Crazy Buckingham Palace naked man video!!!Catwoman is bisexual

Catwoman is bisexual: Paws up for equal representation in comics

DC Comics isn't just scratching the surface on equal representation of LGBT characters in

comics, they're breaking new ground

Selina Kyle, also known as the original Catwoman and long-time frenemy of Batman, is bisexual. 

The latest issue of her titular comic series, Catwoman #39: Better Than He Does Himself

confirms the dark heroine's long-rumored sexuality.

IMAGE: DC COMICS GARRY BROWN, LEE LOUGHRIDGE

In the comic, for those who are not already reading, Kyle is currently the premiere crime boss of Gotham City, leaving the mask of Catwoman to Eiko Hasigawa — the daughter of the head of a Japanese mafia and incidentally, Kyle's current (complicated) love interest.

"This wasn’t a revelation so much as a confirmation. And as Mark Doyle and I were first hashing out the relationships in this arc, Eiko seemed like the right person," Valentine wrote on her blog, adding, "Certainly it’s no surprise to Selina that she has an attraction to a woman. Is this particular kiss a surprise? It’s definitely surprising."

IMAGE: DC COMICS GARRY BROWN, LEE LOUGHRIDGE

IMAGE: DC COMICS GARRY BROWN, LEE LOUGHRIDGE

In addition, Valentine points out on her blog that Kyle's past relationship with Batman isn't going to be wiped away. "That is not how bisexuality (or humanity) works."

Despite always being a sexually open and progressive character in her own write, Kyle is not the first DC Comics character to come out. In fact, she isn't even the first Catwoman to come out. In a 2004 GLAAD Award-winning comic, Holly Robinson, an openly lesbian character, donned the catsuit for Kyle.

Kyle is one of a handful of popular LGBT characters in the DC family — including Batwoman, the Green Lantern, and Alysia Yeoh, who is Batgirl's roommate.

Though she's not the first, she's certainly still an icon (if not the biggest icon). She's not an alternative universe iteration or a second generation or any kind of placeholder character — she is the original like Bruce Wayne. And that is news fans can definitely celebrate.

IMAGE: TUMBLR TUMBLR

Artist's depiction of a manned Mars mission.Credit: NASA/Pat Rawlings, SAIC

The United States must do more than just plant a flag on Mars if it wants to continue as a leader in the field of space exploration, Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin told senators this week.

"In my opinion, there is no more convincing way to demonstrate American leadership for the remainder of this century than to commit to a permanent presence on Mars," Aldrin told members of the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness during a hearing Tuesday (Feb. 24).

Going to Mars without setting up a colony — launching only round-trip manned missions, in other words — would not be enough, nor would setting up human outposts on the moon, Aldrin said. [Buzz Aldrin's Vision for Mars (Video)]

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, gives testimony on the future of NASA and American space exploration to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness on Feb. 24, 2015.
Credit: U.S. Senate

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"Lunar settlements will only require a small step for the other nations to catch up," he said.

Buzz Aldrin, who set foot on the moon just after Neil Armstrong in July 1969, has developed an architecture to establish a Mars colony, with the first manned Red Planet landings envisioned in 2038. He sketched out the basics for the senators.

"It's an integrated plan that knits together return[ing] to the moon on a commercial and international basis, leveraging asteroid rendezvous, and settling Mars on a carefully developed risk-mitigation architecture," Aldrin said. "It includes the use of a robotic cycler between Mars and Earth that will revolutionize the economics and safety aspects of human missions to Mars."

Two other former NASA astronauts, Walt Cunningham and Mike Massimino, also spoke to the subcommittee Tuesday, and both were bullish on manned Mars exploration.

Indeed, Massimino said the benefits of human missions to Mars would probably be extensive and long-lasting. He cited the many life-improving spinoffs that came out of the Apollo and space shuttle programs, and the likelihood that humanity will need to find a second home in the solar system at some point, to ensure its survival in case something catastrophic should happen here on Earth.

"Mars might be that place. So if we decide to go there, it's giving us another option," said Massimino, who flew on two space shuttle missions that serviced NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, in 2002 and 2009. 

"I really see it as an investment in our future, to inspire our young kids — and also, I think, to help our country and our economy for many years to come," he added. "I think it would be a glorious thing to do."

Cunningham, the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 7 mission to Earth orbit in 1968, told the senators that Mars is the next frontier in human spaceflight, and if the United States doesn't lead a Red Planet effort, someone else will.

But getting people to Mars will be difficult and expensive, Cunningham said, estimating that a manned Red Planet project could cost up to three times as much as the Apollo moon program. (Apollo's price tag was about $110 billion in today's dollars.)

