For people who think global warming is a myth, then the reduction in the arctic cap will be surprising.

To normal people, it is not.

This summer was the fourth in a row in which ice cap areas were sharply below the long-term average, said Mark C. Serreze, a senior scientist at the snow and ice center and a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

A natural cycle in the polar atmosphere called the Arctic oscillation, which contributed to the reduction in Arctic ice in the past, did not appear to be a factor in the last several years, he said.

He said the role of accumulating greenhouse gas emissions had become increasingly apparent with rising air and sea temperatures.

Source

Its not the Loch Ness Monster, but it has nearly the same mythology. Japanese scientists have for the first time ever photographed a giant squid in the wild.

The giant squid was photographed 10 miles off the remote island of Chichijima, which is about 600 miles southeast of Tokyo in the area known as the Ogasawara Islands.

Maybe the scene for a future Survivor series?

National Geographic has pictures of the Squid.

Do you want an author account? Let me know either PM or contact me.

You will have freedom to post, however, if you get screwy I’ll have to moderate your posts. You don’t want that. Why you ask? The voice inside your head says. Well, I’m lazy, and if you goto moderation its likely to stay there or get deleted. So don’t get screwy–yeh I said it twice.

I predict I will have to create at least 1 author account for someone.

Today China announced something that pretty much went against all things Google (including me and the rest of computer nerds everywhere). Internet censorship.

China set new regulations on Internet news content on Sunday, widening a campaign of controls it has imposed on other Web sites, such as discussion groups.

“The state bans the spreading of any news with content that is against national security and public interest,” the official Xinhua news agency said in announcing the new rules, which took effect immediately.

The news agency did not detail the rules, but said Internet news sites must “be directed toward serving the people and socialism and insist on correct guidance of public opinion for maintaining national and public interests.”

Established news media needed permission to run a news Web site, it said. New operators had to register themselves with government information offices.

China has a dedicated band of cyber police who patrol the Internet with the aim of regulating content. Postings that criticize the government or address sensitive topics are quickly removed.

China Censorship

What does this mean to you? The rest of the world? Are you worried the people of China won’t get to view this post on ICalledIt.com?

This show is flat out entertaining.

I’m sorry for those that never saw the first season (which was not very popular at the time). Corey Feldman was the first problem creator and certainly wouldn’t be the last.

The recent episode from Season 5, where Omarossa from Apprentice fame, and Janice, “I don’t want to piss you off by not saying you’re not the world’s first supermodel,” Dickinson, “The World’s First Supermodel,” gets into a berating juggling match of name calling. While consoling Janice, Bronson Pinchot, bursts into a major cry fest after hearing Janice’s very rough childhood story. Pepa, from Salt N Pepa, just kinda shrugs the shoulders when the cameras pan over to her.

This show may top the “Vern Troyer pissing in the corner nude” episode. In fact, this season might just top last season, which is incredible in itself, since season 4 of Surreal Life was the highest rated show ever on VH1.

Check this out.

Its a bong, its a testtube, its Bong Vodka!

Yes leave it to the Dutch to combine two socially acceptable “pastimes” that patrons not only injest, but get to have fun with.

Can you imagine the blooper reel of private bottle service everywhere?

http://www.bongvodka.com/

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and conservative leader Angela Merkel said they would talk to each other on forming a new government after Sunday’s election stalemate, but each insisted on leading it.

Merkel, still looking subdued and shocked after an unexpectedly poor showing in the vote, struck a conciliatory tone in promising to talk with all parties except the far-left Left Party.

“We don’t have a preference,” she told reporters, insisting however that her Christian Democrats (CDU) and their sister Christian Social Union (CSU) had come out on top in the vote, giving her the right to replace Schroeder as chancellor.

Schroeder’s Social Democrats (SPD), energised by a result that put them just a percentage point behind Merkel’s party despite forecasts of a blow-out, continued to sound defiant.

“It is clear that Germans do not want Mrs Merkel as their chancellor,” SPD chief Franz Muentefering told a news briefing. “We have a responsibility to make clear that we want to rule with Mr Schroeder as chancellor and implement much of that which we have undertaken to do.”

The likeliest outcome to Germany’s most inconclusive election in the post-war era remains a “grand coalition” of the CDU/CSU and SPD.

OCTOBER DEADLINE

But divergences between the parties — not only about who should lead but also over CDU pledges to free up the labour market and its opposition to Turkey joining the European Union — could prevent any accord before an October 18 deadline for the new parliament to sit.

The weeks leading up to that date will be characterised by much grandstanding and hard-nosed politics, as the SPD, CDU/CSU and their potential partners, the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens, manoeuvre to get the most out of the talks.

Both the Greens and the FDP, which with nearly 10 percent did far better than anticipated, will now be wooed by rival camps, although leaders from both parties vowed on Monday not to be lured into a three-way coalition.

In the meantime, the uncertainty weighed heavily on financial markets, which before the election had hoped for a clean sweep by Merkel’s conservatives and the FDP — a grouping that had vowed deep economic reforms.

Who did you vote for?

I decided to upgrade the forums to the latest release. This allows easier administration in several ways that nobody cares about.

I also added a couple of google ads after the first post. Not a big impact, hopefully it will add a little to the ICI bottomline, and hopefully nobody freaks out.

Also added a wordpress bridge so that the front works with the back (forums). You will notice that this post from the blog is being posted in the forums under the new ICI blog forum. I think this is essential for ICI to move to the next level and actually get 20 regular posters. LOL j/k. Seriously kidding, but serious that it will be good for ICI. But not to the check cashing store. <– Aqua Teen Hungerforce Reference, if you didn’t get it nevermind.

I have plans for allowing authors to post to the ICI blog. Since WordPress has this capability. I wish I was able to post from the front directly to the individual forum categories, alas, can’t just yet.

This is a start though.

What do you think?