As many as 15 people are thought to be injured or trapped inside an Omaha plant that produces animal supplements. Rescuers had taken five people to the hospital shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday. They notified emergency room personnel that others remained inside International Nutrition near South 76th and F Streets. Emergency dispatchers received a report of a possible industrial explosion Monday about 10 a.m. At least five rescue squads were dispatched to 7706 I Plaza, home of International Nutrition. Early reports indicated that up to 12 to 15 people were injured or trapped in the 10 a.m. blast, with at least five men taken to Creighton University Medical Center. Four were in serious condition and the fifth person was in critical condition. Among the five men who were injured were a 21-year-old, a 36-year-old, a 37-year-old and a 49-year-old. According to police radio dispatches, the 21-year-old suffered a head laceration and the 36-year-old inhaled limestone dust. Both are in serious condition. International Nutrition manufactures farm animal supplements. According to its website, “International Nutrition has serviced the U.S. feed industry for over 40 years. Combining an inventory of over 350 critical ingredients with our expertise in producing medicated, nutritional and specialty premixes, we are successfully servicing the needs of animal health distributors and feed manufacturers.”
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Official: Omaha plant fire claims 2 lives, 10 others injured
By Steve Almasy and Carma Hassan, CNN
updated 8:16 PM EST, Mon January 20, 2014
At least 2 dead in Omaha plant explosion
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Mayor’s office, county attorney says 2 dead, all others accounted for
Witnesses describe an explosion followed by chaos
OSHA says too early to determine cause of the incident
(CNN) — At least two people died and four were critically injured Monday in a plant accident in Omaha, Nebraska, authorities said.
The incident happened about 10 a.m. CT at International Nutrition, a company that produces feed and other products for livestock and poultry.
“I heard the explosion and stuff started falling, so I ducked for cover,” worker Nate Lewis told CNN affiliate KETV. “It was pitch black in there. All I could see was fire. I had to feel my way out of the place. I couldn’t see anything.”
There were 38 people at the plant at the time of the incident, interim Omaha fire chief Bernard Kanger said. Ten of the injured people needed a trip to the hospital, the chief said, adding that four were initially in critical condition.
Seven other people at the scene refused treatment, he said.
The mayor’s office and the county attorney’s office said two people had died. A spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Suttle said all other people at the plant were accounted for as of Monday night.
An employee told KETV that he heard noises, saw fire and sprinted for his life.
“I just heard a crack pop and big ball of fire, and I just took off running when I heard the first crack,” worker Jamar White “That’s all I could do was get out of the way and make sure I was OK.”
A spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said OSHA investigators were at the plant, where part of the building had collapsed. Scott Allen said it is too early to determine the cause of the accident.
The International Nutrition plant is shown with wreckage in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo / AP
Omaha officials say two people are dead and all other workers are accounted for in the animal feed plant that exploded.
The explosion Monday morning (local time) brought down part of the International Nutrition plant. Two people were killed and 10 others seriously hurt.
Omaha Police Lieutenant Darci Tierney said all of the other people who were working have been accounted for.
Authorities don’t know what caused the blast.
Interim Omaha Fire Chief Bernie Kanger noted that there were no hazardous chemicals at the plant.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will determine the cause.
The explosion knocked out the lights in the building and sent workers scrambling for safety.
Worker Jamar White said he heard a loud crack and looked up to see the back wall of the building collapsing. White said he then ran to safety.
Thirty-eight people were working at the plant when the blast happened. In addition to the two people who died and 10 who were hospitalized, seven people were hurt but refused treatment. Officials have not said how many of the 19 others escaped.
“We haven’t cleared the building yet because of the significant risk to our people,” Kanger said.
A severe thunderstorm hit the Omaha metro area around 10 am packing 70 mph winds and heavy rain. Those strong winds downed trees, power lines and caused outages throughout Douglas and Sarpy Counties. There are reports of trees down all over the city blocking streets and bringing down power lines. Omaha Fire Department units are busy responding to calls of smoldering tree limbs on power lines. Omaha Public Power District perhaps has the biggest job ahead of them. Nearly 50,000 customers are without service. Loss of service also means traffic lights are not working and that is causing backups throughout the entire metro area. The storm also impacted Council Bluffs and most intersections there are also four-way stops. There were reports of trees down at several locations in that city as well. MidAmerican Energy is reporting is reporting that about 5,000 customers are without service.
