SNIPPET: Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" issue for Nov/Dec 2008 asks whether global warming might be the cause of a blue whale being sighted off Ireland's southwest coast recently. "Whatever the reason, the earth's largest living animal has not been seen in our waters for over fifty years, and never photographed until now. The blue whale, which grows to 100 feet (30 meters) long, weighs up to 150 tons and lives for over a century, certainly caused a stir among marine watchers, and nearly gave skipper Henry MACAULEY of whale-watching vessel "Atlantic Explorer" a heart attack when it surfaced right alongside, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the Kerry coast. "Everybody was stunned by the sheer size of the animal- the closest thing to a submarine breaking the surface as you're likely to see," he was reported as saying. www.iwdg.ie