Friday, July 30, 2010

** To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have.**
Ken S. Keyes, Jr.


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.2 BALLENY ISLANDS REGION
5.6 OFF EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
5.6 EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN
6.2 OFF EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA

Yesterday -
7/29/10 -
5.1 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
6.3 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

VOLCANOES -

GUATEMALA - A state of calamity declared at the end of May by the government was extended for another 30 days due to the grave damages caused by the eruption of the Pacaya Volcano and tropical storm Agatha that left 166 dead and displaced thousands. The emergency was extended because the nation is still dealing with the grave consequences of the two disasters and the need to "ensure the welfare, security and serenity" of those effected. It is estimated that the eruption of the Pacaya, situated a few dozen kilometres from Guatemala City, and the cyclone, caused DAMAGES TO 36% OF INFRASTRUCTURE on a national level, also razing large extensions of forest and crops, in a country where half of the 14-million inhabitants live in poverty. The government estimated the cost of rebuilding at 7.8-billion quetzales (around 747-million Euro).

COSTA RICA - The Volcán Irazú shook and shook and shook - a total of 31 times - between 5am and 11am on Thursday, though only one of the tremors was perceived by the population, registering 3.1 on the Richter scale. Irazú is a very active zone but currently there is no report of changes in the structure of the volcano. The origin of the earthquakes are due to the activation of a local fault and not the collision or convergence of tectonic plates. The activity at the Irazú Thursday is called a seismic or earthquake swarm, events where a local area experiences sequences of many earthquakes striking in a relatively short period of time. The length of time used to define the swarm itself varies, but an event may be on the order of days, weeks, or months. They are differentiated from earthquakes succeeded by a series of aftershocks by the observation that no single earthquake in the sequence is obviously the main shock. Earthquake swarms are one of the events typically preceding eruptions of volcanoes.

HAWAII - Lava has stopped flowing toward homes at Kalapana Gardens Subdivision, but Big Island Civil Defense officials say residents need to remain vigilant and be ready to evacuate. For now anyway, lava from Kilauea Volcano is flowing into the ocean, rather than heading east where 35 homes remain standing. Hawaii County Civil Defense says it's a wait-and-see situation for the 70 people living in those homes. "They do need to be prepared to eventually evacuate if the flow starts moving in the easterly direction again. It's just the nature of the risks of living in that particular area." Lava showed its destructive force last Sunday, burning down a house. Emergency officials say they've been closely monitoring the flow in the last couple of weeks once it started heading toward the subdivision. Officials along with the residents will have to remain vigilant to stay out of danger. (video)
The current eruption of Kilauea began on 3 January 1983, and has inundated the town and general vicinity of Kalapana, destroying numerous homes since then. (22 photos)

INDONESIA - Eruptions of mud and methane gas affecting residents. At least 23 mud flows spewing methane gas have been found in Wiboa subdistrict in Kupang regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Some of the eruptions had created cones of mud with a diameter of between three and four meters wide, raising fears they could pose a threat to people's health and surrounding environment. "We are also worried they may cause explosion of methane gas." The spots were similar to those previously found in Pantai Beringin and Poto subdistricts. In the two subdistricts, the eruptions of mud had spread methane gas in a two-kilometer radius from their original source.
Concern was also raised that the mud could reach clean water sources and polluting them with sediments. Timor Island has a lot of soil layer cracks that shift on tectonic plates and could be the cause of the eruptions. There are some 20 hot mud flows in Pantai Beringin and Poto subdistricts. At least five mud eruptions have been found in the region over the last five years. In Napan, Central Timor regency, the spews have created a mound of mud over seven meters high. In East Amfoang, Kupang regency, a flow has created a lake of mud. While on Semau Island, another hill of mud has been created by a similar eruption. The most sporadic eruptions occurred last year in di Mataloko, Golewa district in Ngada regency. Located near a geothermal exploration, the fumes were blamed for respiratory problems among residents in the surrounding areas. The biggest mud flow disaster is located in Sidoarjo, East Java, which began spewing on May 29, 2006, when oil and gas company PT Lapindo Brantas drilled parts of the area. At least 40,000 people have been displaced by the disaster.

ICELAND - The ash cloud that stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers, threatened to blight a summer of air travel and turn 2010 into one long winter has disappeared. Eyjafjallajokull volcano stopped erupting in late May. In April, when the cloud suddenly brought northern Europe to a skidding halt, it was said that disruption could last "for more than 20 years". Even Iceland's President weighed in warning this eruption was just a "small rehearsal" for what was to come. He suggested Ketla, the volcano's more violent neighbour, was due to go off at any moment. But not only has Eyjafjallajokull calmed down, but Ketla's "imminent" eruption may not take place for another 100 years. A geophysicist with the Iceland Met Office said: "People have been waiting for Ketla to erupt since before I was born, and I am 50 now."

TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

MALDIVES - A tropical storm hit the capital city of Male’ Wednesday causing severe damage, while other areas in the country’s middle region were also impacted by wind speeds of up to 62 miles per hour. The weather is unsteady at this time of year. “Strong winds occur during the southwest monsoon every year. Last year wind speeds were recorded up to 50 miles per hour.’’ 10 different incidents were reported to the Maldives National Defence Force following the storm, which issued a warning not to travel by sea and to take safety measures if forced to do so.
The roof of a shop was blown off by the strong wind and metal pipes on a 10th story building were also thrown to the street. A tree fell on top of a house, and many other trees were uprooted. Minor injuries were caused to people and buildings during the incident. 15 incidents at sea were reported. When the storm arrived, a fishing boat with a crew of 11 men sank and the crew was rescued from the sea by the coast guard in the late afternoon. In another incident, a cargo ship drifted onto a reef near Hulhule’.

PAKISTAN - At least 100 people have been killed in floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in north-west Pakistan. Rivers have burst their banks and entire villages of mudbrick houses have been destroyed. Dozens of people are known to have drowned; others have been crushed by collapsing buildings or electrocuted. The floods are THE WORST FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS and more heavy rain is forecast across much of Pakistan for at least another day. Pakistani TV channels have broadcast footage of vehicles, livestock and people being swept away by powerful torrents. The army says all available troops have been deployed for relief work. Flood alerts have been issued in many parts of the country, and those living in low-lying areas have been advised to move to higher ground. But there are real fears that many more lives will be lost in the coming hours. Airline officials said the weather was likely to have contributed to the plane crash in Islamabad on Wednesday in which more than 150 people died.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -

A report issued Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms that THE PAST DECADE WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD and that the Earth has been growing warmer for the last 50 years. "Extreme weather events are unavoidable. But a warmer climate means that many of these events will be more frequent and more severe." The study (www.ncdc.noaa.gov/bams-state-of-the-climate) draws on data collected from satellites, weather balloons and stations, ships and buoys, analyzed by more than 300 scientists and 160 research groups in 48 countries. "The temperature increase of one degree Fahrenheit over the past 50 years may seem small, but it has already altered our planet. Glaciers and sea ice are melting, heavy rainfall is intensifying and heat waves are more common. And, as the new report tells us, there is now evidence that over 90 percent of warming over the past 50 years has gone into our ocean." While it's impossible to predict all the effects of a hotter ocean, one is well known. As water becomes warmer it expands, raising sea levels. Higher seas will affect and even displace coastal populations, especially in lower-lying areas. The effects on agriculture of more severe droughts and storms are painful to imagine. The conflicts that could ensue from food shortages and human migrations are also unpleasant to contemplate. "Human society has developed for thousands of years under one climatic state, and now a new set of climatic conditions are taking shape."

RUSSIA - The Russian capital Moscow has suffered its HOTTEST DAY ON RECORD, with temperatures reaching 39C (102F). A MONTH-LONG RECORD-BREAKING HEATWAVE has sparked nearly 50 fires in the Moscow region and the capital is sweltering under a thick layer of smog. Health experts say pollution levels in parts of the city are 10 times higher than normal safety limits and advise locals to stay indoors or wear masks. A state of emergency has been declared in more than 20 drought-hit regions. It is estimated A FIFTH OF THE COUNTRY'S WHEAT CROP HAS NOW DIED due to the lack of rain in what is thought to be THE COUNTRY'S WORST DROUGHT FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. Scores have died in the heatwave.
Meteorologists forecast the temperature will drop by several degrees over the weekend. But dozens of peat and forest fires are still burning on the outskirts of the capital. Health officials have warned the high concentration of carbon monoxide in the air makes breathing as dangerous as smoking several packets of cigarettes every day. The Roshydromet meteorological service had earlier predicted the smog would begin to clear on Thursday evening, saying temperatures were forecast to cool off over the weekend.

HEALTH THREATS -

CDC launches universal flu vaccination recommendation - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed its vaccine advisory group's recommendation for universal influenza immunization, as public health groups prepare to shift gears from pushing the pandemic H1N1 vaccine to drawing the public's attention to the new seasonal flu vaccine advice.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Inching my way back to feeling good, sorry for the missed updates.