….
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sergio Calderon helps to put a tarp on a roof near 144th and William St. A storm blew the roof off the house and into the side of another house across the street.
‘Intense’ morning storm causes power outages, tree damage around Omaha
A summer storm that blasted through the Omaha metropolitan area Monday morning downing trees and power lines came about when several thunderstorms joined forces about 4 a.m. in eastern Nebraska.
Frank Strait, a meteorologist with AccuWeather, The World-Herald’s private weather consultant, said forecasters had been predicting chances of thunderstorms, but they “were caught off guard” by the strength of the severe weather.
“We knew there was a good chance of thunderstorms popping up, but what we got was a cluster of thunderstorms organizing into a squall line with high winds in the eastern part of the state,” Strait said. “That made everything more intense.”
Scott Dergan, of the National Weather Service in Valley, said the storm began with winds of 40 mph on the western edge of Douglas County about 10 a.m. By the time the storm reached Eppley Airfield on the eastern boundary of the county 45 minutes later, winds there were clocked at 69 mph.
The storm continued through Iowa, with Harlan reporting winds of 75 mph, Dergan said. The line of thunderstorms was expected to hit Chicago late Monday or early Tuesday.
“A lot of times storms like this take time to brew before they get what we call water loaded, and then they accelerate,” Dergan said. “It was nothing specific about the metro area such as the urban heat island effect. It was just Mother Nature.”
It has been a few months now since the eruption at El Hierro in the Canary Islands was declared “over”. There may be some passive degassing on the seafloor from the new vent that formed at depth to the south of the island, but things had settled down. Even the people of Restinga were putting the eruption in the past, with both webcams taken offline and the guarantee of €600,000 (~$750,000) from the government to aid fishermen whose livelihoods had been altered by the closed fisheries. However, with any active volcano, it can be difficult to predict when exactly an eruptive cycle is truly done. Over the last few days, seismicity under the island has resumed and its manifestation is very similar to what we saw last summer during the lead up to the eruption of El Hierro in October 2011. Over 50 earthquakes have been recorded at El Hierro, some as large as ~M3.5 and AVCAN thinks that the new seismicity suggests that magma is moving in the same conduits as the fall 2011 activity. The earthquakes are, as of now, still deep – upwards of 15-25 km below the surface. This likely supports the idea that there is new magma entering the El Hierro system at depth. Now, last summer it took months of constant seismicity before we saw any surface manifestation (the submarine vent at ~88 meters depth), so we may not know if this new intrusion of magma will lead to new eruptions until the fall.
The worst heat wave of the summer so far is just starting to cook over the Plains this week.
The heat wave will eclipse the magnitude and coverage area of last week’s heat wave in the Northeast.
Actual temperatures in many cities from Houston, San Antonio and Dallas to Oklahoma City, Denver, Kansas City, Wichita and Omaha will reach triple-digit readings.
The combination of extreme actual temperatures, intense June sunshine, humidity levels and wind will contribute to AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures much, much higher.
The worst conditions will stretch from eastern and central Texas to central South Dakota during Tuesday.
For some locations, the heat will not just last a couple of days, but many days in a row.
According to Meteorologist Justin Povick, “In Denver, there have been three 100-degree days so far in the pattern, and before the extreme nature of the heat wave eases, there could be five or more days in a row with triple-digit readings.”
The record for consecutive days of 100-degree temperatures in Denver is five set in 1985 and most recently in 2005. The pattern spanning July 19 to 23 in 2005 brought temperatures as high as 105 degrees.
In Denver and in much of Colorado, the drought, heat and low humidity will continue to add to the dangers of new wildfires and the spread of existing fires.
The heat wave is being caused by a zone of high pressure at most levels of the atmosphere centered over the Plains this week. At the same time, troughs of low pressure (southward scoops of cool air at high levels of the atmosphere) were present in the Northeast and the Northwest.
