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Major Collision at JFK Airport

12 Apr

A really scary accident occurred last evening at JFK Airport last night when an Airbus 380 (Air France Flight 7)— the world’s largest passenger airplane— collided with a much smaller airplane (Comair Flight 6293). The Air France airplane was preparing to take off for Paris when it “touched” the smaller airplane at 8:09 p.m. You can see from the video below that the incident consisted of much more than a brief touch though.

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in the incident. Sixty-two people were on board the smaller plane, which had just landed from Boston. There were 520 people on the larger airplane. Both planes are being inspected after the incident.

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Unluckiest Honeymoon Encounters Six Natural Disasters

11 Apr

You really must feel for swedish couple Stefan and Erika Svanstrom who have had one heck of an unlucky honeymoon. You see, everywhere they turn, disaster happens. Over the course of their trip, they’ve come across six natural disasters. Those disasters, in order:

1. In December, the newly married couple set off on their four-month long honeymoon. They couldn’t leave though because they were stranded in Munich, in the midst of one of Europe’s worst snowstorms.

2. Their next stop turned out to be in the middle of a cyclone (Cairns). Thankfully, this disaster spared the city, for the most part.

3. They moved on to Brisbane, which saw historic levels of flooding that crippled the Australian state.

4.  Their next encounter was with the troublesome brushfires in Perth. The couple was ecacuated and forced to spend an evening on a concrete floor.

5. After the incident in Perth, the couple opted to move on to New Zealand. Right before they arrived, the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch.

6. Finally, they moved on to Tokyo, where the 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck about a month ago.

Talk about an unlucky honeymoon. Thankfully, the couple (and their infant daughter) was largely injured and maintained their sense of humor.

“We’ve certainly experienced more than our fair share of catastrophes in a marriage, but the most important thing is that we’re still going strong. I know marriages have to endure some trials, but I think we have been through most of them,” Mr. Svanstrom told the Sydney Morning Herald.

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UNREAL: Scientists Explore Active Volcano Nyiragongo

10 Apr

From National Geographic comes these incredible pictures of scientists exploring the Congolese volcano of Nyiragongo. Italian geologist Dario Tedesco and other members of an international team believe this volcano could devastate the nearby town of Goma where more than 1 million people live. Nyriagongo is one of the world’s most active volcanos, but also one of the least understood. Constant fighting in the DRC has made research difficult.

Twice before, the volcano has erupted and killed people in Goma. In 1977, several hundred people were killed when molten rock hurtled toward the city at more than 60 mph. Then, in 2002, 47 more people died during a similar eruption. Scientists believe those eruptions are nothing compared to what the mountain could actually do.

So, they’re studying it. Putting themselves right in the middle of an active volcano, hoping to study the volcano and ultimately save lives. Nyiragongo actually has one of the largest lava lakes in the world at 700 feet across and miles deep. From the article:

But he kept going. He peeked over the top, eye to eye with the boiling lava. This was beyond science. This was personal, the culmination of a lifetime of exploration and adventure and tireless curiosity. Over the radio the emotion in his voice was palpable. “Amazing. Incredible. I’ll never see anything like this again.”

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Hilarious Gender Changing Japanese Prank

10 Apr

This prank involves young Japanese girls being transformed into old Japanese men as someone takes their picture. Isn’t that amazing? The Japanese know how to do a great prank.

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Montana Lawmaker Ken Peterson Says Prosecuting Gay People Permissible

9 Apr

Ken Peterson

Well, only for certain acts, because the Supreme Court said that people can do whatever they want behind closed doors. In Peterson’s mind, though, that means certain areas of behavior are not protected and gay people could be subject to prosecution. Currently, Montana’s laws still put homosexuality in the same category as other acts like bestiality. So, what are those areas that Peterson thinks could still be subject to prosecution, you might ask?

1) Recruiting Other People to Perform Homosexual Acts: Now, Peterson has never seen a someone try to recruit someone else to perform homosexual acts because he only associates “with mainstream people.” However, he offers an example of what this behavior might look like. “‘Here, young man, your hormones are raging. Let’s go in this bedroom, and we’ll engage in some homosexual acts. You’ll find you like it.'” If those are the lines gay people are using when trying to find partners I don’t think Peterson has to worry about any gay sex.

2) Being Gay in Public: The Supreme Court said it’s okay to be gay in the privacy of your own home. Outside, in the company of other people, well that’s a completely different story. Peterson believes that if behavior could be construed as homosexual, take kissing for example, then it would violate that statute. It does has to be an “overt” homosexual act though.

Thankfully, the rest of the state doesn’t seem to be trapped in a past century. A bill to rewrite the law actually passed the State Senate before failing in a House committee this month. Additionally, the Vice President of the Montana County Attorney Association (who actually prosecute people throughout the state) says “The statute will not be enforced as written—ever.”

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