SPACEQUAKES - The five NASA THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a new type of weather surrounding the Earth. In what is being called the “spacequake,” a tremor in the magnetic field of the Earth can produce an earthquake out in space. A magnetosphere is formed around a celestial body, such as Earth, when a stream of charged particles from a star, such as our Sun, interacts with the magnetic field. “A spacequake is a temblor in Earth's magnetic field. It is felt most strongly in Earth orbit, but is not exclusive to space. The effects can reach all the way down to the surface of Earth itself." And, the spacequake can pack “the punch of an earthquake and [play] a key role in sparking bright Northern Lights."
“Magnetic reverberations have been detected at ground stations all around the globe, much like seismic detectors measure a large earthquake.” The total energy in a spacequake can be comparable to a magnitude 5 or 6 earthquake. “The action begins in Earth's magnetic tail, which is stretched out like a windsock by the million mph solar wind. Sometimes the tail can become so stretched and tension-filled, it snaps back like an over-torqued rubber band. Solar wind plasma trapped in the tail hurtles toward Earth.
On more than one occasion, the five THEMIS spacecraft were in the line of fire when these "plasma jets" swept by. "Clearly, the jets were going to hit Earth.” The plasma jets produced a spacequake, which shakes Earth’s magnetic field. “The jets crash into the geomagnetic field some 30,000 km above Earth's equator. The impact sets off a rebounding process, in which the incoming plasma actually bounces up and down on the reverberating magnetic field. Researchers call it "repetitive flow rebuffing." It's akin to a tennis ball bouncing up and down on a carpeted floor. The first bounce is a big one, followed by bounces of decreasing amplitude as energy is dissipated in the carpet.”

**He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,
but rejoices for those which he has.**
Epictetus


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.

Yesterday -
7/28/10 -
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.3 OFF COAST OF OREGON
5.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

7/27/10 -
5.0 EASTERN XIZANG, CHINA

7/26/10 -
5.6 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.5 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.1 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.5 JUJUY, ARGENTINA
5.5 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

CHINA - Flooding in northeastern China has stranded 30,000 people in one town and washed 1,000 barrels of explosive chemicals into a river. In Kouqian town in Jilin province, residents were trapped when a reservoir and two rivers overflowed following torrential rain.
In Jilin city itself, containers of explosive fluid from a chemical plant were washed into the Songhua river. China is facing its worst flooding in more than a decade. Weeks of heavy rain have swollen rivers and caused damage, landslides and bridge collapses across a swathe of the country. 928 people have died because of the seasonal bad weather and another 477 are missing. Houses and buildings aere under water, and 80 people are trapped in a train station surrounded by water. Further to the south, in Wuhan city in Hubei province, workers were sandbagging river banks ahead of possible flooding where the Yangtze and Han rivers converge. Early on Wednesday, the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river faced its second test of the season, as floods pushed the water in its reservoir to near capacity. Vast amounts of water have been released from behind the Three Gorges Dam in recent days. Engineers said the water level rose to 158m (518ft) at 0800 local time (0000 GMT) on Wednesday. The maximum capacity is 175m. Flow rates hit 56,000 cubic meters per second - a new high for the dam but lower than last week's peak of 70,000 cubic metres per second on the upper levels of the Yangtze. Authorities have warned communities downstream to prepare for rising water levels as the dam's huge spill gates release torrents of water.
(photo & map)

HEALTH THREATS -

Tropics remain most active areas for H1N1 - Pockets of West Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia continue to have the most active pandemic flu activity, while overall global flu activity remains low. Australia and New Zealand have seen recent increases in respiratory disease, mostly pandemic flu. Influenza B and H3N2 are dominating South Africa's flu season. The areas with highest H1N1 activity in Asia are India, Cambodia, and Singapore

Diabetes raises risk of H1N1 hospitalizations - Having diabetes triples a person's risk of being hospitalized for pandemic H1N1, according to a new study. Of 162 patients with lab-confirmed novel H1N1, 22 (14%) had diabetes (9 with type 1 and 13 with type 2). This was three times the 7.1 cases expected, based on population demographics. Also, the diabetic H1N1 patients had quadruple the risk of requiring intensive care compared with other H1N1 patients.

H1N1 hit organ-transplant patients hard - Of 237 cases of pandemic flu in those receiving organ transplants in 26 US, Canadian, and Dutch centers, 167 (71%) were hospitalized because of their infection. Of 230 patients for whom data were available, 73 (32%) had pneumonia, 37 (16%) were admitted to intensive care, and 10 (4%) died. The authors conclude, "Influenza A H1N1 caused substantial morbidity in recipients of solid-organ transplants during the 2009-10 pandemic" and that early antiviral therapy provided clinical benefit.

Monday, July 26, 2010

**Good things come to those who wait.**


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.3 SALTA, ARGENTINA
5.3 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

Yesterday -
7/25/10 -
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.4 TAIWAN
6.0 TONGA

HAITI - Anger grows as U.N. rates the earthquake response as good. U.N. officials in Haiti are saying that the response given by the international community to the devastating earthquake disaster was good. But six months after the earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people, survivors in makeshift tent cities continue to express growing discontent with aid relief efforts.
An officials said, “I am not saying more could not have been done, but I think the response provided so far, six months after the disaster, was good compared to previous disasters in other parts of the world...Six months after the tsunami in Aceh 700 temporary shelters were built. However in Haiti we have more than 3,700. In Aceh 14,000 people got temporary jobs through high labor intensity programs, while we have more than 200,000 working here." He also mentioned the case of Kobe, in Japan, that was devastated in 1995 by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed 6,400 people and left 300,000 people homeless. He said after 5 years of recovery, it’s only this year Kobe is getting back to the situation it was before the disaster. “And all that occurred in an industrialized country with advanced social and economic infrastructures", showing how difficult it has been for the poorest country in the western hemisphere to cope with the aftermath of the disaster.
Despite all these figures, many homeless survivors, have expressed growing frustration with the lack of access to some of the most basic living conditions. Others complain about the unbearable heat generated by the plastic tents exposed to a burning sun in wide open areas, mostly without any vegetation to provide shade. Survivors also expressed concern about the current rainy and hurricane seasons that could cause another disaster if appropriate precautionary measures are not taken immediately. “Here, it’s like hell. When it rains we are flooded, when it is sunny, the heat is killing us." The international donor community pledged $5.3 billion over the next two years as part of $9.9 billion aid package to help rebuild the country over the next several years. But officials say only about 10 percent of pledged funds have been disbursed and continues to trickle in slowly.

VOLCANOES -

COLUMBIA - Authorities declared a yellow alert for the Machin volcano located in Colombia's central Tolima department, following an increase in registered seismic activity in the area. Registered 68 tremors over the weekend, one measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale which was felt by locals in the zone. An erruption of the Machin volcano could potentially affect close to a million people in the departments of Tolima, Quindio, Valle del Cauca and Cundinamarca. Machin is one of the Colombia's volcanoes that has the most propensity to affect widespread damage on the Andean nation. The volcano has a great potential to explode, due to its chemical composition, the magnitude of its erruptions and extensive deposits to feed those erruptions. The Machin volcano's geographical location means it has the potential to adversely affect an area important to Colombia's economy. (map)

TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.

Tropical Storm Chanthu killed 11 people and injured four others in Vietnam. Chanthu, which hit the Vietnam-China border on July 23 before weakening into a low-pressure system, brought heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides, damaging roads, houses and crops in many provinces in northern Vietnam. Among the victims was a 2-year-old child who was killed when a landslide caused the family home to collapse. The three other members of her family suffered injuries but were rescued. More than 100 houses collapsed and some 100 hectares of rice were destroyed. The storm dumped rainfall of between 83 and 382 millimeters in northern areas. Rain was forecast to continue in northern provinces today. 13 fishermen in Quang Ngai province still missing after Tropical Storm Conson hit Vietnam last week.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

IOWA - A nine-mile-long Iowa lake has disappeared after heavy rains led a dam holding back its waters to collapse. Lake Delhi in eastern Iowa drained through the breached dam within hours on Saturday, flooding the nearby town of Monticello. Lakeside homes now overlook a stinking, muddy pit. The 92-year-old Lake Delhi dam failed on Saturday, destroyed by rising water from the Maquoketa River. "There was just more water than it was designed for." About 900 homes were built on the lake front. (photo)

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -

RUSSIA - Residents of Moscow were gasping today as the Russian capital was blanketed in a heavy cloud of smoke from forest and peat fires sparked by the MOST SEVERE HEATWAVE FOR DECADES.
The spires of the city's famous Stalin-era skyscrapers were barely visible behind the curtain of fog and smoke in the early morning hours as the authorities sent in water-bombing aircraft to attack the fires in the Moscow region. Over the last 24 hours, firefighters have been battling 60 forest and peat fires covering a total area of 59 hectares.
The concentration of toxic particles in the air exceeded the norm by 5-8 times. Visibility on Moscow's roads in the morning was no more than 500m but airports carried on working normally. Throughout the city centre, the air smelled of smoke. The Russian capital and much of the country from the Baltic to the Pacific coasts have been suffering from the severest heatwave for decades which has DESTROYED 20% OF ALL OF RUSSIA'S ARABLE LAND.
Daytime temperatures in Moscow have been over 35C for days and are nudging closer to the all time temperature record in the capital of 36.8C recorded back in 1920. The heatwave has claimed the lives of hundreds of people who drowned in an attempt to cool off from the record temperatures. The horrific toll has been blamed on drunkenness and the use of poorly-equipped beaches. This weekend alone, 65 people drowned in Russia.

