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Mordhaus (Member Profile)

Mordhaus (Member Profile)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Paid Family Leave

newtboy says...

A little history can go a long way. They were in the fight by choice 3 years before we were dragged into action, and over 15% of their nation enlisted, over 10% of their nation fought overseas, a higher percentage than the US for much longer. We hardly protected them from the Japanese, they protected and hosted US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_New_Zealand_during_World_War_II
When Japan entered the war in December 1941, the New Zealand Government raised another expeditionary force, known as the 2nd N.Z.E.F. In the Pacific, or 2nd N.Z.E.F. (I.P.), for service with the Allied Pacific Ocean Areas command. This force supplemented existing garrison troops in the South Pacific. The main fighting formation of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. (I.P.) comprised the New Zealand 3rd Division. However, the 3rd Division never fought as a formation; its component brigades became involved in semi-independent actions as part of the Allied forces in the Solomons, Treasury Islands and Green Island.
Eventually, American formations replaced the New Zealand army units in the Pacific, which released personnel for service with the 2nd Division in Italy, or to cover shortages in the civilian labour-force. New Zealand Air Force squadrons and Navy units contributed to the Allied island-hopping campaign.

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/us-forces-in-new-zealand
"The American soldier found himself ‘deep in the heart of the South Seas’, in the words of his army-issue pocket guide. He usually came here either before or immediately after experiencing the horror of war on a Pacific island, and he found a land of milk and honey (literally), of caring mothers and ‘pretty girls’."
"So the ‘American invasion’ (as New Zealanders affectionately called it) brought a considerable clash of cultures. "

Sorry to inconvenience your feelings and expressions of superiority with some facts.

lantern53 said:

Has ChaosEngine left New Zealand? Is he living in the US now? It is remarkable how much time he spends thinking of the US and how awful it is.

Did we invade NZ? I suppose our troops were there during WWII when we were trying to keep the sword-happy Nipponese from playing 'who can lop off the most heads this week' game.

Sorry to inconvenience you.

radx (Member Profile)

bareboards2 says...

Ah, I can see you have a FORT in mind. There is no FORT, really. The whole area is the Fort, the land itself. The "blocking fort" ARE the bunkers -- on top of the bluffs and at water level. There are two other forts in a triangular shape -- one on Whidbey Island and one on Marrowstone Island. The idea was if any boat came into the waters of Admiralty Inlet, one of the forts bunkers' big guns could take them out.

The bunkers are all still there. They were going to jackhammer them away, but they were made from imported Belgian concrete and they just would NOT break up.

So you can go crawling around in all sorts of bunkers. Some of the rooms have had their doors welded shut, for safety reasons. But there are plenty to explore.

These three forts aren't on an estuary, however. It is ocean water, but not the ocean. The Pacific Ocean stops about where the Northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula is kind of south of Vancouver Island, in Canada. Things get narrow there, and the ocean waves can't reach. Or something. So there are bodies of water that ships and boats follow going east, then they turn south to Seattle, which is on the coast of Puget Sound.

It's all very confusing. I can never figure out which way is north. Port Townsend has water on three sides, fer pitys sake!

Oh, and they did remove the big guns, even as they left the bunkers. You can see where they were and get a good sense of how big those guns were.

None of the three forts ever shot in anger. Just practice.

Exactly! "Shop fronts" only.

So when are you coming to America? It is beautiful in my part of the country, albeit very young by European or even East Coast standards. We are very proud of our oldest building. I think it was built in 1875 or something. Maybe even later. Ha.

radx said:

Was it just the location of the blocking fort in PT or the general construction of forts at the mouth of the estuary in the first place? And is there (supervised) access to the entire facility or are some parts, say munitions bunkers, still off limits?

An Officer and a Gentleman, I know that one. Looking at pictures of the fort, you can even recognize one or two locations. So they refurbished the sides the needed and left the rest untouched, like the shop fronts in Northern Ireland during last year's G8?

Del Toro casts Portal's Glados in "Pacific Rim" (Trailer)

Fletch says...

