ce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs also known as Ice Age 3 is a 2009 3-D computer animated film. It is the third installment of the Ice Age series.
It was announced and approved by Fox president Hutch Parker on January 30, 2007. It was initially slated for a December 12, 2008 release, but the scheduled release date has since been moved to July 1, 2009.
The film is being produced by Blue Sky Studios and features Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, and Chris Wedge and will be distributed by 20th Century Fox.
It will be released in RealD where available. The release garned some controversy when Fox announced that it would no longer pay to supply 3D glasses to theaters [1] , which led a threat from a number of exhibitors to only show the film in standard 2D projection
Plot
Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary), Ellie (Queen Latifah), Eddie (Josh Peck), Crash (Seann William Scott) and Scrat (Chris Wedge) encounter a dinosaur population which survived extinction in its tropical paradise, which existed below the thick layers... until now. Meanwhile, Crash and Eddie are up to their usual crazy selves. Manny and Ellie are going to have their first baby, and Manny wants everything to be perfect when his baby arrives. Diego is tired of being treated like a Housecat and ponders the notion that he's being too laid back. Sid is jealous of Manny and Ellie and he starts to wish for a family of his own, so he steals some dinosaurs eggs. But Sid gets captured by a crazed dinosaur, which leads his herd to try and rescue him. While dodging danger and dinos left and right, the herd meets up with a relentless, one-eyed dino-hunting weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg). Scrat also meets a feisty female squirrel named Scratte.
Salmon and other predatory fish also devour the euphausiids. So the drop in the population of these large zooplankton near the coastal areas, may be part of the reason the salmon failed to return to the rivers of western Alaska, said Hunt. According to the NOAA report (Brodeur et al. 1998), the salmon populations over the past two summers fell 53 percent below what was expected, putting many fisheries out of business. In addition, more salmon are being found off the coast of Siberia and on Alaska’s southern shores outside the Bering Sea. The salmon that do return to western Alaska vary in age and strength. In earlier years with low turnout, the healthier, larger salmon would normally make up the majority of the returning fish.
The disappearance of the zooplankton probably isn’t the only reason the fish counts are down and the birds are dying, but the disappearance contributes to the problem. Steve Zeeman, a biological oceanographer at the University of Maine and a colleague of William Balch, explained that the disappearance of the zooplankton has to do with size. The diatoms that usually dominate the shelf are quite a bit larger than the coccolithophores. Since larger microscopic animals like euphausiids survive by feeding on larger one-celled plants like diatoms, the absence of the plant will cause a drop in the animal population. "And we then see a decline of wildlife along the food chain," said Zeeman. His conjecture is supported by the NOAA report (Napp et al. 1998), which states that the short-term change in zooplankton coincides with the change in the Bering Sea’s phytoplankton.
Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.[1] A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.[2] Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the then British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction
The Exocoetidae or flying fish are a marine fishfamily comprising about 50 species grouped in 7 to 9 genera. Flying fish are found in all of the major oceans, particularly in the warm tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to take short gliding flights through air, above the surface of the water, in order to escape from predators. Their glides are typically around 50m, but they can use updrafts at the leading edge of waves to cover distances of at least 400m.
Flight Time Record
In May 2008, a Japanese television crew (NHK) filmed a flying fish (dubbed "Icarfish") off the coast of Yakushima Island, Japan. The creature spent 45 seconds in flight. This is thought to be one of the longest recorded flights by a specimen of that family. The fish was able to stay aloft by occasionally beating the surface of the water with its caudal fin.[2] The previous record was 42 seconds
A Lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australianbirds, most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Lyrebirds have unique plumes of neutral coloured tailfeathers.
Lyrebirds are among Australia's best-known native birds, even though they are rarely seen in their natural habitat. As well as their extraordinary mimicking ability, lyrebirds are notable because of the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in display; and also because of their courtship display.
Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti) is slightly smaller at a maximum of 90 cm (male) and 84 cm (female) (around 30-35 inches) and is only found in a very small area of Southern Queenslandrainforest. They have smaller, less spectacular lyrate feathers than the Superb Lyrebird, but are otherwise similar. Albert's Lyrebird was named in honour of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Territorial violations in the Ambalat by Malaysia has drawn strong criticism especially from the House of Representatives, the military and other circles in Indonesia.
It is true that Malaysia was granted sovereignty over Sipadan and Ligitan islands by the International Court of Justice in 2002, but the ruling left maritime issues and border demarcation unsettled. No wonder, the territorial violations often occur in Ambalat which is actually not part of Malaysian territory.
The House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday lodged a protest against members of Malaysia`s armed forces for frequently violating the territorial borders between the two countries, particularly in Ambalat off the East Kalimantan coast.
"We protest the Malaysia`s action," DPR Chairman Agung Laksono said at parliament building here.
The protest came a day after National Defense Forces (TNI) chief Gen Djoko Santoso said that members of Malaysia`s armed forces had often been committing territorial violations in Ambalat.
Djoko said that at several meetings with Indonesia, Malaysia was continuing claiming the block as part of its territory.
"This is apparent in the copy of a Malaysian diplomatic note on the deployment of Indonesian military forces in the Ambalat Block," he said.
Agung said Malaysia`s violation of territorial borders with Indonesia was against the ASEAN Charter.
"The act is a provocation. Malaysia must stop it," he said adding that the House, along with the government, must launch a protest against the action to prevent it from recurring.
