harris and Times -- have confirmed they will not sell Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows in protest against selected hypermarkets being given hefty discounts to sell the book.

The recommended retail price of RM109.90 is being violated by hypermarkets advertising and selling it at RM69.90, they said.

The four chains, with a total of 100 outlets nationwide, said they were protesting the indiscriminate price discount and wanted to show customers that they were not "blatantly profiteering" from them.

Officials from the four bookstores held a meeting at 4pm Friday to announce their stand.

They said they were also cancelling all promotional events associated with the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter novel, and apologised to their customers. However, the said they would honour all pre-orders.

Author J.K. Rowling has said that two major characters would die, which has increased the buzz over the book's release.

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows goes on sale nationwide from 7.01am tomorrow.

Source : Star Newspaper

Okay, this is weird.. never heard of such protest.. Oh, anyone planning to buy the book? Lend to me after you finish it, k? Thanks.

E-Malaysia

Super fast Net access with fibre-optic service

KUALA LUMPUR: It will not be long before Malaysians join the ranks of privileged Internet users in other parts of the world who are already enjoying blazing fast broadband access.

Telekom Malaysia (TM) Bhd is moving to provide 100-megabits per second (Mbps) access to the home through the use of fibre-optic connections and the electrical wiring in our houses, apartments and condominiums.

Source:Star Newspaper

Penang Second Bridge

Only picture I could find of it on the net.. it's from the star newspaper.. sigh..

Penang Second Bridge

Official name Penang Second Bridge
Malay name Jambatan Kedua Pulau Pinang
Locale Penang Second Bridge, North-South Expressway Northern Route
Carries Motor vehicles
Crosses South Channel
Longest span 17 km
Total length 24 km
Width 250 m
Opening date January 2011
Design UEM Builders
Designer/clients Malaysian Highway Authority, UEM Builders
Contractor/construction UEM Builders

Source : Wikipedia

RM1.7bil loan from China for second Penang bridge
By WONG CHUN WAI

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to secure a loan of more than RM1.7bil (US$500mil) from China for the construction of the much-awaited second Penang bridge – the largest for any single project given to a foreign country by China.

Source : Star Newspaper

North Korean Nuke Situation

◆ 6-way nuke negotiators arrive in Beijing, hold bilateral talks
BEIJING, July 17 KYODO
N. Korea nuke negotiators begin arriving in Beijing
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan waves as he arrives at Beijing's internati...
Chief delegates to the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea began arriving in Beijing on Tuesday, with some holding bilateral discussions ahead of the multilateral negotiations which will begin Wednesday.
U.S. top nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye Gwan began talks over lunch around 1:30 p.m. at a Beijing restaurant.
There will be ''a lot of bilaterals,'' Hill said upon his arrival at Beijing's international airport.
''We've got a lot of work to do, a lot of catching up to do,'' said the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Before leaving North Korea, Kim told reporters that the upcoming discussions should focus on the second stage of denuclearization measures, saying the first phase of a six-party deal reached in February has now been completed.
The first phase ''has been accomplished,'' Kim said. ''So the talks will focus on the sequence of the obligation and actions to be taken by the concerned parties at the second phase under the Feb. 13 agreement.''
Upon his arrival in Beijing, Kim told reporters, ''Please follow (developments) carefully.''
The talks in Beijing involving North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia follow North Korea's halting of operations at its key nuclear facilities in Yongbyon over the weekend.
The shutdown of the facilities marked the first concrete step toward Pyongyang's denuclearization under the six-party deal.
Under the agreement, North Korea was committed to shutting down and sealing the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and inviting International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country in exchange for the start of the shipment of 50,000 tons of fuel oil.
The next stage of denuclearization requires North Korea's complete declaration of all its nuclear programs and disablement of all its existing nuclear facilities, according to the agreement.
In the upcoming talks, the six delegates are also expected to try to set schedules for further talks, including dates for meetings of working groups that deal with specific topics.
They also plan to try to set a date for a meeting of their ministers, which under the Feb. 13 agreement is scheduled to be held after the initial phase of the denuclearization is completed.
''We'll have a ministerial, but we've got to work on the timing and then work on exactly what we're going to do,'' Hill said.

Source: Kyodo News

A Day after the Earthquake

9 dead, over 900 hurt in M6.8 quake in Niigata, vicinity
KASHIWAZAKI, Japan, July 17 KYODO
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 rocked a wide area centering on Niigata Prefecture on Monday morning, killing nine elderly people, injuring more than 900 people while causing a blaze at a nuclear plant, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency and a Kyodo News tally.
The 10:13 a.m. quake caused minor tsunamis measuring up to 20 centimeters, disrupted public transportation and destroyed 780 houses, leading about 10,000 people in Niigata to evacuate. It also resulted in widespread power failures and cuts in water supplies, as strong aftershocks continued in the area.
Four of the seven nuclear reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, the world's largest nuclear power plant in terms of power output capacity, were operating or set to commence operation at the time of the earthquake and automatically shut down after sensing the strong quake.

Source: Kyodo News

Fortunately, nothing big happened in Gunma.. ^^

Day 4 of abstinence

Earthquake

余震か新潟・長岡市と出雲崎町で震度６弱、震源は中越地方
中越沖地震
　１６日午後３時３７分ごろ、新潟県中越地方を震源とする地震があり、長岡市と出雲崎町で震度６弱を観測した。

　このほか、柏崎市で震度５強、上越市、小千谷市、刈羽村、新潟市、燕市、弥彦村で震度５弱を記録した。同日午前１０時１３分ごろに発生した地震の余震とみられる。

　気象庁によると、震源の深さは約１０キロ、マグニチュードは５・６と推定される。

source: 読売新聞

Earthquake epicentre in chuuetsu hitting niigata prefecture and nagaoka city at 6 on the richter scale. 3.37 in the evening.According to weather experts, the epicentre was 10 kilometres deep, at 5.6 on the richter scale.

I felt a small shockwave in Gunma.. there has been a lot of damages in Niigata and Nagano.4 deaths have been confirmed, and lots of injuries..The Jyouetsu Shinkansen have gone out of rail and electricity was cut in a few places

Day 3 of abstinence

It was shakin'!

There was a small earthquake this morning.. happened just as i woke up..and I thougt it was some guy's stupid joke of shaking the walls or something.. haha..well, ntg dropped and i'm not hurt, so, all's good.. hehe

July 16 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook central Japan at 10:13 a.m. local time.
The quake was centered near Niigata on the Japan Sea coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site. A tsunami advisory was issued, the agency said.
Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, is located in a zone where the Eurasian, Pacific, Philippine and North American tectonic plates meet and occasionally shift, causing quakes. Quakes of magnitude 5 and more can cause considerable damage.

seems like what hit gunma was just a small shockwave..