I normally love science fiction and shit like this, but this just looks stupid to me. It looks like a super-sized "The Mist". I hope I'm wrong, but... "a portal between dimensions in the Pacific Ocean". Give me a break.

Norway Tests New Naval Strike Missile

conan says...

>> ^therealblankman:

Ummm... what is the Norwegian military doing blowing shit up in the Pacific Ocean? Do they have some colonies there or something?


since when is the absence of a good reason in the way of governments blowing shit up?

Norway Tests New Naval Strike Missile

What are Continents and How Many are There?

residue says...

That would make India a separate continent from Asia since it's still connected to a subducting oceanic plate under Asia! Hence the continuing collision and the Himalayas. Even Geologic plate boundaries gets squirrely since there are micro-plates. And also, there are no "continental plates," rather continental parts of plates. All plates are composed of oceanic and continental crust.

By the way, this guy is WAY off base in terms of geology.. Nothing in the Pacific Ocean?? There are two types of crust, defined by lithology (rock type): Oceanic crust (dense dark basalt) and continental crust (not-dense light-colored granite). The Pacific Ocean is underlain by oceanic crust, which because of it's higher density always sinks beneath continental crust when they run into each other. That's why the age of the continents is ~4.4 billion years old while the oldest oceanic crust is something like 200 million years old.

Anyways, you could definitely divide the continents based on their modern tectonic boundaries where each continent is part of a separate plate from any others. That would give you ~9 continents, but then you run into the micro-plate issue..

>> ^Hive13:

I always understood that a continent was defined by continental plates with significant landmass. I was always under the impression that there were 6 continents despite what Europe selfishly tries to do.
Get over yourselves Europe......you aren't continental, but you are awesome.

Gordon Ramsay Eats Shark Fin Soup for the First Time

Sagemind says...

I have family members that are Chinese. I like and respect them a lot and don't in general have any issues with Chinese or the culture. I've lived in Vancouver BC (otherwise known as Hong-couver). It is a major immigration destination for the Chinese in Canada. In Vancouver, white people seem to be a minority.

Things I know for fact:
1). Older(often first-gen) Chinese people are racist and don't like white people - We've often been kicked out of stores for being white (not just once, but so many times I lost count.) I know of MANY younger Chinese who have dated or married Caucasian and been disowned from their families.
2). Chinese people are some of the rudest people I know. But only if they don't know you. They are very hospitable to you if they know you. Go to a mall full of Chinese people you don't know and you will see what it's like to be black in the southern US.
3). Yes, the Western Chinese culture DOES gloats over it's wealth.
3a). I know families where the grandparents go without food so the teenage grandkids can have their BMWs and Jags so that everyone thinks they are rich even if they aren't. It's all about impressions. They go out of their way to flaunt wealth.
3b). the most prestigious area in the Vancouver area is Richmond because it translates to RichMan in Chinese. The town itself is below sea-level and exists only because of the dikes holding back the Pacific Ocean. It now has some of the most over-priced land in Canada.
4). Go to a Chinese home for dinner, as a guest, and you will be served chicken, beef, pork and fish often at the same meal. Serving meat to guests shows their wealth. in China they often can't afford meat. Serving as much meat as possible in one meal shows they they are wealthy. It also honors the guest by showing offering a wealth of variety. They generally don't eat a lot of meat as a normal diet but mainly when guests are present.

I have many stories on Chinese culture experiences. The culture is VERY different from ours. I don't want to sound racist towards Chinese or Asian cultures because I'm not. Most of negative things that can be pointed out originates from the older family members and is filtered down. Most 2nd & 3rd generation Chinese are very Westernized and mix easily with our culture. Age has nothing to do with it, as young immigrants bring with them unwarranted arrogance and racism. It's not the people I blame but the culture they bring with them that is both fascinating and frustrating at the same time.

*Yes, I know you can't paint everyone with the same brush. there are some very forward thinking people immigrating to Canada and are here to experience the Western way of life but there are many traditional, often wealthy families that come here to raise themselves up and don't want anything to do with western culture or the people that live here.

