Giant Whale Shark Caught By Pakistani Fisherman

Big catch is an understatement!
A 40-foot long whale shark was found dead near Karachi, Pakistan, the Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper reports. Mehmood Khan, the owner of the Charai Fishery, said the whale shark was spotted unconscious 10 days ago in waters about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the fishery.
Curious onlookers swarmed the pier while two cranes attempted to lift the shark, approximately 40 to 50-feet long and six-feet wide, out of the water. After failing to reel in the fish, more cranes, capable of lifting heavier weights, were called in for the task. The shark was finally lifted from the sea after several hours of efforts and sold for 1.7 million Rupees ($18,750).
The whale shark is found deep in warm oceans and munches primarily on plankton. The largest confirmed whale shark was 41 ft long.
The largest confirmed whaleshark was 41ft long but it is thought they can grow to considerably greater lengths.
The shark is found in tropical waters and lives for around 70 years. They feed mainly on plankton, microscopic plants and sometimes small fish.
It has a cavernous mouth that can be up to 5ft wide and contains between 300 and 350 rows of tiny teeth.
The whale shark, a gentle giant of the seas, does not pose a significant danger to humans - and in the past some have even allowed swimmers to hitch a ride on their fins.

Facebook IPO offering amount $10 billion - Web Reaction

Nothing like another Facebook IPO story to shake off the Cyber Monday egg counting.

Reacting to yesterday’s Wall Street Journal scoop that Facebook was looking at the April to June 2012 timeframe to raise $10 billion in an IPO, reporters and analysts were quick to point out their lack of surprise.

As many noted, Facebook is required to file financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission when the number of private shareholders tops 500. Facebook has indicated that it will exceed that number by the end of the 2011 calendar year, meaning that the company would have to file with the SEC by April 30, 2012, whether it is public or not.

Yet even after citing this fact, the tech media has lifted Facebook’s IPO talk to “cacophonous levels,” in the words of VentureBeat.

It could be the IPO offering amount cited by The Journal: $10 billion. An offering of that size would raise more money than any other technology IPO, says Bloomberg, which lists the current record holder, Infineon Technologies AG, at the comparatively puny amount of $5.23 billion in 1999. Facebook rival Google raised $1.67 billion in its 2004 IPO.

That IPO offering would be based on a $100 billion valuation, more than Cisco, Disney and Amazon, but less than Intel, which is worth $119 billion, according to ZDNet. The Journal’s Geoffrey A. Fowler writes with that type of valuation, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg would be worth $24 billion, richer than Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Also blame part of the “cacophonous levels” on the current Wall Street challenges endured lately by Groupon and LinkedIn. In the past five days Groupon shares have fallen 42%. LinkedIn shares are also sagging. After reporting excessively about the public debuts of these two social networking companies, tech reporters are dying to find out what happens when the big kahuna finally goes public.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/11/29/web-reactions-to-facebook-ipo-story/

Aron Lee Ralston of 127 hours speaks at MSU convocation

Aron Ralston widely known in 127 hours speaks at MSU convocation

Aron Lee Ralston (born October 27, 1975) is an American mountain climber and public speaker. He became widely known in May 2003[1] when, while canyoneering in Utah, he was forced by an accident to amputate his right arm with a dull knife in order to free himself from a boulder.
During a day hike in Blue John Canyon near Moab, Utah, an 800-pound boulder pinned Ralston’s right forearm to the canyon wall, crushing it. A rescue was unlikely because he had neglected to inform anyone of his whereabouts. After five days of trying to lift and break the boulder, a dehydrated and delirious Ralston bowed his arm and snapped the radius and ulna bones. Using the dull blade on a multi-use tool, he cut the soft tissue around the break. He then used the tool’s pliers to tear at the tougher tendons.
Ralston was the guest speaker at Wednesday night's freshman convocation at Montana State.

At the convocation, Ralston told a packed house his story in heart wrenching detail, but also with a bit of humor.