Storms and heat batter and blister U.S. - Large parts of the United States faced another day of extreme weather yesterday, with temperatures in the capital and on the Southeast coast forecast to be near or above 38 degrees Celsius and more storms likely in the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley regions.
Powerful thunderstorms will stretch from the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia region on the Atlantic coast into Kentucky, Accuweather said. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where heavy rains shut the city's main airport on Thursday, local media reported the body of a 19-year-old man who disappeared as flood waters peaked had been recovered from a creek. Many Midwest cities and states were dealing with the aftermath of heavy flooding on Friday and Saturday. Chicago's beaches remained closed for a second day due to possible water contamination after the rains overwhelmed the sewer system, which flowed into Lake Michigan. Half a dozen areas in Illinois, including northern sections of the city, remained under flood warnings. Damage to crops and livestock in Illinois, Iowa and other key agricultural areas of the Midwest Corn Belt was still being assessed but was not expected to be significant.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

**Guilt is a rope that wears thin.**
Ayn Rand


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.4 TAIWAN
6.0 TONGA

Yesterday -
7/24/10 -
5.1 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.0 KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.2 OFFSHORE O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.4 CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO REGION
5.0 NORTHWEST OF AUSTRALIA
5.1 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
6.5 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.3 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.0 BISMARCK SEA
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

7/23/10 -
5.1 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.0 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
7.4 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
7.4 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.7 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
7.3 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.1 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS

Six earthquakes struck the Moro Gulf of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, including three of magnitude seven or higher in about one hour, but no damage was reported.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recorded 250 aftershocks since Saturday.

TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.


Friday, July 23, 2010

More interuptions have prevented the website from being posted on Thursday, sorry.

**Here today, gone tomorrow.**


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.

Yesterday -
7/22/10 -
5.3 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.2 VANUATU
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G
7/21/10 -
5.3 SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA
6.1 NORTH OF HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.2 VANUATU

VOLCANOES -

GUATEMALA - Government has warned of danger from the Pacaya volcano - Authorities in Guatemala say they've detected an increase in internal vibration inside a volcano that killed three people when it erupted in May. The Pacaya volcano, about 18 miles (30 kilometers) south of Guatemala City. The increase could cause further eruptions. Seismologists have not ruled out a complete eruption that could, depending on the wind direction, bring ash and soot to the capital.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BONNIE was 112 nmi SSE of Nassau, Bahamas.
Tropical storm CHANTHU was 220 nmi ENE of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Tropical Storm Bonnie steamed through the central Bahamas on Thursday night while tracking a course that could take it over the site of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Tropical storm Chanthu drenched southern China after killing two people and knocking down thousands of homes in Guangdong province. Almost 3,000 homes collapsed in the storm’s strong gales and heavy rains, leading to 2.2 billion yuan ($325 million) of estimated losses and affected 1.35 million people. Chanthu moved late yesterday northwest from Guangdong into neighboring Guangxi province, which was ravaged by floods in June.
Downpours from Chanthu are set to deluge four southern provinces today, with western and central regions of China also forecast to receive torrential rains. Flooding in China has killed more than 700 people this year, THE MOST IN MORE THAN A DECADE.
At least 45 people have been killed by flooding and landslides in western China’s Shaanxi province, triggered by downpours in the region from July 14. The storms also destroyed 27,160 houses and damaged 101,000 hectares of farmland, with losses estimated at 2.49 billion yuan. Floods in neighboring Sichuan province have killed 32 people, left 38 missing and forced the evacuation of almost 1 million residents. Both Shaanxi and Sichuan are forecast to receive heavy rain today along with the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Henan and Gansu.
Downpours from Chanthu may again cause floods and landslides in parts of southern China.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

**Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.**


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.

Yesterday -
7/20/10 -
5.3 NEAR N COAST OF NEW GUINEA, PNG.
5.6 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G
5.8 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.1 NEAR S. COAST OF WESTERN HONSHU
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.2 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.8 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.5 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm CHANTHU was 262 nmi SSW of Hong Kong.

Caribbean System Becomes More Likely to Develop Into Cyclone - An area of thunderstorms and clouds is becoming more likely to develop into a tropical cyclone in the next two days. The weather system over the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic has a 40 percent chance of becoming a cyclone, the Center said Tuesday in an advisory posted on its website. That’s up from a 30 percent chance six hours earlier.
The tropical wave is moving west-northwest at 5 miles (8 kilometers) to 10 miles an hour. That puts the system on a track of heading toward the Gulf of Mexico, where BP Plc is trying to clean up the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The June 1-Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season is typically most active in August and September. This year, one named storm has formed, Hurricane Alex, which made landfall in northeastern Mexico on June 30.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

CHINA - The Three Gorges dam on China's longest river, the Yangtze, is standing up to its biggest flood control test since completion last year. Floodwaters in the giant reservoir rose 4m (13ft) overnight, and are now just 20m below the dam's maximum capacity. The authorities are using the dam to limit the amount of water flowing further downstream to try to minimise the impact of devastating floods. Hundreds of people have died in central and southern China in the country's worst floods in more than a decade. The Three Gorges dam, the largest in the world, was a controversial project as it forced the relocation of 1.4 million people. It is situated in Hubei province.
The flow of the water overnight was THE FASTEST EVER RECORDED, at 70,000 cubic metres per second. 40,000 cubic metres/second were released, with 30,000 cubic metres/second of water held back in the reservoir. "Without the Three Gorges this kind of discharge would bring disaster to the downstream areas." Upstream in Guang'an, Sichuan province, shops are submerged, and people are waiting to ferry supplies by boat to relatives trapped in their homes.
At least 11 people were missing after a landslide caused by torrential rains hit a village in Mianning country in Sichuan province. Sichuan and neighbouring Shaanxi province have been hard hit by a series of landslides in recent days, that have killed 37 people and left nearly 100 missing. More than 35 million people across China have been affected by the poor weather and 1.2 million have been relocated. China is facing its worst floods since 1998, when more than 4,000 people died, and 18 million people were displaced.

SPACE WEATHER -

SUN-EARTH CONNECTION - The Earth and sun are 93 million miles apart, but they are hardly separated. Magnetic lines of force connect our planet's poles directly to the stellar surface, forming a "sun-Earth system" that researchers are only beginning to understand. Ultimately, the accuracy of space weather forecasts hinges on their progress, and it may require an international effort to succeed. "The problem is solar storms - figuring out how to predict them and stay safe from their effects. We need to make progress on this before the next solar maximum arrives around 2013."

HEALTH THREATS -

WHO committee may meet to decide to end pandemic - The Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization may meet next week to review infection data from the Southern Hemisphere and recommend that the agency announce an end to the pandemic, sources "familiar with the matter" said.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

**To be or not to be, that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them."
Hamlet


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.

Yesterday -
7/19/10 -
5.0 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm CHANTHU was 288 nmi WNW of Subic Bay, Philippines.

PHILIPPINES - The active low-pressure area that threatened parts of Luzon over the weekend has intensified into a tropical depression as it left Philippine territory Monday. But state weather forecasters are still monitoring the movement of the cyclone code-named "Caloy," lest it make a U-turn and return toward the Philippines. The ALPA became a tropical cyclone but is now crossing the South China Sea. Unless it makes a U-turn, it will not affect any part of the country. "We are not discounting the possibility of it recurving." As of 4 a.m., Caloy was 200 km west of Subic, Zambales, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center. It was moving west northwest at 20 kph and is expected to be 590 km west northwest of Dagupan City this morning. "This weather disturbance is now too far to directly affect any part of the country." There is a possibility of another cyclone forming before the end of this month. "On the average we get two cyclones in July. So far only one has passed through Philippine territory."

STRANGE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR -

Hundreds of dead penguins and other sea animals in Brazil have washed up on Sao Paulo's shores and scientists are investigating the causes. 530 penguins, numerous other sea birds, five dolphins and three giant sea turtles have been found in the coastal towns of Peruibe, Praia Grande and Itanhaem, with more likely on other nearby beaches. Sao Paulo University biologists and a wildlife research centre are looking into the possible reasons for the animal deaths. Authorities have ruled out pollution, saying preliminary investigations point to starvation as the cause. The most likely scenario for the penguin deaths is exhaustion and hunger during their long migration from the waters off Argentina's southern Patagonia region.

HEALTH THREATS -

Pandemic kills 21 more in India - India reported 332 pandemic flu cases and 21 deaths this past week, up a bit from 330 cases and 17 deaths the week before. The southern states of Kerala and Maharashtra reported the most deaths, 8 and 11, respectively. Only 1 of the 332 patients contracted the disease outside India.

Global cases continue at low levels - Global pandemic flu activity remains low, with the most active areas in parts of South Asia, West Africa, and Central America. Flu activity remains low in the temperate Southern Hemisphere during the first half of winter except in South Africa, which has had increased detections of primarily seasonal flu (type B and A/H3N2). Pandemic flu activity in Asia remains low to sporadic, except in parts of India, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Experts criticize Egypt's pandemic response - Egyptian health experts are questioning their government's pandemic response. They point to the nation's culling of all swine early on, which affected many people's livelihoods, as well as its cutting class sizes in half and being unable to vaccinate many people. "Egypt is probably the only country in the world that acted in such an insane way towards the virus."

