Tuesday, November 29, 2005

What some called torture

Ace at Ace of Spades HQ gives the best written peice on "torture" I've read:

There is a moral hazard in waterboarding a known terrorist. It's cruel and painful treatment, to be sure.

But there is a greater moral hazard in allowing him to remain silent as his confederates -- who he knows by name and face, and whom he could identify, if forced to -- blow up a schoolbus or police station.

The anti-"torture" brigade never lowers itself to explain why, if misery is to be suffered, it should not be bourne by those plotting mayhem and murder rather than their would-be victims. They simply avoid the question entirely by asserting, over and over, "Coercion/torture doesn't work anyhow."

It does, and it's both disingenuous and immoral to refuse to honestly answer such a vital question truthfully.


Go read it all.

Never post when angry

Ted "George Washington was a Terrorist, too" Rall makes this cartoon about Iraqi War vets sex lives. Nick at Conservitive Dialysis speaks the truth: Ted Rall proves he's a waste of human flesh.

There are a lot of words I would like to use about now...

Who is Ted Rall? For a long time, I couldn't figure out where a liberal aquaintance had heard that the Vietnam-era military sladering were myths. He was the source. When my father was in Air Force ROTC, they didn't wear uniforms for fear of having ROTC guys harrassed. I've heard similar first-hand accounts elsewhere. Maybe Rall needs to get out more. Maybe he ought to have a sitdown with some war vets I know. I'm sure they'd have lots to say to him.

Another reason to exercise

Well, I suppose this would be a side-effect: Study - Longer needles needed for fatter buttocks

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Fatter rear ends are causing many drug injections to miss their mark, requiring longer needles to reach buttock muscle, researchers said on Monday.

Standard-sized needles failed to reach the buttock muscle in 23 out of 25 women whose rears were examined after what was supposed to be an intramuscular injection of a drug.

Two-thirds of the 50 patients in the study did not receive the full dosage of the drug, which instead lodged in the fat tissue of their buttocks, researchers from The Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Dublin said in a presentation to the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Besides patients receiving less than the correct drug dosage, medications that remain lodged in fat can cause infection or irritation, researchers Victoria Chan said.

"There is no question that obesity is the underlying cause. We have identified a new problem related, in part, to the increasing amount of fat in patients' buttocks," Chan said.

"The amount of fat tissue overlying the muscles exceeds the length of the needles commonly used for these injections," she said.

The 25 men and 25 women studied at the Irish hospital ranged in age from 21 to 87.

The buttocks are a good place for intramuscular injections because there are relatively few major blood vessels, nerves and bones that can be damaged by a needle. Plentiful smaller blood vessels found in muscle carry the drug to the rest of the body, while fat tissue contains relatively few blood vessels.

Obesity affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is based on a measure of height versus weight that produces a body mass index above 30. An estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.


We may be on to one of the most effective exercise campaigns ever. You see, most people are not fond of needles...but I'm pretty sure all people are not fond of *LARGE* needles. So, we need to post a couple ads of the new larger needles, and suddenly people have more motivation to keep in shape.

NOTE: This is funny...regular readers know my views on social engineering...

Whew...

Forgive the light posting, but I suddenly am appreciating high-speed internet. My wife and I visited her family this Thanksgiving, and he only has dial-up. Crazy. It was a good weekend, though. It was nice to just relax for a bit.

I went through my first physical therapy session to try and loosen my ilitibial band. The physical therapist showed me several stretches, and I definately appreciate a new one I hadn't seen before (from single knee position, you move forward, stretching the quads and a whole group of muscles around the hip).

In other random excitement, I finally am replacing the windshield to the Z...and hope to be able to use it shortly thereafter.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

France boosting defense

I've been taking advantage of the holiday to catch up on some of my Aviation Week magazines. Today, I noticed an article (Oct. 3, '05 Boosting Defense, page 36)about the French increasing their defense spending. Apparently, they plan to add a conventional powered aircraft carrier, 14 Rafale fighters, a landing craft, and their new Barracuda attack sub. This move leaves me wondering if:

A) Have they realized that we are at war?
B) Have they realized they are underpowered in military terms?
C) Are they coming to "liberate" San Francisco?