As he wrote in his best selling novel "127 Hours: Between a Rock and Hard Place," he had a choice - die pinned by that boulder or take action. That action was severing his arm with a dull pocket knife. Looking back, he says, he wouldn't change a thing.

"It was, for me, one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I don't wish that I had my hand, none of that," he said. "I had some really profound epiphanies in that time, and when I remember that video tape that I made, some of the statements that I made myself there, that life isn't just about the accomplishments that we make, it's also about the relationships that you have."

His message to MSU freshman is to take action in the face of adversity.

"Be emboldened to make choices, pursue those, have commitments, see things through and especially, my experience, that even when there are adversities that will come, and certainly I think that's a guarantee in life that there will be adversities, that those challenges and adversities can be the best things that ever happen to us," he said.

9 11 pictures and memorial event in Rockland

Megan Schuster grew up with September 11. Like others of her generation, particularly kids from the suburbs that surround New York City, she learned too soon about fear and loss.


Sept. 11 9/11 Commemorations

Haverstraw: 9/11 Memorial Ceremony for Rockland County. 8:30 a.m. Haverstraw Bay County Park, Gagan Road.

Nanuet: 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. The ceremony will be held behind the school, at the Nanuet school district's World Trade Center Memorial. Rain or shine. Information: . 10 a.m. A. MacArthur Barr Middle School, 143 Church St.

New City: Town of Clarkstown 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. At the 9/11 Memorial adjacent to Town Hall. The names of the Rockland County individuals who perished will be read by Supervisor Alex Gromack, Town Council members and Police Chief Michael Sullivan. Immediately following the ceremony, there will be a reception hosted by The Florian Association of Rockland for families and friends at the American Legion Post 1682 located at 65 American Legion Way in New City. 5 p.m. Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Ave.

Nyack: 9/11 Commemoration. Presented by the Nyack chapter of the American Legion Post 310 and the Village of Nyack, the ceremony includes remarks by Mike Longuil, commander of Post 310, Jerry Fenton, chaplain of Post 310 and the Nyack Fire Department, plus Nyack officials. Rain location: Nyack Village Hall, 9 N. Broadway. Information:

Orangeburg: 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. The ceremony will include remarks by retired N.Y. Police Department Chief Louis R. Anemone and former town Supervisor Thom Kleiner. 11:30 a.m. Orangetown Town Hall, 26 Orangeburg Road.

Sloatsburg: 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. Memorial service and candlelight procession. 7 p.m. Sloatsburg Athletic Field, Route 17 at Eagle Valley Road.

Suffern: 9/11 Commemoration. www.suffernvillage.com. 7 p.m. Suffern Village Hall, 61 Washington Ave.

Stony Point: Candlelight Memorial. 7 p.m. Stony Point Town Hall, 74 E. Main St.

Tappan: 9/11 Remembrance Service. The names of local residents killed in the attacks will be read. Retired Air Force Col. James DeTemple will be the guest speaker. In the event of rain, the service will be held upstairs in the firehouse. 8:30 a.m. Tappan Fire Department, 123 Washington St.

Congers: Yoga for 9/11 Families. Five yoga teachers organized by Ashley Dimeglio will lead an hour-and-a-half lesson. There will be live music. Donations of $15 per person will go to the Sept. 11th Families Association. 10 a.m.-noon. Congers Lake Memorial Park, 6 Gilchrest Road.
West Nyack: Community Commemoration of Reflection and Prayer. Hosted by the Jewish Federation of Rockland County and the Rockland County Board of Rabbis. 7-8 p.m. Center for Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation, Rockland, 450 West Nyack Road.

West Nyack: Bowl for Life, the American Red Cross and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA are coordinating the "Muslims for Life" effort to collect 10,000 units of blood in honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The Blood Donor Program at Good Samaritan Hospital is running this blood drive and bone marrow registration. 3 to 7 p.m. Lucky Strike Lanes, 4662 Palisades Center Drive, West Nyack.

Read More: http://www.lohud.com/article/20110909/LIFESTYLE01/109090369/List-9-11-memorial-events-Rockland