Later in the week, the pattern will shift so that the Northeast and Northwest will warm, while the extreme nature of the heat eases over the northern and central Plains.
A zone of thunderstorms could also work to break the heat a bit over the central Rockies and Plains later in the week.
However, it will remain blistering hot farther south over the Plains.
Dallas, which had its first 100-degree high on Sunday, is likely to have triple-digit highs through at least Friday.
Today
Extreme Weather
China
MultiProvinces, [Provinces of Zhejiang, Guangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Anhui, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou ]
Several parts of China have been hit by torrential rains over the last few days, resulting in the evacuation of millions of people and property damage. In east China’s Zhejiang province, heavy rains have forced 17,000 people to relocate and affected the lives of more than 350,000 others since June 22. A 12-year-old girl was killed when her house was buried in a landslide on Saturday in Zhejiang’s Songyang county. Rains have battered central China’s Hunan province since June 21, killing one person, leaving another missing and affecting the lives of 138,000 others. A landslide was triggered in Hunan’s city of Chenzhou, blocking roads and rivers and stranding 130 tourists, the report said. South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has been reeling under heavy downpours since June 21. In the hard-hit city of Hezhou, over 10,000 people have been evacuated and economic losses of 200 million yuan ($31.4 million) have been incurred, according to officials. One resident of Hezhou died in hospital after suffering serious injuries during a landslide, while another was crushed to death during a house collapse. More rain and storms are expected to hit Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui provinces in south China, as well as Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces in the south-west over the next three days, the weather office said.
GRAND JUNCTION CO
RIVERTON WY
LAS VEGAS NV
ELKO NV
BILLINGS MT
CHEYENNE WY
DENVER CO
GREAT FALLS MT
PUEBLO CO
HASTINGS NE
GOODLAND KS
SALT LAKE CITY UT
RAPID CITY SD
MT. PLEASANT, Sanpete County — All Robin Coltharp can do is wait and watch.
“We don’t even know if our property is still good or not, if it’s burned,” she said.
Coltharp’s husband used a telescope to get a closer look at the property, which Sunday was about a mile away from area burned in the Wood Hollow Fire.
The wildfire continued to rage Sunday, covering more than 39,000 acres in Sanpete County, destroying between 25 and 30 structures and forcing evacuations of more than 200 homes. At last word, only the fire was only 4 percent contained.
Roughly 360 permanent structures and more than 200 trailers or sheds are threatened, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Coltharps live in Mt. Pleasant and own 5 acres of land on Baldy Mountain. On Sunday, they couldn’t see the mountain through the thick smoke.
“We had plans of building a cabin up there,” she said, “perhaps living up there.”
It’s half my life up there. I’ve got a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of effort into that place up there.
–- Lynn Warner, resident
But the view from U.S. 89, where officers were turning cars around, wasn’t promising for those who live or own property in the area.
“It sure doesn’t look good to me right now,” said Lynn Warner, of Spanish Fork, who owns 6 acres of land in Oaker Hills.
On Saturday, the Warners were forced to leave their property, where they have trailers, a pavilion, four wheelers and a shed. The family had spent the past three days camping in Oaker Hills.
The Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office ordered mandatory evacuations for several areas, including Oaker Hills, Elk Ridge, Indian Ridge, Indianola, Panorama, Big Hollow and Hideaway Valley.
“The evacuations are because the high winds, the dry vegetation and, at this time, the fire is moving toward the homes,” deputy Eric Zeeman said.
The threatened homes are on the east and west sides of U.S. 89, between the north end of Hill Top and the county line. U.S. 89 was closed most of the day north of Fairview to the county line.
Roughly 360 homes or other permanent structures were threatened, along with about 215 trailers or sheds, according to the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office.
And with no idea how the fire will behave, evacuees can only hope for the best.
“It’s half my life up there,” Warner said. “I’ve got a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of effort into that place up there.”
The American Red Cross opened a shelter for evacuees Sunday afternoon at North Sanpete High School.
“We are prepared to keep the shelter open as long as necessary,” said Maxine Margaritis, CEO of the American Red Cross Utah Region.