Happy Thanksgiving

...to all. And to all, a good meal.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Brutal Honesty

I have to say there is a special place in my heart for those that are completely and brutally honest. Like the guys who named thier investment company Capitalistpig Asset Management.

Atlas Shrugged: Revolutions

Pretty much since the start of this blog, Atlas Shrugged has been on my "now reading" sidebar. This has been due to a series of distractions (Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls, Harry Potter 6, ASTB studying, etc.). I've restarted and only have 300 pages to go...so I hope to have a decent review up shortly.

Renewed Vigor

I went to the doc yesterday and discovered I do indeed have Ilitibial Band Syndrome (a ligament that sits on the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee becomes inflamed). The cure is Prednisone (a steroid to get the inflamation down) and lots of stretching. I'm really hopeful that this will pass quickly and I can get back to my running schedual. I've cut back on my eating to slow any weight gain, and plan on doing some addition non-leg based aerobics to keep my metabolism up and stretch out the ilitibial band.

I took a rest week last week to build back up. This morning I busted out my push-ups and plan on finishing with crunches and pull-ups later today. Although I wasn't selected, I plan on doing my best to prepare for boot. My current goal is to try for honor grad...this would result in a meretious promotion to Lance Corp (E-3). I kinda figure it would look really good when I apply for OCS later in '06.

This is not my idea of free speech...

I will continue to expose your right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like your won't dare show their face on a college campus.


This was in an e-mail from a Community College professor to a student. Here's the whole thing:

Dear Rebecca:

I am asking my students to boycott your event. I am also going to ask others to boycott it. Your literature and signs in the entrance lobby look like fascist propaganda and is extremely offensive. Your main poster "Communism killed 100,000,000" is not only untrue, but ignores the fact that CAPITALISM has killed many more and the evidence for that can be seen in the daily news papers. The U.S. government can fly to dominate the people of Iraq in 12 hours, yet it took them five days to assist the people devastated by huricane Katrina. Racism and profits were key to their priorities. Exxon, by the way, made $9 Billion in profits this last quarter--their highest proft margin ever. Thanks to the students of WCCC and other poor and working class people who are recruited to fight and die for EXXON and other corporations who earning megaprofits from their imperialist plunders. If you want to count the number of deaths based on political systems, you can begin with the more than a million children who have died in Iraq from U.S.-imposed sanctions and war. Or the million African American people who died from lack of access to healthcare in the US over the last 10 years.

I will continue to expose your right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like your won't dare show their face on a college campus. Real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors and fight for just causes and for people's needs--such freedom fighters can be counted throughout American history and they certainly will be counted again.

Prof. John Daly


Wow...I'm glad this english prof has such a wonderful grasp on economics, social studies, history, and political science. If he had a better graps, I'm sure he would note that the majority of recruits come from middle and upper middle class (as opposed to "working class"...where does this guy live? France?).

As for the capitalism has killed more...well, considering all the purges from Stalin, the Chinese, and N. Koreans, I really doubt capitalism would be even close. Mostly because capitalism requires consumers to work...and that's where profits come from. Killing consumers is bad economics, bad cost effectiveness, and not very nice.

He then follows up with the federal government "takes too long" arguement...totally ignoring the fact that states are supposed to be prepared for up to 5-days to get help. Or is this just something that all us who live in Tornado Alley are familiar with.

I have one statement on healthcare...if the government would stop giving it out for free, the price would come down. I pay $100 a month for my personal policy.

I like how he really endorses freedom of speech and promotes intolerance at the end...oh, wait.

New Times Roman

A friend sent me this disturbing article covering a US government commision on religious persicution in North Korea. I know this stuff happens, but it's always disturbing when you hear new stuff: North Korea crushing churches

A U.S government report says North Korea is raising religious persecution to the same heights as ancient Rome.