I also believe it is mostly these first-generation immigrants, young and old, that give Chinese and Asian people a bad name. They are not aware of western customs and the friendliness/respect that is offered amongst Canadians. They bring with them age old customs that are distasteful and outdated without even knowing they are doing it. I must also mention that at the rate of current immigration, into the Vancouver area, they no longer need to mix with cultures other than their own and few ever need to learn English. In fact, it has gone so far as to encourage them to hold on to the customs and reject western culture all together, which seems to defeat the reason they immigrated here in the first place. This is unfortunate because we all have things to learn from other cultures. I wish more of them would share more of their culture with us and we could let the better practices of both cultures sift to the top.

Things like Shark-Fin Soup and Bear-Poaching could be eliminated in Chinese culture while I'm sure they have many fixes for our errors.

>> ^dannym3141:


Ok, speaking as someone who has very recently been to china for an extendad stay, and i've met and had extensive experience with young and middle aged chinese;
How did you get the impression they were horrible people? Every single person i met in china was generous and selfless and went a long way out of their way to make sure i had a good time and to make sure i was completely taken care of. Their culture almost DEMANDS them to be respectful and polite to strangers. Self centred is a word which i could not apply to a single one of the several hundred chinese people that i've met.
Show off their wealth? Do you realise that the chinese people are extremely poor? The government may be fucking rich but the people certainly aren't. They work their fucking arse off in a shit job they get given and they get paid pennies, PENNIES, and they work fucking hard at it and fucking long hours because guess what they'd get if they didn't? Fuck all. I have never met a more humble and polite people, the chinese people seem to me like the british were 60 years ago (of which i am proud and sad we're not like that anymore).

"Meteor" over Peru--Aug. 25, 2011

csnel3 says...

>> ^Boise_Lib:

>> ^csnel3:
I think this has something to do with the secret super sonic plane that the USA is testing up and down the pacific ocean.
Its so fast...not quite a meteor , not just a plane..But its good for you.
Our government just had to admit to this when they lost one about 2 weeks ago. Maybe a pulse engine?

I think this is what you mean.
Project Aurora


Well, I guess thats it, but could you have posted a link to the admission of the plane? not just the cover story page. Myth my ass, they just lost one.
also , wasnt there some kind of unkown rocket looking launch off cali coast about 3 months ago ,that was explaind as contrails also? (looked vertical to me).

Thanks for the info. Boise_lib. These things should not pass unnoticed.

"Meteor" over Peru--Aug. 25, 2011

Boise_Lib says...

>> ^csnel3:

I think this has something to do with the secret super sonic plane that the USA is testing up and down the pacific ocean.
Its so fast...not quite a meteor , not just a plane..But its good for you.
Our government just had to admit to this when they lost one about 2 weeks ago. Maybe a pulse engine?


I think this is what you mean.
Project Aurora

"Meteor" over Peru--Aug. 25, 2011

csnel3 says...

I think this has something to do with the secret super sonic plane that the USA is testing up and down the pacific ocean.
Its so fast...not quite a meteor , not just a plane..But its good for you.
Our government just had to admit to this when they lost one about 2 weeks ago. Maybe a pulse engine?

Baby Otter Plays with a Stuffed Walrus

speedyfastcat says...

I didn't have enough information when I initially commented on this video (because the video didn't provide it), and I jumped to conclusions - my bad!! In any event, it would definitely have been helpful if the video had indicated if the otter was a sea otter, river otter, or ...

Here's some fun and interesting information about otters from the World Famous San Diego Zoo web site:
Class: Mammalia (Mammals)
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genera: 6
Species: 13
Length: largest—giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis, up to 7.8 feet (2.4 meters); smallest—Asian small-clawed otter Amblonyx cinereus, up to 3 feet (0.9 meters)
Weight: largest—sea otter Enhydra lutris, males up to 95 pounds (43 kilograms); smallest—Asian small-clawed otter, up to 11 pounds (5 kilograms)
Life span: 15 to 20 years
Gestation: from 2 months for smaller species to 5 months for sea otters
Number of young at birth: 1 to 5, usually 2
Size at birth: 4.5 ounces (128 grams) for smaller species to 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) for sea otters
Age of maturity: 2 to 5 years
Conservation status: four species, including the sea otter, are endangered; three otter species are vulnerable.
Fun facts
• You can tell otter species apart by the shape and amount of fur on their noses.
• Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a layer of blubber to keep them warm; they rely on warm air trapped in their fur. Sea otters have the densest fur of any mammal, with about 100,000 hairs in a space about the size of a postage stamp!
• Most otter species capture prey with their mouths, but Asian small-clawed otters and sea otters have flexible fingers and grab with their hands.
• North American and European river otters have been known to share dens with beavers—but the beavers do all the building!