That's too expensive for NASA to pull off at its current budget level, Cunningham said. These days, the space agency gets about a 0.5 percent share of the federal budget, compared to 4.5 percent at the height of the Apollo program.

"The budget has got to go up for NASA," Cunningham said. "NASA's budget is way too low to do the things that we talked about doing here this afternoon."

The ocean waves in Nantucket are so cold, they're rolling in as slush

The unusually cold and snowy winter in southern New England has broken records and resulted 
in many indellible images, from collapsed roofs to massive snow farms and a frozen Hudson River in New York. Now, a new iconic image of the winter of 2014-15 can be added to the mix slush waves

The ice is forming in the top layers of the ocean in shallower waters. However, the ice has not fully covered the ocean surface yet; the waves, as well as water temperatures, aren't quite cold enough to support a solid ice pack.

IMAGE: JONATHAN NIMERFROH

IMAGE: JONATHAN NIMERFROH

IMAGE: JONATHAN NIMERFROH

IMAGE: JONATHAN NIMERFROH

The slush waves formed during one of the coldest winters in many years, with a late February cold snap that broke all-time records in parts of the Northeast.

Temperature departures from average during the past 30 days, showing much colder than average temperatures in the eastern U.S. and Canada

IMAGE: NOAA/ESRL

The cold stands out on a global temperature map, with temperatures in New England beating out all other land areas for the biggest negative temperature anomaly.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

TOPICS: CLIMATE, ICE, NANTUCKET, PHOTOS, U.S., WORLD, WAVES

Strange lights on dwarf planet Ceres have scientists perplexed

A dwarf planet is shining two bright lights at a NASA spacecraft right now, and our smartest scientists are unsure what they are.As bizarre as that sentence sounds, that's the situation with Ceres — the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, officially designated as a dwarf planet (the same category as Pluto).NASA's Dawn spacecraft is approaching Ceres ahead of a March 6 rendezvous. The picture above was taken February 19, from a distance of just under 29,000 miles, and shows two very shiny areas on the same basin on Ceres' surface.Previous Dawn images from further away showed a single light on Ceres, which was just as mysterious. Then, to the amazement of every astronomy geek, the one light turned out to be two — reflecting roughly 40% of the light hitting them.


"This is truly unexpected and still a mystery to us," said Andreas Nathues, lead investigator for the framing camera team at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Gottingen, Germany, in a NASA statement. "The brightest spot [of the two] continues to be too small to resolve with our camera, but despite its size it is brighter than anything else on Ceres."

So what could the bright spots be, other than alien castaways signaling at us with flashlights?

The most obvious contender is ice, although ice would reflect more than 40% of all light hitting it. The difference may be accounted for by the resolution limit of Dawn's camera at this distance. Scientists have previously detected water vapor coming from the surface of the dwarf planet, making ice — a more likely option.

Scientists have also suggested the bright areas could be patches of salt. On the other hand, the location of the two bright spots so close together may be an indication that they have a geologic origin, such as some sort of volcanic process, possibly even ice volcanoes.

According to Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, the positioning of the bright spots within the same area may indicate "a volcano-like origin of the spots," but scientists will have to wait for higher resolution images before making such interpretations. Scientists don't think the spots comprise lava similar to that seen on Earth, since that would shine more brightly.

We'll find out more as Dawn approaches Ceres next week and more imagery comes in during the next 16 months, according to NASA.

Water Found on Dwarf Planet Ceres, May Erupt from Ice Volcanoes

An artist's impression of water outgassing from two sources on the dwarf planet Ceres, which is also the largest asteroid in the solar system. Credit: IMCCE-Observatoire de Paris/CNRS/Y.Gominet, B. Carry View full size image

Astronomers have discovered direct evidence of water on the dwarf planet Ceres in the form of vapor plumes erupting into space, possibly from volcano-like ice geysers on its surface.
Using European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, scientists detected water vapor escaping from two regions onCeres, a dwarf planet that is also the largest asteroid in the solar system. The water is likely erupting from icy volcanoes or sublimation of ice into clouds of vapor.
"This is the first clear-cut detection of water on Ceres and in the asteroid belt in general," said Michael Küppers of the European Space Agency, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain, leader of the study detailed today (Jan. 22) in the journal Nature.