While the Romans threw Christians to the lions for sport, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says North Korea's leaders settle for snap trials followed by firing squads or simply crushing the heads of underground church leaders under a steamroller.

In the same week U.S. President George W. Bush is touring Asia to call for increased political freedom, the independent U.S. government commission issued a report claiming North Korea is waging all-out war on religion and free thought.

The reports says there are only three formal churches in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, but they are primarily for show and are visited only by foreigners and the elderly. Everywhere else, the North Korean government is engaged in the forceful suppression of religious and intellectual life.

Relying on eyewitness accounts from 40 recent refugees who fled to South Korea via China, the commission says North Korea has created a reign of terror to crush any religious belief that might challenge the god-like authority of leader Kim Jong Il.

The mere possession of a Bible can bring a death sentence, while attending a secret underground church service can result in gruesome public executions.


The article goes on in more graphic detail. What floors me is that North Korea has admirers in the US. If you don't believe me check at Zombietime. A quick perusal will show the "Reds" to be very active in protests of various sorts. There is another sight I refuse to link to, but they praise their glorious leader on a forum(I caught it on someone elses post about them freaking out about "Team America") I guess this is how they imagine a "workers paradise."

Now, what I find astounding is this little segment:

North Korean newspapers have carried stories claiming North Korean sailors have been saved at sea during terrible storms by simply gathering on storm-tossed decks to sing the praises of Kim Il Sung.

And the country's official histories claim that when Kim Jong Il was born on Mount Paektu, a sacred mountain on the border with China, a double rainbow appeared in the sky, along with a single bright star, to herald his birth.


This guy is a freaking nut.

Via Tynker.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Never give up...

I found out today that my PFT score (a 220) has kept me out of the Marine Officer program. My OSO encouraged me a lot today...telling me to count everything I learn in boot and build it up. I will not quit. I see this as an opportunity to really get to know the Marine Corps and feel this would only help out my future.

In addition, there are some prospects I may gain...like becoming a pilot. There is a distinct possibility that I may be able to qualify for a pilot slot if I continue my current course. We'll see how things go...but it would be a life long dream that I thought was gone in 2nd grade.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Just a reminder....

...of what these terrorists want us to do for peace:

Osama bin Laden wants the United States to convert to Islam, ditch its constitution, abolish banks, jail homosexuals and sign the Kyoto climate change treaty.

The first complete collection of the Saudi's statements published today portrays a world in which Islam's enemies will take the first steps towards salvation by embracing the "religion of all the Prophets".

Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden is billed as the first accurate compendium of the terrorist leader's words, threats and ruminations from 1994 to 2004.

Its editors have rooted out many statements which they identified as forgeries and retranslated to correct "horrendous" errors.

His terms for America's surrender appeared after the September 2001 suicide attacks and include demands that amount to the abandonment of much of western life.

Alcohol and gambling would be barred and there would be an end to women's photos in newspapers or advertising.

Any woman serving "passengers, visitors and strangers", presumably anyone from air stewardesses to waitresses, would also be out of a job.

The West must "stop your oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery that has spread among you" and has become the "worst civilisation witnessed in the history of mankind".


We must never give up. Never stop fighting them...until they surrender, or their last breath is breathed.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

News you never hear

When they [the Iraqi "freedom fighters," who fight mainly to free schoolteachers of their heads] are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time. Brave, but stupid.

Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing Aks and RPGs directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time....

When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and thats the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeos (Allahs Waiting Room).

We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast movers, mostly Marine F-18s, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all.

Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why were seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber shit. The new strategy is simple: attrition.


via Tim Worstall

An unpopular war

“I wonder how well you have been sleeping these last nights? Mothers and fathers all over our beloved land are spending sleepless nights worrying again over their boys being sent to fight wars on foreign soil—wars that are no concern of ours.”