As the wind continued to howl Sunday afternoon, one of the big concerns for firefighters was the town of Indianola.
Just before noon, the sheriff’s office ordered evacuations for all residences west of U.S. 89 from Indianola north to the county line. About 2:30 p.m., evacuations that were once voluntary for residents north of Hill Top and east of U.S. 89 became mandatory.
“Flames were up to 100 feet,” said fire information officer Don Carpenter. “This fire was running uphill, and the wind was pushing it down.”
Many of the evacuated homes are second homes, and residents simply went back to their main homes.
“We were sitting on the patio,” said David Christiansen, who owns a home in Oaker Hills. “About 4:30, my sister-in-law looked over to the west and asked, ‘Is that a cloud or is it smoke?’ It was smoke. It got big immediately. It was fairly windy where we were yesterday, about 10 to 20 mph. The fire was coming right at us. The people who lived there started talking to each other. We all agreed we better get ready to go if we had to.”
Red flag conditions were in effect again Sunday, meaning the fire danger would be extreme with high winds, high temperatures, low humidity and dry fuels, Carpenter said.
He said the fire was “probably human caused” and under investigation, but did not have any other information about a possible cause
The fire began at 4:47 p.m. Saturday, east of the town of Fountain Green, and quickly spread over the Cedar Hills to the east, cresting a high ridge above Fairview and the town of Indianola about 8 p.m.
About 64 personnel were assisting with the fire Sunday, Carpenter said, including two ground crews, one helicopter, two fire engines and five bulldozers.
A tanker plane dropped retardant over the area about 8 p.m. Saturday.
Sanpete County has gone without any measurable precipitation for about two months. Many municipalities in the county have been rationing water for lawns.
FEMA has approved a fire management assistance grant to help with the firefighting costs of the Wood Hollow Fire, according to the Utah Division of Emergency Management. Under the grant, FEMA will reimburse agencies 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs.
Contributing: Pat Reavy, Jared Page and Christian Probasco
A massive, out of control wildfire on Lake Mountain prompted evacuations Friday morning and was bearing down on an explosives factory. “It’s close enough to where we’re really worried,” BLM spokeswoman Cami Lee said of the explosives plant. An evacuation of the Benches subdivision in Saratoga Springs has now begun. Officials have begun notifying residents door to door and through reverse 911 telephone calls. The evacuation area is everything south of Pony Express Parkway, east of Smith Ranch Road and east to Redwood Road. The affected subdivisions in Eagle Mountain include Kiowa Valley, Eagle Top, Fremont Springs and SilverLake. Highway 68 also was closed south of 400 North in Saratoga Springs. A shelter is being set up at West Lake High School. Just after 11 a.m. the temperature was already 90 degrees and the wind was blowing at 15 mph with gust up to 19 mph. Authorities were scrambling around 10 a.m. to notify residents of at least 250 homes in Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain that they needed to leave the area. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Teresa Rigby said that a change in wind was driving the Dump Fire east and it had come within a quarter of a mile of a neighborhood. The thick brown smoke was filling the air over much of northern Utah County and drifting east over the valley. An air tanker was flying overhead, visible only occasionally before it disappeared into the smoke. In Saratoga Springs the city’s water department has shut off irrigation wast er to all location where culinary water is being used for irrigation, according to the city’s Facebook page, so water tanks can fill and provide water and water pressure if the fire reaches homes. The city also is asking residents to turn off their irrigation systems this weekend. According to the BLM, the fire was being fought Friday morning by four hand crews, various fire engines, and a handful of helicopters. Additional hand crews were en route.
The fire burning behind Lake George in Park County is now 200 acres, and it is 0% contained. According to a park ranger for the Pike National Forest, the 11 mile canyon has been evacuated. That is between 150 and 200 homes. Everyone else in that area is under pre-evacuation orders. That means they must be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. County road 96 and 92 at Highway 24 are both shut down right now. That fire started around noon on the Indian Paintbrush Ranch. We’ve heard several reports from witnesses who say they saw someone fire shots, and that may have hit a propane tank causing an explosion. But, Park Rangers say they are still investigating what caused this fire. Among the evacuees, about 500 campers with Camp Alexander. They were at 11 mile canyon. The Camp Director tells us they are all safely out of the fire’s reach. Those campers are from all over Colorado, and out of state. They will have to stay the night at Woodland Park High School and/or Middle School. There are more than 40 firefighters fighting this fire, and witnesses say they have also seen drops from helicopters.
