LifeofthisWorld

Why Japan’s Soryu-Class Submarines Are So Good The National Interest   Sat, Oct 1 1:00 AM PDT   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Tweet The Second World War taught Japan valuable lessons. The first—don’t start wars—is an obvious conclusion that has been taken to heart. Other lessons were the result of the wartime Allied air and naval blockade of the country, which brought it to the brink of starvation. For Japan, poor in resources and arable land, to survive the next war, the air and sea lanes must stay open, and for that to happen, Japan must have top-flight air and naval forces. Japan’s postwar submarine fleet is one of the best in the world. With an authorized total of twenty-two submarines, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s submarine fleet is also one of the largest. Japan builds its own submarines, with the work split ... Read more

Ocean warriors unveil new high-speed ship against Japan whalers Sophie Mignon, AFP   11 hours ago   Comments   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email With its distinctive pirate-like flag flying from the mast, the sleek, high-speed concrete grey Ocean Warrior is the latest weapon in a bitter war between marine conservationists and Japan's whaling fleet. "The one thing that we were missing in our fleet was a vessel with speed and endurance," said Alex Cornelissen, chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global. "With the Ocean Warrior, we have a ship that can outmatch any poaching vessel on the high seas," said Cornelissen, also the captain, giving AFP a tour of the ship before its departure from the Netherlands this weekend bound for Australia. "We are now able to follow them anywhere they go and even run away if they become too aggressive." Bought at a cost of 8.3 million euros($9.3 million) funded by public lotte...

Philippines President Apologizes To Jewish Community For Hitler Remark Fox News   2 hours 35 minutes ago   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Tweet MANILA, Philippines –  The Philippine president has apologized to Jews worldwide after his remarks that drew comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage. President Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech Sunday that there was never any intent on his part "to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans." Duterte said, "I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community." On Friday, the tough-talking president raised the rhetoric over his anti-drug campaign, which has left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead since July, by comparing it to Hitler and the Holocaust and saying he would be "happy to slaughter" ... Read more

Earth's atmosphere now has carbon dioxide levels unseen for 15 million years, and we might be past the point of no return Rafi Letzter, Business Insider   12 hours ago   Comments   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email (NASA GSFC/NOAA)  The world has crossed a major greenhouse-gas milestone, and it may never turn back. The Manua Loa Observatory in Hawaii has maintained a continuous record of atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels since 1958. Here's the complete record of readings from the observatory over that time period: (NOAA)  As you can see, atmospheric CO2 cycles every year, but there's a significant upward trend in the measurements. Right now we're at the low point in that cycle, just at the end of September. And, according to a post from the  Scripps Institute of Oceanography  (which we first saw covered  over at Motherboard ), atmospheric CO2 is holding at 401 parts per milli...

The time a Harrier Jet had to make an emergency landing on a cargo ship Holy Kaw!   Fri, Sep 30 4:32 AM PDT   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Tweet The good thing about a Harrier is that it can land just about anywhere. For example, when this low-on-fuel jet lost radio contact with its aircraft carrier, it managed to land on a cargo ship. Full story at YouTube. More great aviation moments. ... Read more

U.S. mood against ally hardens as Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte stokes outrage Los Angeles Times   17 hours ago   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Tweet As the body count mounts in the Philippines' deadly war on drugs, and its combative president's rhetoric plumbs new depths, the mood in Washington toward a key Asian ally is hardening. Influential U.S. lawmakers are warning that the extrajudicial killings in the drug war — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday compared it to the Holocaust — could affect American aid. And while the Obama administration maintains that its 65-year-old alliance with the Philippines remains "ironclad," a senior U.S. diplomat is cautioning Duterte against more anti-U.S. posturing. "I think it would be a serious mistake in a democratic country like the Philippines to underestimate the power of the public's affinity for ... Read more

Aleppo: Maps and pictures show how a once great city was reduced to rubble by Assad's bombs Daniele Palumbo, International Business Times ONC UK   22 hours ago   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Tweet Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies are now a week into their onslaught on Aleppo, pushing into rebel-held areas that are home to some 250,000 people and have been under siege for much of the last four years since the city became embroiled in Syria's civil war. In that time, the city has shifted from Syria's largest city and commercial hub to a byword for death and destruction. The battle for Aleppo has seen Assad and his Russian allies relentlessly bombing rebel areas, with residents reporting the use of cluster munitions in civilian areas in violation of international rules. Hospitals, schools and civilian homes have been targeted, as Assad and his backers in Moscow make taking back the whole of Aleppo from the rebels a priority desp...