It's probably based on the true story of how thousands upon thousands of fishing nets menace the world's sealife. NPR did a story on that two days ago. Fishing nets are often lost or discarded then drift all over the ocean posing a threat. Some of the nets are hundreds of square metres, intact, and actually still catching fish, which of course are then screwed. There's a section of ocean near Hawaii where the currents bring lots of this flotsam into a conglomeration of junk. Another problem is that the nets are sometimes pulled over coral reefs by the currents, damaging the reefs immeasurably. Back in the day when the nets were made of hemp or other biodegradeable material this wasn't an issue. Now nets are made of things like nylon that last forever. It sounds weird until you consider the untold thousands of fishing boats that must ply the world's seas, and then the potential damage is sobering. At any rate, this condom thing put me in mind of that net story when I first heard it.
-------------- Original message -------------- After browsing the www.unknowncountry.com site, this story sounds like satire or an urban legend. I doubt it is true. The clue as to why this is untrue: "... in places so tightly compressed that a small plane could be landed on it." Like, how did the author actually determine this? And who's terrirotiral waters is this stuff drifting in or towards? Come on, folks! Are y'all that gullible? George Captain THe USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston) --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Astromancer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm sorry, but I have to stop laughing in order to make a comment... > > M C Jennings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Hmmmm...I don't think enough men USE condoms to make such a huge 'reef'. > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Date: 06/01/05 14:25:56 > To: Christopher deMorsella; scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [scifinoir2] FW: NEWS: Vast Condom Horror in Pacific > > -----Original Message----- > From: GIRLFRIEND [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of > Apryl N. Paris > > http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=4636 > > A huge floating reef made up of millions of disposed condoms has been discovered in the mid Pacific. The condom mass is two miles long, up to sixty feet deep, and in places so tightly compressed that a small plane could be landed on it. > > The mass was discovered by the Australian Oceanographic Laboratory Outpost on Macquarie Island in the South Pacific. Scientists there explained that the accumulation, which consists almost exclusively of condoms, is explained by a principle of physics called "like aggregation." Like aggregation is caused by the massing of similar objects due to ocean currents and winds, the response of the objects to the earth's magnetic field, and other factors. > > The tendency of dust to clump and mass in a house or under a bed is > explained by the same principle. > > The Australian scientists are mapping the reef by satellite because it is a serious marine hazard. The world disposes of an estimated 300 million condoms a year. > > Art credit: http://www.freeimages.co.uk > > This could be an environmental catastrophe. > > You get news here you won't find anywhere else. Keep us going: subscribe to unknowncountry.com today! There are lots of advantages, including a special weekly interview just for you. > Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/S.QlOD/3MnJAA/Zx0JAA/LRMolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