Mammals: Otter
Range: Africa, Asia, and parts of North America, Central America, and South America
Habitat: sea otters are found in the Pacific Ocean and along the coastline, but most otter species live in rivers, lakes, and marshes

Champion swimmers
Otters are the only serious swimmers in the weasel family. They spend most of their lives in the water, and they are made for it! Their sleek, streamlined bodies are perfect for diving and swimming. Otters also have long, slightly flattened tails that move sideways to propel them through the water while their back feet act like rudders to steer.

Almost all otters have webbed feet, some more webbed than others, and they can close off their ears and noses as they swim underwater. They can stay submerged for about five minutes, because their heart rate slows and they use less oxygen. They’re also good at floating on the water’s surface, because air trapped in their fur makes them more buoyant. Have you ever noticed that when an otter comes out of the water, its outer fur sticks together in wet spikes, while the underneath still seems dry? That’s because they have two layers of fur: a dense undercoat that traps air; and a topcoat of long, waterproof guard hairs. Keeping their fur in good condition is important, so otters spend a lot of time grooming. In fact, if their fur becomes matted with something like oil, it can damage their ability to hunt for food and stay warm.

Party animals
Otters are very energetic and playful. You might say they love to party! They are intelligent and curious, and they are usually busy hunting, investigating, or playing with something. They like to throw and bounce things, wrestle, twirl, and chase their tails. They also play games of "tag" and chase each other, both in the water and on the ground. River otters seem to like sliding down mud banks or in the snow—they’ll do it over and over again! Otters also make lots of different sounds, from whistles, growls, and screams to barks, chirps, and coos. All this activity is part of the otters’ courtship, social bonding, and communication, and since otter pups need practice, they tend to be even more playful than the adults.

Life as a pup
Most otters are born in a den, helpless and with their eyes closed. The mother takes care of them, often chasing the father away after their birth, although in some species the dad may come back after a couple of weeks to help raise them. The babies, called pups, open their eyes and start exploring the den at about one month, start swimming at two months, and stay with their mother and siblings until they are about one year old, when they head off on their own.

For sea otters in their ocean habitat it’s a little different—the pups are born with their eyes open, and they have a special coat of hair so they can float, even though they can’t swim yet. They are carried on their mother’s stomach until they are about two months old, when they start swimming and diving on their own.

For most otters, social groups are made up of a mother, her older offspring, and her newest pups; the males spend most of their time alone or with a few other males. During breeding time or where there’s lots of food, though, larger groups of otters may gather, especially among sea otters in kelp beds.

The seafood diet
Otter food may not all come from the ocean, but it is definitely fishy! River otters eat mostly fish, frogs, crayfish, crabs, and mollusks, with an occasional small mammal or bird. Sea otters eat many of the same things, but mostly sea urchins, abalone, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they crack open against rocks they hold on their stomachs. Otters have long, sensitive whiskers that help them find prey, even in murky water. Some species, like the Asian small-clawed otter Amblonyx cinereus, also use their hands to probe into mud or under rocks to find a tasty meal that might be hiding there. River otters use lots of energy and digest their food very fast, so they eat several times a day. Sea otters need to eat 20 to 25 percent of their body weight each day. That’s a lot of abalone!
The otters at the San Diego Zoo are fed carnivore diet, carrots, and either squid or trout. They also get small amounts of "treats" for enrichment, like crayfish, worms, potatoes, or yams.

Live Video of Asteroid Impact on Jupiter

A Disturbing New Ad - Rise Above Plastics



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