Monday, July 19, 2010

Sorry no updates on Friday and Sunday - I haven't been feeling well.

PUZZLING COLLAPSE OF THE EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE - Researchers are puzzling over a sharper-than-expected collapse of Earth's upper atmosphere during the deep solar minimum of 2008-09. "Something is going on that we do not understand." NASA-funded researchers are monitoring the big event in our planet's atmosphere. High above Earth's surface where the atmosphere meets space, a rarefied layer of gas called "the thermosphere" recently collapsed and now is rebounding again.
The collapse happened during the deep solar minimum of 2008-2009 - a fact which comes as little surprise to researchers. The thermosphere always cools and contracts when solar activity is low. In this case, however, the magnitude of the collapse was two to three times greater than low solar activity could explain. "This is the biggest contraction of the thermosphere in at least 43 years. It's a Space Age RECORD."
When solar activity is high, solar extreme ultraviolet warms the thermosphere, causing it to puff up like a marshmallow held over a camp fire. (This heating can raise temperatures as high as 1400 K.) When solar activity is low, the opposite happens. Lately, solar activity has been very low. In 2008 and 2009, the sun plunged into a CENTURY-CLASS SOLAR MINIMUM. Sunspots were scarce, solar flares almost non-existent, and solar EUV radiation was at a low ebb. The thermospheric collapse of 2008-2009 was not only bigger than any previous collapse, but also BIGGER THAN THE SUN ALONE COULD EXPLAIN.
One possible explanation is carbon dioxide (CO2). When carbon dioxide gets into the thermosphere, it acts as a coolant, shedding heat via infrared radiation. It is widely-known that CO2 levels have been increasing in Earth's atmosphere. Extra CO2 in the thermosphere could have magnified the cooling action of solar minimum. "But the numbers don't quite add up. Even when we take CO2 into account using our best understanding of how it operates as a coolant, we cannot fully explain the thermosphere's collapse."
Low solar EUV accounts for about 30% of the collapse. Extra CO2 accounts for at least another 10%. That leaves as much as 60% unaccounted for. Trends in global climate could alter the composition of the thermosphere, changing its thermal properties and the way it responds to external stimuli. The overall sensitivity of the thermosphere to solar radiation could actually be increasing. "The density anomalies, may signify that an as-yet-unidentified climatological tipping point involving energy balance and chemistry feedbacks has been reached." Or not. Important clues may be found in the way the thermosphere rebounds. Solar minimum is now coming to an end, EUV radiation is on the rise, and the thermosphere is puffing up again. Exactly how the recovery proceeds could unravel the contributions of solar vs. terrestrial sources.

**If you reach for the stars, at least you'll get off the ground.**
Harvey Mackay


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

Yesterday -
7/18/10 -
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
6.0 KHABAROVSKIY KRAY, RUSSIA
6.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
7.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G
7.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G
5.1 TAIWAN REGION
6.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

7/17/10 -
5.2 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE 2010-07-18 02:23
5.6 TONGA
5.0 TAIWAN
5.5 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
5.0 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.

7/16/10 -
5.0 SUMBAWA REGION, INDONESIA
5.0 SUMBAWA REGION, INDONESIA
5.0 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.1 AEGEAN SEA
5.1 DODECANESE ISLANDS, GREECE
5.0 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 04W was 64 nmi WNW of Subic Bay, Philippines.

Conson Cyclone passes over China with limited casualties: 2 dead on the island of Hainan. The first typhoon of the season, Conson lost a lot of its destructive power after making landfall on the Philippines and was "demoted" to a tropical storm, but it regained strength and was again classified as a typhoon, with winds of 120 mph. The Zhejiang and Hunan regions were already flagellated by severe floods along the Yangtze River caused by days of heavy rains. The floods have affected an estimated 35.5 million people with 1.2 million displaced, the official toll is of 135 dead and 41 missing. If the rains continue, the country could suffer the worst flooding in 12 years. The heavy rains will also do serious damage to crops. Tropical cyclones are not infrequent at this time of year, affecting the Philippines, China, Japan and Taiwan, gathering strength from the warm waters of the South China Sea to unload their violence once they make landfall.
VIETNAM - Huge damage in Northern provinces. At least one child is reported to have been killed and three people are still missing after tropical storm Conson hit the north of Vietnam on July 17.

PHILIPPINES - A low pressure area spotted near the east of Luzon had a 50 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression by Sunday. "The LPA is now very near the east of Central Luzon. A low level circulation of clouds prevails, preventing the formation of a storm. But once the convective clouds, which form heavy vapor, will organize then there will be a chance that a tropical depression will be formed." Once the LPA intensifies into a tropical storm, it will be named “Caloy.”
Tropical depression Four is forecast to strike China as a tropical storm at about 18:00 GMT on 21 July.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

MINNESOTA - Waves of thunderstorms rolled through the Metro Saturday night. High winds and hail caused major damage to parts of Minnesota. At least eight tornadoes were reported by trained spotters, but the NWS has not confirmed the number or strength of the tornadoes yet. There were reports of hail as big as softballs in some areas. Other areas experienced winds up to 60 miles per hour and still have plenty of scattered debris, tree limbs and branches. There are reports of downed power lines as well.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -

ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, BOLIVIA, CHILE, BRAZIL, PERU - A spell of extreme cold weather has brought ice and snow to much of Argentina, killing at least nine. Most of the victims were homeless people in the capital Buenos Aires who died of hypothermia. The cold front moving up from Antarctica has caused temperatures to plunge across the southern cone region of South America. Deaths have also been reported in Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. "The wave of cold air from the polar region continues to affect all of Argentina's territory with intense frosts. They recorded minimum temperatures of minus 14C in Patagonia and central Argentina and between 0C and 3C in the north. Argentina has stepped up electricity imports from Brazil and put restrictions on the use of natural gas by industry to ensure the increased energy demand for domestic heating can be met.
The cold snap also hit Bolivia, where local media reported at least two deaths in the tropical region of Santa Cruz.
Bolivia's education ministry ordered schools to close until 21 July because of the cold. Low temperatures have also affected Chile, southern Brazil, and eastern Peru. The UNUSUALLY COLD WINTER weather in South America follows ONE OF THE COLDEST WINTERS FOR YEARS in many parts of the northern hemisphere.

GULF OIL CRISIS -

Seep detected near site of now-capped Gulf of Mexico oil well - BP was ordered to continue monitoring the capped Gulf of Mexico oil well after a seep and other anomalies were discovered a distance from the well. "Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period. When seeps are detected, you are directed to marshal resources, quickly investigate, and report findings to the government in no more than four hours."
The containment cap was successfully fitted to the blown well head on Thursday to stop an oil leak that has raged since the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion. Capping the well only serves as a temporary solution until BP can complete drilling two relief wells intended to permanently seal off the well near the bottom of the original well bore. The relief wells are expected to start sealing the well as early as late July or as late as mid-August.
BP's containment of the leaking well has been fraught with problems since May, when a 100-tonne dome was placed over the blown well and later removed when it became clogged with a slushy mixture of gas and ice. Another smaller device, a two-tonne "top hat" used a few days later, failed for similar reasons. Finally, on May 17, a siphoning tube was installed in the well's riser pipe but only managed to siphon a fraction of the thousands of barrels of oil a day spewing into the Gulf. On May 26, BP tried to pump heavy drilling mud and debris into the riser pipe but this "top kill" solution proved to be ineffective. By June, BP managed to install a containment cap on the riser pipe that did not completely stanch the flow of oil into the Gulf but allowed the company to capture about 18,000 barrels of oil a day from the estimated flow of 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

**There is a certain age when a woman must be beautiful to be loved,
and then there comes a time when she must be loved to be beautiful**
Françoise Sagan


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.0 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE O'HIGGINS, CHILE

Yesterday -
7/14/10 -
5.7 ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
6.6 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE

CHILE - Wednesday, Chile was hit by two strong quakes. The first one took place at 4:21 am and minutes later at 4:32 another one shook the Earth, scaring thousands of people in the vicinity of the quake’s center. One of the towns that was most alerted by the recent earthquakes was Tirua, where local media reported people were fleeing to higher ground among fears that a tsunami would devastate the area, like it happened in the strong earthquake on February.
The second earthquake was the stronger one with a magnitude of 6.5, and was centered 345 miles south of Santiago de Chile. The first earth movement registered a 5.3 magnitude. Still present in the mind of the Chileans is the devastating earthquake that hit the country on February 27, killing more than 500 people and leaving 200,000 others homeless.

VOLCANOES -

GUATEMALA - Minor explosions were reported Tuesday from Guatemala’s volcano Pacaya, located about 24 miles from Guatemala City. Five explosions of ash rose 160 feet into the air. Authorities are closely monitoring its activity. They expect the activity to increase and have placed a temporary ban on tourists hiking on the volcano. In May, Pacaya erupted leaving at least one journalist dead, and about 2,000 people had to evacuate. The blast released tons of sand and cost millions of dollars in damage. The volcano has been active with periodic eruptions since 1565.

