March 9, 2009

Snow slows Iditarod in Alaska

Per the Anchorage Daily News, the annual Iditarod sled dog race, recognized around the world as a premier winter event, was slowed somewhat by fresh snow in its third day today.

The Anchorage Daily News has been posting live standings, pictures and videos from the Iditarod on its Web site. The race is expected to last until March 17 or 18.

Twitterers have been sharing personal accounts.

@OmegaMom (Alaska): Alas, Doc SledDog is not doing so well in the Iditarod. Bummer.



@harlanguthrie (Alaska): leaving the iditarod. walked across a lake twice, jumped in the snow, took pictures of dogs mushing, and possibly going to play drums tonigh


@CarolK4 (Anchorage, Alaska): Finally home. Went to Willow to watch the Iditarod.I love watching the dogs. So much enthusiasm. Took lots of pics.


Some users have posted pictures from the event.

@Sixtyone_North (Alaska): Along side the Iditarod trail outside of Willow, Alaska. T-minus 30 minutes (give or take...). http://twitpic.com/1xz2h




@SunHusky (Wasilla, Alaska): Sat. Iditarod Start photo of Lance Mackey encountering moose: . http://tinyurl.com/cskm5r


@knittymel (Alaska): pictures from Iditarod uploaded (I have so many more that I didn't upload) http://tinyurl.com/c2rugr

Share/Save/Bookmark

Tension in Korea escalating

Per TodayOnline.com, North Korea has issued its military on combat alert and warned that any action to block its satellite launch would initiate war.

The North’s military cautioned they would retaliate “with prompt counter-strikes by the most powerful military means” if an attempt is made to intercept their satellite, per the article.

Per ChinaView.cn, the U.S. and South Korea have begun to conduct joint military exercises disregarding Pyongyang's strong opposition and repeated warnings.

According to Chosun Daily, about 26,000 U.S. troops and over 50,000 South Korean troops will participate in these routine exercises from March 9 to 20.

Twitter users from across the world express concern as tensions mount in Korea:


@asteris (Greece): @christinelu also, North Korea seems to be taking the whole saber rattling thing a mite too far this time




@joshboyd (Virginia): North Korea is on crack. We need to resurrect General MacArthur and have him lead the troops into NK until he can [expletive] in the Yalu River.




@fnm_politics (Undisclosed): If you want to know what scares me... "N. Korea Threatens War if 'Satellite' Is Shot Down"




@SymanthaFox (Undisclosed): The fact that we could go to war with North Korea any second now scares the [expletive] outta me.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Featured Twitpic: Dubai in the clouds


"I have my head above the clouds this morning!" (Posted by @vivalasdubai of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 9, 2009)

Share/Save/Bookmark

Zimbabwe PM calls crash 'accident'

Per The New York Times, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai spoke publicly for the first time Monday about a recent car accident that killed his wife and injured him, stating it was an accident and the chance of foul play was "one in a thousand."

The report comes just two days after CNN published a report that Tsvangirai believed the crash was deliberate, citing an anonymous official in his political party.

His statement hardly cooled rampant speculation on Twitter, as many in neighboring South Africa have tweeted their thoughts that it was not an accident in the last several hours.

@clempkap (Mthata, South Africa): I' still puzzled by Tsvangirai's "accident". After all those negotiations, wouldn't it be nice for Bob if ZIM's new PM would be taken out?



@royblumenthal (Johannesburg, South Africa): I wonder when Mugabe has scheduled Tsvangirai's follow-up car accident?



Tsvangirai's wife will be buried on Wednesday, per United Press International. One tweeter in Johannesburg re-tweeted the development, while adding his opinion on the incident in parentheses.

@donpackett (Johannesburg, South Africa): RT @mailandguardian: Zimbabwe mourns Susan Tsvangirai http://tinyurl.com/crd8uo (I'm still not convinced it was an accident)


An ABC correspondent in Zimbabwe noted an ironic American connection to the crash.

@jimsciuttoABC (Zimbabwe): Tsvangirai to Botswana to recover from injuries & wife's death. How incredible is it that a USAID truck caused the crash?


An article in the U.K. Telegraph wrote further about the USAID truck link.

Share/Save/Bookmark

A Day In Seoul

While many in the Americas are sleeping, it's already 6 p.m. local time in Seoul.

Here's what some tweeters are chatting about in the capital city of South Korea:

@poem23 (Seoul): 사무실에 환기도 안되고 좁고 수많은 사람들이 몰려있어서 그런지 답답하다. 가슴이. 이거 감기기운인가. -.-; (Many people, no ventilation in the office concentrated in narrow dapdaphada seriously. Heart. This is a cold. -.-;)


@takethelongway (Seoul): never thought a digital camera would cause such a ruckus at school. i had kids hitting each other to try to be in a picture. crazy.


@JeedaiDC (Seoul): Climbed Mt.Namsan yesterday. 468 meters. Beautiful day. Saw some carved Buddhas in rocks. Learned a lot about Korea's Shilla Dynasty


Share/Save/Bookmark