Whale of a tale! 40-ton mammal lands on yacht

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  A young Southern Right Whale is seen jumping out of the water between Robben Island and Blouberg, off Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday. The whale then landed on a yacht belonging to Ralph Mothes and Paloma Werner, breaking the steel mast. The whale swam away and the couple was not injured. (Courtesy of Paloma Werner)
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  Advertisement | ad info "We were watching the whale flipping its tail for about half an hour," said Cape Town Sailing Academy Administrator Paloma Werner, who was enjoying a Sunday sail with her boyfriend and sailing instructor, Ralph Mothes, before the whale breached and landed on their yacht. (Courtesy of Paloma Werner)
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  The whale destroyed the yacht's mast and damaged other parts of the boat as it thrashed about on the deck before going back into the water. The couple reported that the whale left some skin and blubber behind. (Courtesy of Paloma Werner)
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  Werner and Mothes were able to sail the damaged boat back into Table Bay Harbor. (Courtesy of Paloma Werner)
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  The young Southern Right Whale was longer than their 10-meter yacht — most likely between 11 and 14 meters — Werner said.
  "My boyfriend told me to go to the other side of the boat," she said, explaining that they thought it would dive under their vessel.
  "All I heard him say was 'Oh sh*&,' and I saw the whale come out of the water and crash against the mast of the boat.
  "I ducked behind the coach house and my boyfriend ducked behind the steering wheel and we saw the mast crashing toward us and the whale slip back into the water," she said.
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  "Only that evening did we really think about it, and when we saw the photo (a tourist took of the whale breaching) in yesterday's paper did we realize we were lucky to be alive," Werner said. (Courtesy of Paloma Werner)
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Globs of oil on Pensacola's pristine white sand beaches

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Globs of oil on Pensacola's pristine white sand beaches

about a minute ago from todaysworld

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  PENSACOLA, Fla. – This morning residents and tourists in Pensacola Beach awoke to the day they long feared.
  The high tide, plus southeast winds overnight, brought globs of oil onto the pristine white sand beaches here. The oil is now fouling those beaches for as one official said, "as far as the eye can see."
  Photo by Mark Potter/ NBC News
  Globs of oil washed up on Pensacola Beach Wednesday morning - fouling the pristine white sand beaches.
  All along the water line this morning, tar has been washing ashore. You can see it in the surf – it is all over the beach. It is sticky, brown and running in lines all along the waterline, in front of the hotels and near Pensacola's famous fishing pier.
  This morning, there were a few people out on the beaches, walking, looking at the oil and shaking their heads, but no one is going in the water.
  Clean-up crews are here and starting to work on the beaches. Some skimmer boats could be seen off in the horizon, trying to catch the oil as it comes ashore.
  Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
  But when I got out here early this morning, shortly after dawn, there were no skimmer boats out there catching the oil, it came ashore unimpeded.
  The fact that the skimmer boats are offshore suggests there is probably more oil still coming in. The wind continues to blow from the southeast, pushing whatever oil there is toward the shore. So this is something that could continue throughout the day. But already the beaches are fouled and swimmers are not able to go into the water.
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Oil Volcano Pressure Too Strong For Containment

clipped from www.rense.com It has been estimated by experts that the pressure which blows the oil into the Gulf waters is estimated to be between 20,000 and 70,000 PSI (pounds per square inch). Impossible to control.   What US Scientists Are Forbidden To Tell The Public About The Gulf  What you are about to read, is what the scientists in the United States are not allowed to tell you in great fear of the Obama administration.   The flow of oil and toxic gases is bringing up with it... rocks and sand which causes the flow to create a sandblasting effect on the remaining well head device currently somewhat restricting the flow, as well as the drilled hole itself. It is difficult to know how much water will go down to the core and therefore, its not possible to fully calculate the rise of the floor. Depending on the height of the tsunami, the ocean debris, oil, and existing structures that will be washed away on shore and inland, will leave the area from 50 to 200 miles inland devoid of life

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Okla. flash floods strand cars, close interstates

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com OKLAHOMA CITY - Flash flooding across the Oklahoma City area Monday stranded commuters on washed-out roads and prompted crews to send boats into inundated neighborhoods, rescuing dozens of residents and motorists who sought safety in trees and on rooftops. One boat carrying three rescuers to aid a 17-year-old girl — seen on aerial television footage struggling to stay above water by grasping at tree branches — sank in swift-moving floodwaters on the city's north side, said Battalion Fire Chief Kirk Wright. All four were able to safely stand on branches in a group of trees and were rescued by a second boat, Deputy Fire Chief Marc Woodard said. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Cars are stranded and submerged by floodwater in Oklahoma City after heavy rain hit the area on Monday. "I've never seen it like this," said resident Jan Tipton. "This is incredible." Norman Cobb shook his head as he surveyed his flooded garage in the Silver Lake neighborhood.

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Walking on Water is New Liquid Mountaineering Sport

clipped from interestingplanet.com Walking on water is now a sport called liquid mountaineering. If you want to try it yourself, slip into a wetsuit, grab some water repellent shoes, and head to a lake. Continue reading for an interesting demonstration.

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Nashville's Music Community Devastated By Floods

clipped from new.music.yahoo.com What started out as a heavy weekend storm in the Southeast ended up as record flooding in Tennessee this week--killing at least 19 people, destroying roads and property, and driving President Obama to declare parts of the state major disaster areas. The rain, of course, didn't spare Nashville or its music community. Most notably, the legendary country landmark the Grand Ole Opry House is currently under six feet of water, with as-yet-unknown damage to its historic collections. The overall cost of damages to the city is estimated to exceed $1 billion, according to Nashville mayor Karl Dean. But country artists themselves have been affected sorely as well. While giving fervent thanks for being safe and sound, many artists still lamented the loss of musical equipment, damage to their homes, and shows canceled due to the disaster. "The things I lost, I can replace, thank God," he added. "But there are people here that have lost their lives and their livelihood."

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Iran warns airlines over not calling Gulf Persian

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clipped from www.ynetnews.com Islamic Republic's transport minister says airlines of neighboring countries flying to Iran must use 'Persian Gulf' on their flight monitors or be banned from Iranian airspace Airlines not referring to the waterway between Iran and the Arabian peninsula as the Persian Gulf will be banned from Iranian airspace, the transport minister told local media Monday. The warning was directed specifically toward the airlines of neighboring Gulf Arab countries who have a history of referring to the body of water as the "Arabian Gulf." "The airlines of the southern Persian gulf countries flying to Iran must use 'Persian Gulf' on their flight monitors Airlines ignoring the warning would be banned from Iranian airspace, while repeat offenders would have their planes grounded in Iran and "the companies' flight permits to Iran canceled." Iranians are traditionally sensitive over the historic name of the waterway between Iran and seven Arab nations.

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