TONGA - A huge 10,000 foot volcano on the ocean floor has been erupting for days near Tonga. Out of the water, smoke, steam, and ash have been blasting hundreds of feet into the sky and clouds. At this point currently the eruption isn't posing any threat to anyone living on the islands near by Tonga. No reports of significant fish or animal danger but scientists suspect that there is some small marginal loss of fish in the area.

INDONESIA - Scientists on a deep-sea expedition off Indonesia have discovered a towering volcano: It rises 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) from the ocean floor, yet remains far from sight at the water's surface. Researchers have mapped 2,400-sq.-miles (6,200 sq.-kilometers) of sea floor since setting off last month, an area equal to the size of the U.S. state of Delaware. They found one undersea volcano that rises more than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in water 18,000-feet- (5,480-meters-) deep. "This is a huge undersea volcano, taller than all but three or four mountains in Indonesia." The expedition concludes on August 14.

NEW ZEALAND - Beneath the waters of Lake Taupo lies one of the world's biggest volcanoes and scientists say an eruption would be one of the most life threatening events New Zealand has ever faced. An eruption involving New Zealand's largest lake would dwarf the trouble caused by the 1995 Ruapehu eruption and lahar flows since then.
"Taupo on a global scale is a very large volcano. The crater is somewhere in the order of 15 and 20 kilometres in diameter, so it's right up there in the top ten globally for size." Other experts think it could even eclipse the worldwide disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano three months ago.
But scientists say that there will be plenty of warning signs before the big bang including more frequent earthquakes, hot springs around Taupo drying up and the lake could start bubbling. Scientists are always on alert, monitoring the lake 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "We know the volcano is still doing things, but it's not yet fully understood. It's something we're actually doing research on at the moment to see if it really is the volcano acting up a bit."
The Taupo volcanic zone is one of the most active in the world. There are 12 active volcnoes and at least 30 geothermal hot spots that stretch from Mount Ruapehu to White Island. "The eruptions we've seen so far not a big problem, if we had a massive eruption out of Taupo, I don't think aviation would be operating much at all." Taupo erupts every 900 years on average, and the last big bang was 1700 years ago. Scientists say it's not a matter of if, but when.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 06E was 372 nmi SSW of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Tropical storm CONSON was 278 nmi E of Da Nang, Vietnam.

CHINA may be facing THE WORST FLOODS IN 12 YEARS if rains continue to drench the Yangtze river region, as a major tropical storm threatens the southern coast. The situation along the nation's longest waterway was at a "critical point. If heavy rain hits the upper reaches of the river, the Yangtze River basin could suffer from flooding similar to 1998. And if you add the (imminent) landfall of Typhoon Conson, the situation along the Yangtze River basin is even less optimistic." China experienced massive deadly floods in 1998 in parts of the Yangtze River basin, which acts as an unofficial dividing line between the north and south of the country. The disaster killed 4150 people and forced over 18 million more out of their homes, causing economic losses of 255 billion yuan ($42.7 billion).
The nation's three worst floods in recent history - 1954, 1983 and 1998 - "all happened in July and August". 118 people have died in floods that have hit the southern half of China since the beginning of July, and another 47 are still missing. The downpours have also triggered deadly landslides that have swept entire villages away. A series of such disasters hit parts of southwestern and central China earlier this week, killing at least 41 people, but it was unclear whether the victims were included in the overall death toll. In the eastern province of Jiangxi, flash floods forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people and water from three reservoirs spilled over into neighbouring areas.
Conson, which killed 23 people and left dozens missing in the Philippines, was due to hit China's southern shores Thursday. It had initially been downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm, but had gathered strength again and was now classed as a severe tropical storm. The storm is expected to bring winds that will trigger eight-metre waves.

The sixth tropical depression of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season formed off the western coast of Mexico on Wednesday afternoon, but the storm poses no threat to land. The depression formed just before 2 p.m. PDT (2100 GMT) and was located about 550 kilometers (340 miles) southwest of Manzanillo, a city in the Mexican state of Colima. Tropical depression Six-E is moving toward the west-northwest at a speed of approximately 20 kilometers (13 miles) per hour. “This general motion, accompanied by a gradual decrease in forward speed, is expected during the next 48 hours." Maximum sustained winds are currently near 55 kilometers (35 miles) per hour, with higher gusts. “Some slow strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and the depression could become a tropical storm on Thursday." As the depression is located far from any land, and is not expected to come close to any land, no watches or warnings have been issued. If the depression eventually does develop into a tropical storm, it will be given the name Estelle. It would be the fourth tropical storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -

RUSSIA - Scores of Russians have died in the past few weeks amid a heatwave that shows no sign of breaking. Many of the dead have drowned after taking a swim - often after having drunk too much vodka. For the past two weeks temperatures across much of western Russia have soared past 35C [95F], in THE HOTTEST AND LONGEST HEATWAVE IN DECADES. Russia is also suffering what is thought to be THE WORST DROUGHT IN MORE THAN 100 YEARS. There has been virtually no rain since winter and crops are shrivelling. "We've had 10mm of rain, scorching hot temperatures over 35C, which have just burnt all the crops up. Winter wheat crops are 50% of the yield, and spring crops, in some cases, are going to be virtually none."
A state of emergency has been imposed in 16 Russian regions, and the government is increasing loans to try to help farmers avoid bankruptcy. "It's a major calamity, the situation is extremely serious." In the centre of Moscow, teams of tanker trucks roam the streets spraying water to try to stop the asphalt from melting. At lakes and rivers around Moscow groups of revellers can be seen knocking back vodka and then plunging into the water. The result is predictable - 233 people have drowned in the last week alone. In one incident six schoolchildren drowned, because the summer camp employees looking after them were drunk. The heatwave is expected to last another week. By then Moscow may well have broken through its highest ever temperature of 36.6C.

GERMANY was braced for further tornados after tropical storms buffeted northern regions early Tuesday morning, killing three and injuring at least 11 people. After temperatures reached a RECORD 40 DEGREES in some regions, heavy winds ripped roofs off buildings in some regions while in others more than 25 litres of rain fell per square metre within an hour. The most spectacular weather was seen on Gilliland, where a fully fledged tornado ripped across Germany’s only high sea island, ripping up dunes and a campsite. Eleven islanders were injured by the tornado, which prompted the mayor to declare a state of emergency. “The tornado left behind a trail of utter destruction." Meteorologists were predicting further tornados by today at the latest, with a third wave at the weekend.
“The bad weather was accompanied with hurricane-like gusts of winds above 100km an hour." German energy companies said that the extreme temperatures had forced them to reduce capacity in many nuclear power plants. “Weather incidents caused by massive heat have increased in recent years." Insurance industry figures showed that extreme weather resulted in claims worth €2.9 billion; this year they are braced for claims of €4 billion plus. Storms and hail spread across Europe Tuesday to France, Poland and Switzerland. Meanwhile, dozens of German train passengers are to be compensated by the German rail company after faulty air conditioners resulted in compartment temperatures of more than 50 degrees [122F].

HEALTH THREATS -

Northern Hemisphere nations saw substantial H1N1 hospitalizations - Studies on the H1N1 pandemic in the Northern Hemisphere showed considerably high hospitalization, intensive care (ICU), and death rates. Among evaluated cases in 35 studies, researchers found hospitalization rates as high as 93.8%, ICU admission as high as 36.4%, and fatality rates as great as 38.5%. They also found "substantial percentages" of the elderly among the severely ill.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Scientists are now 99 per cent certain mass extinction events on Earth are as regular as clockwork. The good news? There are still 16 million years to go until the next one. That's the finding from scientists who have mapped out all Earth's extinction events from the past 600 million years. According to what they've seen, life on Earth is wiped out every 27 million years.
Unfortunately for our planet, it passes through a shower of comets every 27 million years, and it very rarely escapes unscathed. Of the last 20 times we made a galactic run for our lives through the comet shower, Earth escaped with most of its biological organisms intact on only six occasions. The most widely publicised event was 65 million years ago, when a 15km wide asteroid hit the Earth in Mexico with the force of a billion atomic bombs and wiped out the dinosaurs. The last event occurred 11 million years ago, so at least Doomsday cult members can now set their clocks for the year 16,002,010, rather than the fashionably Hollywood mark of 2012. There's one caveat - the extinction scenario rate is not strictly accurate. Sometimes the asteroids ambush all life on Earth up to 10 million years earlier than they should.

**Life at its longest is brief enough.**
Eugene O'Neill


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.

Yesterday -
7/13/10 -
5.8 PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.1 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.3 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm CONSON was 35 nmi WSW of Subic Bay, Philippines.

Typhoon Conson ripped through the Philippines' main island, leaving at least three people dead, sweeping shanties into the sea and leaving a trail of wreckage in Manila. Nineteen fishermen who were at sea when the typhoon, packing maximum gusts of 120km/h, hit the South-East Asian archipelago were also missing. With communication systems down amid the chaos of the typhoon's aftermath, disaster relief officials were still trying to determine the extent of the damage and there were concerns the death toll could rise.
Electricity was knocked out throughout the main island of Luzon, including Manila, where fallen tree branches and other debris littered the streets today.The capital's overhead railway system was also shut down due to the power outage that brought much of the city to a standstill. Shanty towns erected by squatters on the coastal areas near Manila were also swept away, leaving the shocked, drenched residents to scavenge scrap wood to build makeshift shelters. "The wind howled like a child screaming ... it was so strong, our houseboat nearly got flipped over." Conson blew past Luzon and into the South China Sea this morning, but some international flights in and out of Manila were still cancelled while others were delayed.
Conson was the first typhoon of the season, and its ferocity took the 12 million residents of Manila by surprise. The President let rip at the state weather service today for not warning Manila's residents that Conson would hit the city. Many people in Manila went to bed late yesterday having been lulled by forecasters' bulletins that Conson would hit the northern provinces instead of Manila. However, the weather service failed to mention that the typhoon had a wide radius of 300km. The ill-equipped Philippine weather service came in for criticism in September last year when it failed to warn the residents of Manila about the threat from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which killed 464 people.