He said the violation of territorial borders could disrupt the relations between the two countries. "It is very regrettable that Malaysia as our immediate neighbor has been committing this violation," he said.
The Ambalat and Bukat blocks off the East Kalimantan coast are part of the Indonesian territory. The government has assured Zaitem, a subsidiary of ENI SpA of Italy, of its continued exploratory rights in the blocks.
In response to the Malaysian territorial violations, some experts urged the government to seek a diplomatic solution to the dispute, while maintaining its stance that the country`s possession of the disputed oil and gas-rich area remains non-negotiable.
International relations expert Dewi Fortuna Anwar said the violations were against the law and hurts the feeling of ASEAN brotherhood. But the issue had to be resolved through diplomatic channels to prevent an armed conflict.
Dewi underlined that diplomacy should be backed by military strength.
"Diplomatic efforts are the priority, but the government should not be too focused on paper and documents. Military is an indication that Indonesia doesn`t hesitate to take stern measures and it`s very important to let them know that they can`t just walk all over us," she said recently.
Dewi said the government could even use the current anti-Malaysia sentiment here as a tool to strengthen its bargaining power during the talks with Malaysia.
"Another measure is to develop the area in a bid to provide stronger proof of our possession of it. Continuing the construction of a lighthouse there is a good way -- of course with the Indonesian Military guarding the areas," she said.
The calls for prioritizing a diplomatic solution came as the two countries dispatched their warships and war planes to the area, and amid reports at home quoting some politicians as suggesting the government opt for an armed action.
Claims by Indonesia and Malaysia on the Ambalat area in the Sulawesi sea near the land border between East Kalimantan province and Malaysia`s Sabah state, recently emerged after the Malaysian government awarded in February an oil production sharing contract to Royal Dutch Shell.
The two states on March 5, 2005, came close to military confrontation over the areas. But Malaysia on March 8 said it was taking control of the areas, while Indonesia said it was for a peaceful solution.
On March 7, Malaysia`s Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Indonesian President Yudhoyono announced on various occasions agreed by telephone that their foreign ministers would discuss the matter further and that the two states were seeking a diplomatic solution.
Both states have sent their warships and war planes to the disputed areas in recent days. The attempt to defuse the crisis came after Malaysia accused Indonesia of trespassing in its territory when a navy patrol ship crossed about eight nautical miles (9.2 miles/15 kilometers) into Malaysian waters.
The Royal Malaysian Navy had sent two warships to patrol the Malaysian waters. Premier Badawi said: "To prevent any undesirable incident which may create tension in the relations between Indonesia and Malaysia, both of us agreed to discuss the matter at diplomatic level. Hopefully, in this way, any problem, God willing, will be resolved in a peaceful manner".
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was on March 9 to leave for a three-day visit to Jakarta for talks with his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda, on the overlapping claims. On March 7, President Yudhoyono visited an island near the disputed sites off Kalimantan, and said: "The problem should be solved without any confrontation, especially armed confrontation".
One solution might be the establishment of a joint economic zone. In this way, the two states would share royalties while maintaining strong convictions over the validity of their competing claims.
Although military deployments are widely seen as no more than posturing, officials in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur are concerned about the possibility that a miscalculation by commanders in the area could produce an incident which would make a diplomatic solution harder to reach.
The 15,235 square kilometers Ambalat block is rich in oil and gas reserves which could be exploited for 30 years.
Octopuses are characterized by their eight arms (as distinct from the tentacles found in squid and cuttlefish), usually bearing suction cups. These arms are a type of muscular hydrostat. Unlike most other cephalopods, the majority of octopuses – those in the suborder most commonly known, Incirrina – have almost entirely soft bodies with no internal skeleton. They have neither a protective outer shell like the nautilus, nor any vestige of an internal shell or bones, like cuttlefish or squid. A beak, similar in shape to a parrot's beak, is the only hard part of their body. This enables them to squeeze through very narrow slits between underwater rocks, which is very helpful when they are fleeing from morays or other predatory fish. The octopuses in the less familiar Cirrina suborder have two fins and an internal shell, generally reducing their ability to squeeze into small spaces.
Octopuses have a relatively short life expectancy, and some species live for as little as six months. Larger species, such as the North Pacific Giant Octopus, may live for up to five years under suitable circumstances. However, reproduction is a cause of death: males can only live for a few months after mating, and females die shortly after their eggs hatch. They neglect to eat during the (roughly) one month period spent taking care of their unhatched eggs, but they don't die of starvation. Endocrine secretions from the two optic glands are the cause of genetically-programmed death (and if these glands are surgically removed, the octopus may live many months beyond reproduction, until she finally starves).
Octopuses have three hearts. Two pump blood through each of the two gills, while the third pumps blood through the body. Octopus blood contains the copper-rich protein hemocyanin for transporting oxygen. Although less efficient under normal conditions than the iron-rich hemoglobin of vertebrates, in cold conditions with low oxygen pressure, hemocyanin oxygen transportation is more efficient than hemoglobin oxygen transportation. The hemocyanin is dissolved in the plasma instead of being carried within red blood cells and gives the blood a blue color. Octopuses draw water into their mantle cavity where it passes through its gills. As mollusks, octopuses have gills that are finely divided and vascularized outgrowths of either the outer or the inner body surface.