—Letter to the President from the parent of a U.S. soldier

Talk about discouraging. All year long the negative numbers about the war rolled in like the tide. The President’s approval rating in the Gallup poll bottomed out at 23 percent. Another poll showed that 43 percent of Americans thought it was a mistake to have entered the war. The enthusiasm from early victories quickly evaporated.

Opposition party members spared no effort in blasting the President and his Administration. One senator called the Secretary of Defense a “living lie,” and another called for the Secretary’s resignation. The most bombastic senator went so far as to call the Secretary a traitor. Another senator began using the President’s name when referring to the war, and his intention wasn’t to honor the Commander in Chief.

Newspapers and magazines also joined the frenzy. A New York Times editorial characterized the Administration’s war misjudgments “a colossal military blunder.” A front-page editorial in the Chicago Tribune called for immediate impeachment proceedings against the President. Time said he was “responsible for one of the worst military disasters in history.”

The pessimism was not confined to the opposition. Members of the President’s own Administration shared the negative mood. His Secretary of Defense conceded, “We were at our lowest point.” The British Prime Minister believed that the conflict should be abandoned in order to focus resources on protecting Europe. The British leader flew to Washington to lecture the American leader on how to run the conflict after the President performed badly at a news conference.


That president was Harry Truman and the war was in Korea.

Read it all here. Via Michelle Malkin

Monday, November 14, 2005

Um...wow

Well, California Schools do it again. They never cease to amaze me: Prisoner Elected to California School Board

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The winner of a school board election didn't campaign, attend forums or even go to any school board meetings before the vote — because he was in jail.

Randy Logan Hale won 831 votes in Tuesday's election, securing one of three open seats on the Romoland School District Board in a community about 70 miles north of San Diego.

...

Hale, 40, was returned to prison in September for violating his parole on 1998 convictions for spousal abuse and drug possession, the California Institution for Men in Chino said, and is due to be released Feb. 15. He declared his candidacy in August.


So, Riverside schools have a spouse and drug abuser on the school board. Why...

Shaun Bowler, a political science professor at the University of California, Riverside, said Hale may have gotten votes because he was at the top of the ballot.


Good job voters. You're supposed to make at least a half-hearted effort to know who you're electing.

Painful disappointment

I did a PFT today...only to have to stop my 3-mile run halfway. The injury or whatever it is started hurting...and now I'm paying for it. I did increase my pull-ups to 10...and maintained my crunches at 100. Unfortunately, my running training is hurting...figuratively and literally.

I've made a doctor's appointment with one who does a lot of marathoning, so I figure he's familiar with most running injuries...

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Picking the lesser of two evils...

Former VP Al Gore has been on this global warming kick ever since Hurricane Katrina...and all the while making fun statements that I completely disagree with. His latest is particularly special:

"What changed in the US with hurricane Katrina was a feeling that we have entered a period of consequences and that bitter cup will be offered to us again and again until we exert our moral authority and respond appropriately," he says. "I don't want to diminish the threat of terrorism at all, it is extremely serious, but on a long-term global basis, global warming is the most serious problem we are facing."


Soooo...which am I more frightened of? Some bad weather...or my wife and I loosing our heads and the cat (since we don't have any kids) being sold into slavery because we're Christians. Hmmmm. Once again, global warming means absolutely nothing to me at this time...and trying to compare it to terrorism only makes it worse.

Conspiricy theorists beware!

Your tinfoil hat may be amplifying those mind control signals:On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets:An Empirical Study

The conclusion:

The helmets amplify frequency bands that coincide with those allocated to the US government between 1.2 Ghz and 1.4 Ghz. According to the FCC, These bands are supposedly reserved for ''radio location'' (ie, GPS), and other communications with satellites (see, for example, [3]). The 2.6 Ghz band coincides with mobile phone technology. Though not affiliated by government, these bands are at the hands of multinational corporations.