Conson, the first tropical storm of the year may hit Hong Kong as early as Friday, weather forecasters warn. It is expected to bring heavy rain to Hong Kong and Guangdong. That will add to woes in the mainland, where at least 107 people have been killed in floods and landslides. Conson will enter the South China Sea later today, intensify, and head for Guangdong, west of Macau. Hong Kong may be feeling its effects from late on Thursday. Meanwhile, the very hot weather warning remained in force yesterday with temperatures reaching 35.1 degrees Celsius.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

GERMANY - Twister injures 11 at campsite on a German island in the North Sea. The small twister built up quickly at around 3.15 p.m. (1315 GMT) Monday over Duene island, off the coast of Helgoland, a larger island north of the German mainland. About 100 people were at the site when the storm hit, causing broken bones and other injuries that required hospital treatment. After a string of UNUSUALLY HOT days, storms also hit other parts of the country. A woman was killed by falling branches during a storm in Lower Saxony and trains were stopped by fallen trees.

SPACE WEATHER -

Scientists have identified a massive eruption from the sun in April that reached all the way to Earth and may be responsible for knocking out a satellite, creating a so-called "zombie satellite." The huge explosion of plasma and magnetic energy, called as a coronal mass ejection (CME), occurred on April 3. The solar storm appears to have disabled the Intelsat communications satellite Galaxy 15. Galaxy 15 lost contact with its ground controllers on April 5 and has been drifting around Earth ever since. The observations suggest the coronal mass ejection flung material away from the sun at a PHENOMENAL 1,000 kilometers per second. The solar eruption was moving at 2.2 million mph (3.6 million kph) while it was still close to the sun on April 3. It then slowed down to about 700 kilometers per second (1.5 million mph or 2.5 million kph) when it reached Earth on April 5.
There is an odd twist to the Galaxy 15 satellite failure. While the satellite has stopped communicating with its ground control center, its C-band telecommunications payload (which provided broadcast services to customers) is stuck on, earning it the "zombie satellite" nickname. The now-aimless electronic signal from Galaxy 15 has forced other communications satellites to conduct evasive maneuvers from time to time to avoid signal interference. But the chances of the Galaxy 15 spacecraft hitting another satellite are so remote, they are non-existent, Intelsat officials have said. This month, Galaxy 15 will be flying near two other Intelsat satellites (Galaxy 13 and Galaxy 14).

High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on July 14th and 15th. NOAA forecaster's estimate a 50% chance of geomagnetic activity today and tomorrow, when a solar wind stream is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field.

GULF OIL SPILL -

Could the Deepwater Horizon spill cause a massive eruption of methane that destroys civilization as we know it?
Some writers have examined the research of scientists at Northwestern and Texas A&M and conclude that the BP oil spill may cause the world to end. "BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling operation may have triggered an irreversible, cascading geological Apocalypse that will culminate with the first mass extinction of life on Earth in many millions of years. The oil giant drilled down miles into a geologically unstable region and may have set the stage for the eventual premature release of a methane mega-bubble."
In prehistoric times, an undersea bubble of methane erupted, causing the great Permian extinction of 251 million BC. 55 million years later, it happened again, with similar results. If a similar eruption were about to happen, there would be three ominous signs: large undersea gashes in the sea floor, an increase in pressure causing an elevated seabed and a steady stream of methane bleeding out into the ocean. All three have been reported in the area around the Deepwater Horizon spill, causing some to think that a 20-mile-wide bubble of methane may soon emerge from the ocean floor, pop and then kill us.
But ABC News has taken a stand against the methane bubble rumors. The network has found a credible source to say very politely that the methane theory is a crazy crackpot fear. "The idea that there could be a catastrophic cave in, or a methane gas explosion, that's not a reasonable worry. The rock formations on top of this oil deposit have enough strength that nothing like that is going to happen."

BP testing delayed on Gulf oil fix - BP is delaying critical tests on a new well cap designed to finally stop the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, after government officials said further checks needed to be carried out on the procedure. BP engineers were scheduled to start slowly shutting off valves on the cap today, aiming to stop the flow of oil for the first time in three months. A series of preliminary steps were completed, including mapping the seafloor. The decision was reached after National Incident Commander Allen met with federal officials, scientists and geologists.
BP is poised to test whether a huge 75-tonne cap can seal the leak without threatening the structural integrity of the well. The device, which contains three giant valves, was lowered late on Monday and latched onto the ruptured pipe 1.6 kilometres down on the sea floor where only underwater robots can operate. Once given the go-ahead, BP engineers will gradually close the valves on the cap and shut down the flow of oil in a process expected to last between six and 48 hours. But US officials fear that if the pressure caused by closing the valves increases too quickly the cap could send oil shooting up from a new leak on the sea floor.

HEALTH THREATS -

Mumbai seeing widespread flu - Pandemic flu in Mumbai, India, this year has reached 150 cases and is no longer localized, prompting officials to alter their strategy. In last year's wave they could identify pockets of flu and focus efforts, but now they say the virus is "in the air," and they'll shift to informing the public on how best to prevent the disease. "We are getting swine flu patients from everywhere in the city. We have to maintain vigilance all over." The city's slums have been hardest hit.

Most UK H1N1 fatalities had no underlying illness - UK researchers found that 55% of 631 hospitalized H1N1 patients and 59% of fatal cases were otherwise healthy. Racial minorities and pregnant women were overrepresented. Thirteen percent of patients were admitted to a "high dependency" or intensive care unit, and 5% died. Of 349 patients who had chest x-rays, 29% had evidence of pneumonia, which was associated with a severe outcome. Other risk factors for severity were obesity, certain pulmonary conditions, and raised C-reactive protein levels.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

**There comes a point in many people's lives
when they can no longer play the role
they have chosen for themselves.
When that happens, we are like actors
finding that someone has changed the play.**
Brian Moore


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.2 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA

Yesterday -
7/12/10 -
5.1 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
6.2 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CONSON was 211 nmi E of Manila, Philippines.

PHILIPPINES - A low-pressure area spotted off Bicol late Sunday intensified into a tropical depression Monday, becoming the second cyclone to enter Philippine territory this year. However, weather forecasters say the tropical depression, code-named "Basyang," may not bring in enough rains to raise the water level at Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, which supplies water in Metro Manila. Last week, officials at Angat Dam warned the water level at the dam has reached the critical level.
Earlier, PAGASA had estimated that only 13 to 15 cyclones may pass through Philippine territory this year. Only one - "Agaton" (international code name Omais) - passed through the country last March. "Basyang" was estimated at 660 km east-northeast of Virac, Catanduanes as of 4:00 a.m. There was no immediate indication of when or where "Basyang" will make landfall.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

CHINA - A flash flood washed through a mountain town in southwest China early Tuesday, killing three people and leaving at least 50 missing, while crews raced to drain an engorged reservoir in another part of the country following heavy summer rains. Rescuers tried to locate the 56 missing people in Xiaohe town after the deluge swept through around 4 a.m. The official Xinhua News Agency said the disaster in Xiaohe was a landslide, not a flood - an account disputed by media reports and an official in Yunnan province where Xiaohe is located and which has been pounded by heavy rains for weeks.
Meanwhile, hundreds of workers and soldiers were scrambling to drain a reservoir threatening to burst and flood a city in far western China that is home to more than 200,000 people. About 10,000 residents from the city of Golmud in the high-altitude region of Qinghai were evacuated to temporary camp sites as rescuers began to build a channel for draining the overflowing Wenquan reservoir. If breached, the reservoir could damage the nearby Qinghai-Tibet railway, along with the city's power and water plants. Some places would be submerged in as much as 10 feet (3 meters) of water. Water build-up from days of rain and snow melt filled up the reservoir, pushing it to almost four feet (more than one meter) above the warning level. Three military cargo planes carrying thousands of lead nets, rubber rafts and life jackets, delivered emergency supplies to the scene.
Rain is expected for Qinghai through Tuesday, along with parts of southern China that have been pelted with torrential storms since June. More than 42,000 houses have collapsed and another 121,000 were damaged across nine provinces. Hundreds of thousands of acres (hectares) of crops have been affected, with economic losses estimated at 8.9 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion). More than 450 people throughout nine central and southern provinces have died since heavy rains began in June.