The research has implications for how Ceres formed, and supports models that suggest the planets moved around a lot within the solar system during its formation, Küppers told SPACE.com. [See more photos of the dwarf planet Ceres]

An artist's depiction of the dwarf planet Ceres. Observations by ESA's Herschel space observatory between 2011 and 2013 find that the dwarf planet has a thin water vapor atmosphere.
Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

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Ceres, a dwarf planet or giant asteroid (depending on the definition used), is the largest object in the asteroid belt, orbiting at 2.8 astronomical units (the distance from Earth to the sun). The "snowline" is thought to partition the solar system into dry objects inside the asteroid belt, and icy objects such as comets further out. But the finding of water on Ceres suggests more mixing has occurred.
Scientists have suspected that there is a substantial amount of water on Ceres for about 30 years. A study found hints of water in the form of hydroxide, a product of water's dissociation, on Ceres in 1991, but the finding wasn't confirmed by later observations. Now, Küppers and his colleagues have confirmed the finding.
The researchers used the Herschel Space Observatory's spectrometer to look for signals of water. Clouds of water vapor around Ceres absorbed the heat that radiates from the dwarf planet, which Herschel's instrument detected. The team found that Ceres produces about 2×10^26 molecules, or 13 lbs. (6 kilograms), of water vapor per second from its surface.

Asteroid Basics: A Space Rock Quiz

Asteroids are fascinating for lots of reasons. They contain a variety of valuable resources and slam into our planet on a regular basis, occasionally snuffing out most of Earth's lifeforms. How much do you know about space rocks?

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Most asteroids orbit the sun within a broad belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter: the asteroid belt.Get the facts about the asteroid belt in this SPACE.com infographic.
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One possible source of the water is icy volcanism. "It is like volcanism in that hot material from the interior is 'spat out' to the surface," Küppers said — much like a geyser. But these icy volcanoes eject water vapor instead of molten rock, he said.
Another possibility is that ice near the surface of Ceres sublimes, or goes directly from a solid to a gas, dragging with it dust from the surface and exposing more ice. A similar process occurs on comets.
"I personally consider cometary-style sublimation the most likely source, because I find it difficult to maintain the internal heat over the age of the solar system to maintain volcanoes," Küppers said, but he added that more studies were needed.

An artist's impression of the dwarf planet Ceres, which appears to have a water vapor atmosphere from outgassing on the object. Inset: The water absorption signal detected by the European Space Agency's Herschel space observatory on Oct. 11, 2012. Image released Jan. 22, 2014.
Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

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NASA's Dawn spacecraft, set to go into orbit around Ceres in early 2015, could answer some questions about the water on Ceres. Dawn recently visited the asteroid Vesta, a baked world whose surface is covered with volcanic eruptions.
"One of the most puzzling questions about the origin and evolution of asteroids is why Vesta and Ceres are so different," astrophysicists Humberto Campins and Christine Comfort at the University of Central Florida in Orlando wrote in an article in the same issue of Nature.
Water vapor can transport a lot of heat, so when Ceres formed 4.6 billion years ago, sublimation of water ice might have dissipated much of its heat into space, Campins and Comfort wrote. "This would have stopped Ceres from ending up with an igneous surface like that of Vesta."
Detecting water on Ceres supports models of the solar system in which giant planets, such as Jupiter, migrated to their current positions, mixing material from the outer and inner regions of the solar system. This mixing could have moved Ceres and Vesta far from the sites where they formed. Ceres probably formed close to its current position, but accreted material from further out, Küppers said.
The findings also suggest that asteroids may have delivered some of the water in Earth's oceans.

1980s Memo And Poem Capture The Current Producer's Dilemma

Independent petroleum producers have long projected the image of self-confident, self-reliant individuals who weren't afraid to tackle the toughest job. They are proud of their courage, strength and brawn. The time has now come to supplement these qualities with that quality which truly separates man from the lower animals – the use of their intelligence. Since it is probably unreasonable to expect marketing expertise of producers, maybe the time has come for the U.S. independent producers to engage the services of a knowledgeable marketing advisor who, by applying a realistic understanding of the producers’ true bargaining position, could, on a collective basis, obtain a much more realistic (higher and stable) price for domestic petroleum production than has been obtained in the recent past.

The Producer’s Question

A penny saved is a penny earned,
Was Franklin’s sage advice.
And diligently do we resist,
When asked to pay a price.

We’ll go to almost any length,
To minimize our cost.
Employing ours and others skills,
So not one cent is lost.

But once we’ve drilled and set the pipe,
And oil begins to flow,
We turn it loose to be refined,
And proudly watch it go.

We’ve heard that imports sill come in,
To meet the huge demand,
And dollars spent to bring it in,
Cause problems in the land.

And so we feel both pride and joy,
For surely, don’t you see?
Our country needs the oil we found,
And “surely they’ll pay me”.

But if, apologetically, we note the price is low,
Refiners say, “My market’s poor, that’s as high as I can go.”
So we accept their sad lament,
And their low payment too,
And take some consolation in the good thing that we do.

