Ironworks Gaming Forum - Interesting News

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Interesting News

5 human heads discovered in ice chests in central Mexico
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americ...ads/index.html

War message found inside Lincoln's watch
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/10/lin...tch/index.html

Rare Harry Potter book fetches $19,000 at auction
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/book...ion/index.html

Saudis order 40 lashes for elderly woman for mingling
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/...hes/index.html

Re: Interesting News

Definitely interesting and a cool thread!

That last one could also get the "odd" nod as well.

Re: Interesting News

Definitely interesting!

Related to the watch, I know that builders used to write their names on the materials they used to build farmhouses and such. An old colleague of mine was building a house with material salvaged from other buildings, and he found quite a few.

Inside our piano, there are also notes from several of the piano tuners who've worked on it. Pretty cool, that... ;)

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bungleau (Post 1227476)

Inside our piano, there are also notes from several of the piano tuners who've worked on it. Pretty cool, that... ;)

C, C#, D, D#, E, F, etc? Don't they all have that? :hehe: Sorry, couldn't resist...

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bungleau (Post 1227476)

Inside our piano, there are also notes from several of the piano tuners who've worked on it. Pretty cool, that... ;)

Perhaps they wrote "For a good time call Larry ###-####"

-If there are any board members who's name is indeed Larry, no offence intended. Just grabbed the first name that came to mind.-

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by Variol (Farseer) Elmwood (Post 1227475)

Definitely interesting and a cool thread!

That last one could also get the "odd" nod as well.

What may appear to be abnormal to some, are quite normal to others. If you ever plan to visit the kingdom let me know in advance, I have some strong contacts there.

Re: Interesting News

Ba-dum-BUM! Can I get a B with three flats?

I should say that the piano tuners signed their names and dated them, indicating ownership of their handiwork.

As for board members named Larry.... you probably don't have to look much past the list of mods ;)

Re: Interesting News

Farmers find monastery beneath Israeli soil
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/11/b...lem/index.html

Re: Interesting News

I find all archaeology articles interesting. :)

http://topics.cnn.com/topics/archaeology

Re: Interesting News

Re: Interesting News

I think you link is kapput

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by VulcanRider (Post 1227668)

Ever see dolphin bubbles?

very, very, cool!

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by Variol (Farseer) Elmwood (Post 1227663)

I think you link is kapput

yea, now i cant delete it either. it wasnt that interesting anyway now that i think about it

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Wife divorcing ex-CEO: $43 million not enough

HARTFORD, Conn. - A 36-year-old Swedish countess divorcing a former CEO says she cannot live on $43 million.

Marie Douglas-David, a former investment banker, says she has no income and needs her 67-year-old husband, George David, to pay her more than $53,000 a week — more than most U.S. households make in a year — to cover her expenses.

David stepped down last year as chief executive at Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. but is still chairman of the board and has an estimated net worth of $329 million. He and his wife accuse each other of extramarital affairs. Their divorce trial started Wednesday.

"I'm just very sad that we are where we are," Douglas-David said. "I hope we resolve this soon so everybody can move on with their lives."

David briefly took the stand Wednesday. Asked if his marriage is irretrievably broken, he simply answered, "Yes."

Marriage was in trouble by 2004
David and Douglas-David married in 2002, but the marriage was in trouble by 2004, court papers show. Amid a series of reconciliations, the couple signed a postnuptial agreement in October 2005 that would give her $43 million when they divorce.

Douglas-David wants the agreement invalidated. She accused her husband of coercing her to sign it by preying upon her fears of being divorced and childless.

David is asking a judge to uphold the agreement. His attorneys asked for a separate hearing Wednesday on the document's validity, but the judge declined.

Douglas-David has filed court papers showing she has more than $53,800 in weekly expenses, including for maintaining a Park Avenue apartment and three residences in Sweden. Her weekly expenses also include $700 for limousine service, $4,500 for clothes, $1,000 for hair and skin treatments, $1,500 for restaurants and entertainment, and $8,000 for travel.

At that rate, Douglas-David would burn through $43 million in less than 16 years. The Census Bureau estimates that the median U.S. household income in 2007 was just over $50,000.

Anne Dranginis, an attorney for David and retired Connecticut Appellate Court judge, predicted that Douglas-David will get much less money in the divorce if she doesn't accept the terms of the postnuptial.

Wife quit her job as investment banker
In court papers, Douglas-David said she quit her job as an investment banker for Lazard Asset Management to travel and entertain with David, who still earns $1 million a year from United Technologies. While chief executive in 2007, David made nearly $27 million in salary and bonuses.

Douglas-David's legal team includes prominent New York divorce attorney William Beslow, who represented Mia Farrow in her child-custody suit against actor-director Woody Allen and Marla Maples in her divorce from Donald Trump.

United Technologies is the parent company of Carrier, which makes air conditioning units, and Otis Elevators. It also owns Sikorsky, which makes commercial and military helicopters, and Hamilton Sunstrand, an aerospace manufacturer that makes components for NASA's space program.

David is expected to return to the stand Thursday for several days of testimony.

People like this irritate me. If you are now making less money than you usually spend, either spend less, or get a new job. Honestly, spending over $53,000 a week boggles the mind.

Re: Interesting News

Not the best time for swimming in Tonga.

Quote:

Inspectors head to undersea volcano in Tonga
NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga - Scientists sailed Thursday to inspect an undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga — shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the South Pacific ocean.