It requires no stretch of the imagination to conclude that the current helmet craze is likely to have been propagated by the Government, possibly with the involvement of the FCC. We hope this report will encourage the paranoid community to develop improved helmet designs to avoid falling prey to these shortcomings.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Veterans Day

Make sure and take a moment to remember our veterans of all branches.

I have to say one major motivation I recieved recently was from a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima. He was talking to a Marine Captain, and I overheard these words being spoken from an 80-something man with a walker to my selection officer, a tall Marine in his dress-blues: "To hell, I'd follow you." He ment those words. This man had never stopped being a Marine...and still held the highest respect for Marine Officers. I will never forget those words.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Happy Birthday, Marine Corps


From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job--
The United States Marines. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.


230 years today. Here's to 230 more...

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

The Stealth Story about WMDs in Iraq

In a bizaar twist, a BBC article dated July 7, 2004, they say the US removed 1.77 tons of enriched urainum from Iraq: US reveals Iraq nuclear operation

The US has revealed that it removed more than 1.7 metric tons of radioactive material from Iraq in a secret operation last month.

"This operation was a major achievement," said US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham in a statement.

He said it would keep "potentially dangerous nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists".

Along with 1.77 tons of enriched uranium, about 1,000 "highly radioactive sources" were also removed.

The material was taken from a former nuclear research facility on 23 June, after being packaged by 20 experts from the US Energy Department's secret laboratories.


Why has no one seemed to have heard of this story? Where the heck did it come from?

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Someone forgot to read up on tax law

The church has always enjoyed a tax-free status in the US...and there have always been limits to that tax-free status. In particular, they must not be political in nature...else they are a political organization and are taxed as one. Someone, apparently, doesn't get this: Liberal Church May Lose Funds Over Sermon

The Internal Revenue Service has warned a prominent liberal church that it could lose it's tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon a guest preacher gave on the eve of the 2004 presidential election, according to church officials.

The Rev. George F. Regas did not urge parishioners at All Saints Episcopal Church to support either President Bush or John Kerry, but he was critical of the Iraq war and Bush's tax cuts.

The IRS warned the church in June that its tax-exempt status was in jeopardy because such organizations are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns and elections.

The church's rector, J. Edwin Bacon, told his congregation about the problem Sunday.

"It's important for everyone to understand that the IRS concerns are not supported by the facts," Bacon said.

Bacon later said he chose Sunday to inform the congregation because Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu was in attendance and because he believes a decision from the IRS is imminent. He called the IRS threat "a direct assault on freedom of speech and freedom of religion."

An IRS spokesman in Washington declined to comment Monday, saying he could not discuss particular cases.

Some All Saints members said they feared the 3,500-member church was being singled out for its political views.

All Saints has long been vocal about its positions. Its Web site mentions the upcoming special election in California and says three Republican-backed propositions would "alter the very fabric of our lives as a democracy by limiting the right to representation and the right to express a political point of view." Regas, who gave the 2004 sermon, retired 10 years ago as the church's rector.

Marcus Owens, the church's tax attorney and a former head of the IRS tax-exempt section, said the agency offered to drop the proceedings if the church admitted wrongdoing. The church declined the offer, he said.

The IRS has revoked a church's charitable designation at least once. A church in Binghamton, N.Y., lost its status after running advertisements against Bill Clinton's candidacy before the 1992 presidential election.


Now, before anyone says anything, this goes for any church that becomes political...conservative or liberal. I am aware that some conservative churches have crossed the line.

Churches I've been to in the past do not speak positions...they may "pray for the upcoming vote," but not become specific. Unlike this individual, I do not see it as a "free-speech" issue. I see it as an issue of purpose. The church has it's tax status because it is a non-profit, charitable organization. If the organization moves into political waters...then way should it not be taxed as such?