But one? strange thing still puzzles me,

And causes me to frown,
Why do refiners profits rise while mine go sharply down

Toronto police baffled by mystery tunnel with rosary nailed to wall

TORONTO (Reuters) - A mysterious tunnel discovered in Toronto near one of the venues for this summer's Pan American Games contained a rosary with a crucifix and poppy, and did not appear to be linked to criminal activity, police said on Tuesday.

Police said they had no idea who built the tunnel or why, saying "there's nothing illegal about digging a hole" as they appealed for information from the public.

While the discovery of the tunnel initially led to speculation about possible terror links, police downplayed the risk and public focus quickly turned to jokes about Toronto's overheated housing market and failed efforts to expand its subway.

The hand-dug tunnel, which ran for about 10 meters (33 feet) and was large enough for an adult to stand in, was discovered Jan. 14 in a wooded area near Rexall Centre, a tennis stadium at York University that will be used for the Pan Am Games in July.

"If you built a tunnel near the Rexall Centre in #Toronto give us a call, k?" Toronto Police Sergeant Chris Boddy tweeted.

Reinforced with wooden walls and ceiling supports, the tunnel had electricity supplied by a generator, a sump pump to remove water and a pulley system to remove dirt. Toronto police said it likely took more than one person to build.

Police found the rosary with crucifix and a poppy nailed to one of the wooden supports. Such synthetic red poppies are widely distributed in Canada in November as an annual symbol of remembrance for soldiers lost in combat.

While media speculated the tunnel could be used to store weapons or explosives, or to give attackers access to the Pan Am site, Toronto police Deputy Chief Mark Saunders was dismissive.

"I was not overly concerned that 'Oh my goodness this is going to be something horrific'," Saunders told a news conference. "My concern is that I don't know why this is here."

Canada has been on heightened alert for terrorist activity since a gunman attacked the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa in October after fatally shooting a soldier at the nearby National War Memorial. The attack by a so-called "lone wolf" Canadian convert to Islam came two days after another Canadian convert rammed two soldiers in Quebec with his car, killing one.

Saunders said there is nothing to suggest the tunnel, which he noted was "very comfortable inside", was used as a drug lab.

Twitter users, using the hashtag #terrortunnel, quickly offered up such possible explanations as a stunt by engineering students and the act of a Catholic wartime ghost. Others objected to the implicit bias in relaxing vigilance because a rosary was found rather than a Koran."It's not your everyday find," he said.

"(Islamic State) was hoping every Canadian would fall in and twist our ankle," wrote one Twitter user.

Saunders said the tunnel had been used during the winter and construction appeared to be ongoing when it was discovered. Once forensic evidence had been removed, the tunnel was filled in to protect public safety, police said.

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Over the last three weeks, a rogue European eagle owl has silently swooped on dozens of residents in the northern Dutch city of Purmerend (AFP Photo/Ben Stansall)

The Hague (AFP) - The northern Dutch town of Purmerend has advised residents to arm themselves with an umbrella when going out at night after a mysterious spate of bloody rogue owl attacks.

Over the last three weeks, the European eagle owl has silently swooped on dozens of residents of the usually peaceful town, with many victims requiring hospital treatment.

The latest aerial assault on Tuesday evening saw two members of a local athletics club attacked, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey's talons.

The club has cancelled all training until further notice.

Residents and workers at Prinsenstichting home for the handicapped have been left terrified following at least 15 attacks, spokeswoman Liselotte de Bruijn told AFP.

"During the day there's no problem, but at night we now only venture outside armed with umbrellas, helmets and hats, anything really, to protect ourselves," said De Bruijn.

"The problem is that you don't hear the owl before it strikes. Its claws are razor-sharp," she said.

"We hope the city will soon catch this rogue bird."

Purmerend city council said it was trying to find a solution.

"We want to catch the owl as our city's residents are in danger," it said on its website, noting however that the European eagle owl is a protected species that requires special permission to be trapped.

"These procedures can still take some time. Meanwhile, we are advising people to stay away from the owl," the city said, telling night strollers in the area to shield themselves with umbrellas.

Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands' OWN owl foundation said the bird's behaviour was unusual.

"Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food -- meaning it's not really 'attacking' people."

"Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts, which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory," Wassink told AFP, saying the bird "appears to be a female".

He pointed to the wider problem of people hand-rearing owls and then releasing them into the wild when they become too big to handle, potentially leading to an increase in attacks.

The European eagle owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wing-span of up to 1.80 metres (almost six feet) and weighing up to three kilos (seven pounds).