SPACE WEATHER -

Sunspot 1087 has a magnificent magnetic canopy. The active region could swallow our planet ten times over and still have room to spare. Fortunately, we're 93 million miles away. We could still feel the effects of an eruption, however. The thicket of magnetic loops and filaments harbors energy for M-class solar flares. M-flares can heat and puff up Earth's upper atmosphere, causing satellites to experience extra drag as they orbit our planet; they can also cause waves of ionization to ripple around the planet, disrupting radio communications. There haven't been any big eruptions yet, but the magnificent magnetic field of sunspot 1087 has been restless. NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% chance of M-flares during the next 24 hours. (photos & video)
A solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole should hit Earth's magnetic field today or tomorrow.

HEALTH THREATS -

Salsa and guacamole rising sources of illness - The proportion of restaurant-related illness outbreaks linked to salsa or guacamole has more than doubled over the past decade, to about 4%. The two food products contain diced raw items such as hot peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro that have been implicated in past outbreaks. Pathogens included Salmonella, norovirus, Shigella, and others. The illnesses resulted in 145 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. The investigators found that improper storage times or temperatures were reported in 30% of outbreaks involving the two food items, and food workers were cited as the contamination source in 20%. Salsa and guacamole are often made in large batches, and even a small amount of contamination can affect many customers. The researchers suggest that, given the popularity of Mexican cuisine, restaurant workers need training materials on preparation and storage of salsa. People preparing salsa and guacamole at home should also be aware that products containing raw ingredients should be carefully prepared and refrigerated to prevent illness.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Unheard of in recent webpage history - Two successive days with few natural disasters to report!

** He who rejects change is the architect of decay.
The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.**
Harold Wilson


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
6.1 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

Yesterday -
7/11/10 -
5.2 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.2 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.1 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 03W was 511 nmi ENE of Cebu City, Philippines.

PHILIPPINES - 3 Luzon provinces under storm signal number 1. Monday, the government weather bureau placed under storm signal number 1 the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, and Aurora due to Tropical Depression "Basyang." Basyang, which has intensified into a tropical storm, was spotted at 660 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes at 5 a.m. Monday. It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and is moving west northwest at 22 kilometers per hour. Basyang is expected to be at 450 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora on Tuesday morning. It will make landfall in Aurora-Isabela on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, Basyang will be at 60 kilometers east of Sinait in Ilocos Sur. It will be 290 kilometers west northwest of the town on Thursday morning. Residents living in low lying and mountainous areas under signal number 1 were alerted against possible landslides and flash floods.

Sunday, July 11, 2010


Blessedly quiet today!

**Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way...
but you can never say again that you did not know.**
William Wilberforce


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.2 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN

Yesterday -
7/10/10 -
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
6.2 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
5.6 ROTA REGION, N. MARIANA ISLANDS

7/9/10 -
5.1 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.0 OFF COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
5.1 SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
5.0 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.2 TAIWAN REGION

VOLCANOES -

INDONESIA - After two years, spewing about 100,000 tons a day, the Lusi mud volcano in East Java shows no signs of letting up.

CHINA - The Tianchi volcano located in Changbai mountain along China's border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will not erupt in the next dozens of years, a Chinese seismology expert said Friday. The comprehensive monitor data showed the volcano was in a stable condition without any abnormity. A geology professor in Korea had declared that the volcano might erupt between 2014 and 2015. The professor who made this assumption, saying the eruption may occur "within several years," based it on the data provided in the scientific papers of various Chinese experts. The volcano was active from 2002 to 2005 as shown by the monitored data, but it became stable in 2005 and the parameters of its status have been down close to the level in 2002.
Tianchi volcano is regarded as the most dangerous volcano on the Chinese mainland with eruption potential, and the 2-billion-cubic-meter water on the top of the volcano has further increased its destructive potential in case of possible eruption. The last time the volcano erupted was in 1903. Later, the Changbai mountain became a famous mountain resort in China, known for its beautiful natural scenery. China started the research and monitoring of Tianchi volcano in 1985 and experts said a comprehensive volcano monitor system combining gravity, deformation, electromagnet and fluid monitor and seismology forecast would be established to further strengthen the monitoring.

TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.

Friday, July 9, 2010

It's been a bad week for on-time updates, due to various things. Next week should be back closer to normal.

**Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.**
Confucius


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.1 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.0 SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
5.0 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.2 TAIWAN REGION

Yesterday -
7/8/10 -
5.2 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.0 SAVU SEA
5.2 TAIWAN REGION
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA

California earthquake experts have been saying for weeks that the 7.2 temblor on Easter Sunday in Mexicali had placed pressure on two Southern California fault lines - the Elisnore and the San Jacinto - making quakes there more likely. They proved prescient. The 5.4 earthquake that rattled Southern California on Wednesday evening appeared to hit along the San Jacinto fault. That fault runs roughly from the Salton Sea area northwest through the San Jacinto Mountains toward San Bernardino.
Scientists are now studying how the Mexicali quake changed the pressure of various Southern California fault lines. Did the temblor make quakes more likely along more dangerous fault lines, such as the Whittier — which produced the deadly 1987 Whittier Narrows quake? Scientists are particularly interested in the Whittier fault because it's connected to the Elsinore and runs under heavily populated areas. The 5.4 quake on Wednesday wasn't exactly an aftershock of Mexicali. "We've been calling those 'triggered earthquakes' - referring to temblors north of the aftershock zone that runs from the Gulf of California to Ocotillo, Calif., near the Mexican border. "We've been able to see an increase in activity." Wednesday's earthquake was the largest to hit the Elsinore and San Jacinto fault zones since the April 4 shaker.
Earthquake causes big problems for phone service - Thousands of people had problems getting phone service following the 5.4 magnitude earthquake Wednesday. Both cell service and land lines were affected. Verizon said no cell towers were damaged. They blame usage, saying people grab their phones after earthquakes to check on loved ones. Service was back to normal about 30 minutes after the quake. The elevators at Agua Caliente Spa & Casino stopped moving. Nearly 10 people were trapped for a time. The casino says that's normal practice, that elevators freeze as part of the earthquake readiness plan. No one was hurt and people got out fairly quickly.
The San Andreas is Southern California’s most famous earthquake fault. But the San Jacinto system, which produced a magnitude-5.4 temblor Wednesday near Borrego Springs, is a potentially bigger threat to the San Diego area, seismologists said. The San Jacinto is the most seismically active fault in the region, and it has a history of generating quakes above 6.0. The 130-mile-long fault also is located closer to the more heavily populated areas of San Diego and Imperial counties. The seismic energy from Wednesday’s quake reached downtown San Diego in about 16 seconds.

VOLCANOES -

RUSSIA - Klyuchevskoi volcano in Kamchatka welled out lava from a crack overnight, but no threat to people was reported. The Kamchatka branch of the Russian Geophysical Service reported an anomaly as the temperature near the crater was plus 65 degrees Centigrade while the background temperature was minus 2 degrees. Up to 400 seismic events occur in the volcano every day. Klyuchevskoi is currently throwing steam and gas up to 800 meters high.

KENYA - Mount Longonot National Park volcano may go active. Satellite pictures taken over the past decade apparently indicate that the mountain has grown in elevation by several inches, a tell-tale sign of increased volcanic activity well below the surface, caused by rising magma. There are no other signs at present, such as steam or smoke, but not far from the mountain the geothermal power station is located, which taps into the "deep heat" of the Earth’s crust to produce electricity. Feasibility studies have been completed to add power-generating capacity to the station and, in fact, build more elsewhere.
Not far across the border with Tanzania is Mr. Ol Donyo Lengai, an active volcano spewing ash over the past few years since it became more active – and it was the suspected source of several earthquakes and tremors some years ago, some of which were felt even in more distant parts of East Africa. The Great African Rift Valley, of course, stems from a massive seismic event creating hot springs and geysers along the valley floor. (photo)

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 02 was 28 nmi ENE of Brownsville, Texas. (The "poorly organized" system never packed sustained winds higher than 35 mph, falling short of the 39 mph needed to be upgraded to a tropical storm.)

TEXAS - As a strong storm dumped rain on the already high Rio Grande, those living downstream braced for a torrent of water that has led to the closure of two international bridges and evacuations on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border further up the river. Residents of some neighborhoods in the downstream towns of Roma and La Grulla were being evacuated in anticipation of floodwaters. Shelters were readied for residents of low-lying neighborhoods in several communities. And the last hand-drawn ferry on the U.S.-Mexico border was hauled out of the Rio Grande's swift and rising waters for the second time this week.
The tropical depression that came ashore just north of the mouth of the Rio Grande on Thursday was expected to add 6 inches to 8 inches of rain to rivers and reservoirs in south Texas and northern Mexico already swollen from the heavy rains dropped by Hurricane Alex last week. In Rio Grande City in Starr County, the river reached 52 1/2 feet, just over flood stage early today. The larger problem would be what the river did to a local tributary, the Arroyo Los Olmos along the east side of town. "The river level will be so high that it will start backing up (the creek)." It already was starting to happen late Thursday as water in the creek appeared stagnant and possibly even moving slightly upstream, away from the Rio Grande. Some residents in neighborhoods along the scrub-choked creek were beginning to move valuables to higher ground. The International Boundary and Water Commission, which operates dams, reservoirs and levees along the Rio Grande, increased the amount of water released from Falcon Dam, just west of Roma, on Thursday, while also diverting part of the river's flow into a wide floodway near Mission. Even as the remains of the tropical depression moved west through northern Mexico, heavy rains were forecast for south Texas. "We won't begin to dry out until Saturday."
Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes in Mexican towns earlier in the week as dam releases dumped torrents of water into flood-swollen rivers to avoid the risk of out-of-control releases following Hurricane Alex.
In the border state of Coahuila, more than 20,000 homes had been flooded in this state alone, and about 80,000 people had "lost all of their furniture." In Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, dozens of houses in low-lying neighborhoods were flooded late Thursday, with water rising as high as 4 feet in some places. (photos)