Authorities said Thursday the eruption does not pose any danger to islanders at this stage, and there have been no reports of fish or other animals being affected.

Spectacular columns are spewing out of the sea about 6 miles from the southwest coast off the main island of Tongatapu — an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, geologists said.

Trade winds continued to blow gas and steam away from the island Thursday.

No warnings yet
Tonga's police deputy commander Taniela Faletau said coastal villages close to the roiling ocean site were not yet at risk and that no warnings had been issued.

Police were waiting for a government team of officials and scientists to survey the area and report on their observations before taking any action.

Coastal residents said the steam and ash column first appeared on Monday morning, after a series of sharp earthquakes were felt in the capital, Nuku'alofa.

"This is not unusual for this area and we expect this to happen here at any time," said Keleti Mafi, Tonga's geological service head.

The underwater eruption was taking place near the low-lying twin volcanic islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai, and within sight of the capital, Nuku'alofa.

Large amounts of pumice thrown up by the erupting volcano would likely clog beaches on the southern coast of nearby Fiji islands within a short time, Mafi said.

Tonga, a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti, is part of the Pacific "ring of fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down through Vanuatu to Tonga.

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by VulcanRider (Post 1227668)

Ever see dolphin bubbles?

Wow!!!!

Me like this :)

Re: Interesting News

Agreed... my daughter thought it was really cool too!

Re: Interesting News

Rights group: 1,000 seized in Gambia 'witch-hunt'
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/af...aft/index.html

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...n-drivers.html

Re: Interesting News

Cool articles, maybe include headlines? Just a thought, interesting articles all the same.

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestormalpha (Post 1227783)

Cool articles, maybe include headlines? Just a thought, interesting articles all the same.

whoops, haha I added them.

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecarrotdude (Post 1227782)

I'm not sure if "interesting" is the right word for the first one..

Re: Interesting News

'Miracle fruit' turns sour things sweet
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/25...oss/index.html

Re: Interesting News

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecarrotdude (Post 1227899)

'Miracle fruit' turns sour things sweet
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/25...oss/index.html

This fruit was in one of the CSI episodes.

Re: Interesting News

..not the most fitting thread for this, but I did not want to start a new one. ..maybe there should be though.

New Afghan law forcing sex draws outrage from Canada

Quote:

Canadian officials contacted the Afghan government Tuesday to express concern about controversial new legislation that would reportedly force women to have sex with their husbands.

The Canadian government reacted with outrage following reports that the administration of President Hamid Karzai has approved a wide-ranging family law for the country's Shia minority.

Various reports say the legislation would make it illegal for Shia women to refuse their husbands sex, leave the house without their permission or have custody of children.

Canadian officials contacted the Karzai's office, and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon spoke to two Afghan cabinet ministers Tuesday seeking clarification.

Karzai's office has so far refused to comment on the legislation, which has been criticized by some Afghan parliamentarians and a UN women's agency but has not yet been published.

Critics say Karzai's government approved it in a hurry to win support in the upcoming election from ethnic Hazaras — a Shia Muslim minority that constitutes a crucial block of swing voters.

"If these reports are true, this will create serious problems for Canada," said International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, who fielded questions in the House of Commons.

"The onus is on the government of Afghanistan to live up to its responsibilities for human rights, absolutely including rights of women.

"If there's any wavering on this point from the government of Afghanistan, this will create serious problems and be a serious disappointment for us" Day said.

Late Tuesday, Canadian officials said they had learned the law was not yet in effect but that they remained "very concerned."

The Afghan constitution guarantees equal rights for women, but also allows the Shia to have separate family law based on religious tradition.

Some international monitors have avoided discussing the issue, for fear of feeding the impression that exists among Afghans that their government takes its marching orders from the West.

Female parliamentarians in Afghanistan have condemned the legislation, as has the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

They were joined Tuesday by the NDP, which has opposed the Afghan military mission.

"How can we say that our soldiers are there to protect women's rights when the Western-backed leader of this nation pushes through laws like this?" said NDP MP Dawn Black.

"Allowing women to be treated like a piece of property … is this what we're fighting for? Is this what our people are dying for in Afghanistan?"

Re: Interesting News

Ontario man found guilty in HIV murder trial

Quote:

An HIV-positive Ontario man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of two of his sex partners in what was considered a precedent-setting trial in Canada.

The jury also convicted Johnson Aziga, 52, on 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault.

Aziga, of Hamilton, had been accused of endangering the lives of 11 women by recklessly exposing them to the virus that causes AIDS.

Seven women became infected with HIV, two have since died of AIDS-related cancer, and four tested negative.

The first-degree murder charges made this case the first of its kind in Canada.

In his instruction to jurors, Justice Thomas Lofchik said they need not find that Aziga planned and deliberately killed the two Toronto women for him to be found guilty of first-degree murder.

The deaths of S.B., 51, and H.C., 49, would automatically be first-degree murders if the jury found they were committed as the result of an aggravated sexual assault, Lofchik said.

During the six-month trial, the Crown described Aziga, a former employee of the Ministry of the Attorney General, as a callous and arrogant person who lied about his HIV status.

Prosecutors alleged that Aziga failed to tell his partners of his HIV-positive status, even though he had been aware of it since 1996 and was under public-health orders to do so.

The defence argued Aziga was depressed and ill and did not have the state of mind to deliberately endanger the lives of his sexual partners.