Monday, November 07, 2005

A few good charities

If you're in the market for a donation, I'd like to recommend Valor-IT from Soldiers' Angels. They are raising money for voice recognition software and laptops for those with hand and arm injuries from the war. Excellent cause. Now, for those compatition junkies, there's a friendly interservice fund-raising contest being led by bloggers. As a proto-Marine, I'd like to...suggest a donation for the Marines here. If you really want to donate for those other branches...well, I suppose I'll help out with a handy list:

Marines (winkwinknudgenudge)
Air Force
Navy
Army

Trials on the path to victory

I've been lagging on the PFT blogging recently due to what looks like Iliotibia Band Syndrome...a ligiment on the outside of the knee has become inflamed and sore...making running difficult right now. On top of that, I had run into a barrier for my pull-ups at 9.

Tonight, I busted out 11...almost 12 pull-ups...breaking that 10 pull-up barrier. My leg is getting better...but it frustrates me not doing my runs. Tommorrow, I may try some experimentation to try to get some cross-training to keep my legs in shape without irritating the injury.

I've felt a real peace about my joining the Marines. Come what may, I will continue to follow the path the Lord has set before me.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Parade of the Unfortunate Star Wars Costumes

For those in need of a good laugh: See it here.

This one is my favorite:

Uh, oh...looks like productivity will be down

Workers spend 551,000 years reading blogs

Trade paper AdAge.com reports that American workers would waste the equivalent of 551,000 years during 2005 reading blogs, online web diaries and gossip sheets, which have exploded in numbers in recent years.

About 35 million workers - one in four of the labour force in the United States - spend 3 1/2 hours, or 9 per cent, of their working week on blogs, the survey found.


Well, I guess that means we'll all just have to stop e-mailing so we can blog instead.

No introduction needed...

Greenpeace fined as Rainbow Warrior damages Philippines reef

TUBBATAHA REEFS, Philippines (AFP) - Greenpeace was fined nearly 7,000 dollars after its flagship Rainbow Warrior II damaged a coral reef in the Philippines during a climate change awareness campaign.

The crew were handed a 384,000-peso (6,857-dollar) fine after the 55-meter (180-foot) motor-assisted schooner ran aground in the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park Monday, park manager Angelique Songco and Greenpeace said in the joint statement.

The ship's bow sliced through a reef formation measuring 96 square meters (1,033 square feet), they said Tuesday.

Songco earlier told AFP the ship had damaged 160 square meters (1,722 square feet) of corals and that its crew had been fined 640,000 pesos (11,600 dollars). No explanation was given over the revised figures.

Greenpeace official Red Constantino described the damage as an "accident" that was "regrettable". He said the environmentalist group would pay the fine on Wednesday.

The Rainbow Warrior II arrived in the reserve in the middle of the Sulu Sea, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) south of Manila, last weekend as part of a four-month Asia-Pacific campaign to promote earth-friendly energy sources.

"The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the reef when the ship ran aground, Constantino told AFP. He said the August 2005 navigational map had been provided by the mapping office of the Philippine government.

The ship's own rubber boats safely towed the Rainbow Warrior II into deeper water, and it escaped serious damage, an AFP photographer aboard the ship said.

Songco said park authorities "appreciate the immediate action they took to get the full assessment of the damage".

Originally built in Britain in 1957 as a steam-powered fishing vessel, the Rainbow Warrior II replaced its namesake that was sunk by French agents in 1985 in Auckland harbor on its way to Moruroa Atoll to block a French nuclear test.

One crew member drowned and two French secret service agents were later jailed after pleading guilty to charges of manslaughter and wilful damage.

Constantino said Greenpeace proceeded as scheduled with underwater dive sorties to inspect the effect of global warming on the coral formation, which is listed as a World Heritage Site by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

They found healthy corals at Tubbataha and no evidence of bleaching, a phenomenon believed to be caused by warming sea temperatures.

Constantino said their healthy state did not disprove the theory of global warming, which he described as an "extremely complicated science".


BAHahahahahahahahahaha...*GASP*...hahahahahahahahahaha. So, not only do they damage the reef...they damaged it more than "global warming." Smooth move guys. Apparently, they learned navigation from the Capt. Joe Hazelwood school.