HEALTH THREATS -

Tylenol recall grows again - Tylenol maker McNeil PCC Inc. has announced the recall of 21 lots of medicines as a precautionary measure. The recall includes Tylenol of various formulas, including children's Tylenol, the painkiller Motrin, and Benadryl allergy tablets. Late last year and into 2010, McNeil recalled a total of 60 million products after an abnormal smell was found in some containers. The musty, moldy odor was linked to trace amounts of a chemical called TBA. This recall was announced after an internal review found that some package materials used in these lots had been shipped and stored on the same type of wooden pallet tied to the presence of the TBA in the previously recalled lots. The lots in this recall were produced before the Jan. 15 recall. Lots produced after that date weren't in contact with the same type of pallet, which McNeil has stopped using.
The chances of becoming ill from using the most recently recalled lots is remote, according to information released by McNeil. People in possession of any of the 21 lots of recalled medicine should stop using it and contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare for instructions on getting a refund or replacement. To do so, visit the web site, www.mcneilproductrecall.com, or call 888-222-6036 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time and weekends, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned gas and oil wells - More than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells remain in the Gulf of Mexico and no one's checking to see if they are leaking, reports an investigation by the Associated Press. The AP, calling the Gulf an "environmental minefield," says the oldest of these wells were abandoned in the late 1940s, raising questions about whether their seals remain intact. 3,500 wells are listed as "temporarily abandoned," without seals, with 1,000 of them remaining that way for more than a decade.
The Macondo well beneath BP's Deepwater Horizon rig was being sealed with cement for temporary abandonment when it blew April 20. Government data indicate BP alone has abandoned about 600 wells in the Gulf. There's ample reason for worry about all permanently and temporarily abandoned wells – history shows that at least on land, they often leak. Experts say such wells can repressurize, much like a dormant volcano can awaken. And years of exposure to sea water and underground pressure can cause cementing and piping to corrode and weaken. Oil company representatives insist that the seal on a correctly plugged offshore well will last virtually forever.
Officials at the U.S. Interior Department, which oversees the agency that regulates federal leases in the Gulf and elsewhere, did not answer repeated questions regarding why there are no inspections of abandoned wells.
State officials estimate that tens of thousands are badly sealed, either because they predate strict regulation or because the operating companies violated rules. Texas alone has plugged more than 21,000 abandoned wells to control pollution. Offshore, but in state waters, California has resealed scores of its abandoned wells since the 1980s. In deeper federal waters, though – despite the similarities in how such wells are constructed and how sealing procedures can fail – the official policy is out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
The General Accountability Office, which investigates for Congress, warned as early as 1994 that leaks from offshore abandoned wells could cause an "environmental disaster," killing fish, shellfish, mammals and plants. In a lengthy report, GAO pressed for inspections of abandonment jobs, but nothing came of the recommendation.
A GAO report in 1989 provided a foreboding prognosis about the health of the country's inland oil and gas wells. The watchdog agency quoted EPA data estimating that up to 17 percent of the nation's wells on land had been improperly plugged. If that percentage applies to offshore wells, there could be 4,600 badly plugged wells in the Gulf of Mexico alone.

**When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.**
Confucius


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA

Yesterday -
7/7/10 -
5.4 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.
5.7 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.

California - A significant earthquake rocked the Inland region late Wednesday afternoon but appears to have done little damage. No one has been reported injured. The magnitude-5.4 quake struck at 4:53 p.m. and was centered 15 miles north-northwest of Borrego Springs, or 30 miles south of Palm Springs, in northeast San Diego County. No major damage had been reported. The Palm Springs Police Department reported a rock slide in the area of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway caused by the quake, but officers who responded found that no one had been injured and no damage had been done to the tram or its facilities. Some guests and employees of the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage were trapped for about an hour in elevators that stopped when the earthquake hit.
The quake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the largest of which so far has been a magnitude-3.3 that hit three minutes later. Four others measured 3.0. The earthquake was most likely related to the 7.2 magnitude El Mayor-Cucapah quake that hit southwest of Mexicali on Easter Sunday. "The stress and strain was changed during the 7.2 event and all the aftershocks we've had." Changes had been noted in the stress on the San Jacinto and Elsinore faults in the wake of the Baja quake. The Coyote Creek Fault, where Wednesday's quake was thought to be centered "is kind of an extension of those areas." But the Borrego Springs earthquake is not an aftershock. "It is a separate event. But to say that it would have happened without the main shock, it would be difficult to say that."
At a horse rescue ranch in Anza, the earthquake spooked 30 horses and other animals on the property. "They all jumped. Everything jumped. The dogs, the baby sheep, the horses. It was big enough to slosh water out of the horses' water buckets." A Borrego Springs resident said he heard the earthquake before he felt it. First there was a large pop, like something hit his home. Then came several hard jolts. "It felt like a train was on tracks running right by the house." The area has been hit by a few smaller earthquakes in recent days, but nothing like Wednesday's. (map)

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 02 was 230 nmi ESE of Brownsville, Texas.

Tropical depression AL02 is forecast to strike the United States as a tropical storm at about 20:00 GMT today. (map)
Southern Texas could see as much as 5 to 7 inches of rain. Tides are expected to reach 2 1/2 to 3 feet above mean sea level.

HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

MEXICO - Torrential rain pounded northern Mexico yesterday, triggering floods that closed a US-Mexico border bridge and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The HEAVIEST RAIN FOR SEVERAL DECADES has topped off reservoirs in the border states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, across from Texas, with officials diverting water into swollen rivers to avert major damage. After Hurricane Alex soaked the region last week with floods that killed at least 15 people in Nuevo Leon, a new storm dumped still more rain on waterlogged terrain. Some 40,000 homes have already been damaged in Coahuila. Some 3500 people were evacuated from their homes in Tamaulipas as several reservoirs spilled over, threatening rural communities with floods. Authorities have now evacuated some 22,000 people from the town of Anahuac, in Nuevo Leon, for fear that a nearby dam will overflow. In the town of Linares, Nuevo Leon, the town hall collapsed, in dramatic footage shown on television, as its foundations weakened under the persistent rain. More than 100,000 people remained without drinking water around the state following last week's storms, which caused flooding and chaos in the capital Monterrey. Alex also left a trail of overturned cars and mud-covered roads in its wake and caused an estimated $US800 million ($928.94 million) in property damage. The US National Weather Service has forecast heavy rains over southern Texas and northeast Mexico in the coming days.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -

NEW YORK - Manhattan Hits 100 Again As RECORD-BREAKING HEATWAVE Continues. Temperatures hit a record high of 100 degrees Wednesday, beating the daily record of 98 set in 1993. Tuesday's high of 103 degrees broke the city's July 6 record set in 1999. It was one of only seven times the temperature in Central Park has reached 103 or above since the National Weather Service began keeping records in 1870. The heat was responsible for at least one death. A 46-year-old Queens woman died of heat-related causes. Her body temperature had reached 108 degrees.
PHILADELPHIA - A scorcher of a heat wave - the second in as many weeks - pushed temperatures up into RECORD-BREAKING TRIPLE DIGITS Tuesday and was blamed for a 92-year-old West Philadelphia woman's death. Temperatures peaked at 102 at 3:54 p.m. at Philadelphia International Airport, breaking the record of 98 set in 1999. It also hit 102 in Trenton and Atlantic City. Sporadic winds made it feel alternately like a convection oven or dragon's breath. An excessive heat warning for the region remained in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, when the record of 98, set in 1994, was also expected to fall.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Temperatures crept into the triple digits across the Washington region again on Wednesday, the second day of RECORD-BREAKING, or near-record heat. By 3 p.m., Reagan National Airport had recorded 102 degrees -- the same as Tuesday's high temperature. It was the second consecutive day under a Heat Advisory, and the weather was taking a toll. At the Washington Monument, a woman was overcome by the high temperatures. First responders rushed her to the hospital. It was just one of the hundreds of heat-related calls that sparked a 50-percent increase in calls to D.C. Fire and EMS.

HEALTH THREATS -

The 'other' flu strain - The World Health Organization confirmed the recent illness and death of an Indonesian woman from H5N1 avian influenza, pushing the global number of cases to 500. The woman's infection raises Indonesia's number of H5N1 cases to 166 and the number of deaths to 137, for an 83% case-fatality rate. The country has the world's highest number of cases and fatalities. Of the 500 global cases, 296 (59%) have been fatal.

Only 12% of UK hotline antiviral users had H1N1 - Almost 90% of the more than 1 million UK citizens who obtained antiviral drugs using Britain's pandemic flu hotline or Web site did not have novel H1N1 flu. Of 16,560 people who used the service and were tested, only 1,932 (12%) had H1N1. The country's Patients Association has raised issues about the system, and the country's independent review of its pandemic response last week called for a complete review of the service.