25.06.2012
Forest / Wild Fire
USA
State of Colorado, [Fort Collins (Paradise Park) area]
Crews on Saturday battled a fast-moving wildfire in northern Colorado that has scorched about 8,000 acres and prompted several dozen evacuation orders. Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Schulz said the fire was reported just before 6 a.m. Saturday in the mountainous Paradise Park area about 25 miles northwest of Fort Collins. The blaze expanded rapidly during the late afternoon and evening and by Saturday night, residents living along several roads in the region had been ordered to evacuate and many more were warned that they might have to flee. An evacuation center has been set up at a Laporte middle school. Officials didn’t specify how many residents had evacuated but said they had sent out 800 emergency notifications alerting people to the fire and the possibility that might have to flee. “Right now we’re just trying to get these evacuations done and get people safe,” Schulz told Denver-based KMGH-TV, adding that “given the extreme heat in the area, it makes it a difficult time for (the firefighters).” Temperatures near Fort Collins reached the mid-80s Saturday afternoon with a humidity level of between 5 percent and 10 percent. Ten structures have been damaged, although authorities were unsure if they were homes or some other kind of buildings. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire was unknown. Aerial footage from KMGH-TV showed flames coming dangerously close to what appeared to be several outbuildings and at least one home in the area, as well as consuming trees and sending a large plume of smoke into the air. Two heavy air tankers, five single-engine air tankers and four helicopters were on the scene to help fight the blaze, which appeared to be burning on private and U.S. Forest Service land and was being fueled by sustained winds of between 20 and 25 mph. “It was just good conditions to grow,” National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Gimmestad told The Associated Press. “The conditions today were really favorable for it to take off.”
Authorities ordered evacuations Monday for 200 homes north of Helena and a dozen more in a rural community southeast of Whitehall, as scorching heat and strong winds fueled wildfires across western Montana. Gawkers blocked traffic in the Helena Valley and watched helicopters dump buckets of water on the flames burning in the Scratchgravel Hills. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, his sport utility vehicle blocking a turnoff, told a deputy to order the bystanders to leave for their own safety _ the fire was threatening to move toward them. “You can see it right there,” Dutton said, pointing to flames visible from the roadway. “It’s spotting and it’s headed that way.” Dutton said it was not immediately clear what started the fire, how large it was or whether any structures had been damaged, but no injuries have been reported and a mandatory evacuation had been issued for about 200 homes. Fire officials from the city, East Helena and the state responded, and Dutton said he also asked for assistance from the military. Red-flag conditions caused new fires to ignite and existing fires to spread. Temperatures in the region topped 90 degrees, while the humidity was expected to drop below 15 percent, and the wind was expected to blow at 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.
The National Weather Service issued the red-flag warning until 9 p.m. for southwestern Montana, stretching from the Idaho border to north of Helena. Two fires totaling more than 3,100 acres, or nearly 4 square miles, were burning about 30 miles apart from each other after igniting last weekend in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Dozens of firefighters battled the blazes as they faced temperatures that soared into the 90s and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. A fourth wildfire broke out Monday morning east of Norris near the Bear Trap area of the Madison River, forcing state officials to close two river access points. Bureau of Land Management officials closed its land along that corridor in Bear Trap Canyon. “It’s extreme fire behavior for this time of the year,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Hagengruber said. “We’re not anticipating that there will be much of a break in the weather pattern until tomorrow afternoon, and that’s being optimistic.” The Pony Fire in the Tobacco Root Mountains has burned approximately 2,500 acres and was encroaching upon the Mammoth area southeast of Whitehall. Madison County authorities ordered the evacuation of the area as a precautionary measure, Hagengruber said. The evacuation order was issued from near Pony to the Judson Mean Indiana University Research Station near the intersection of South Boulder and Carmichael Creek roads. Residents have been cooperative, with some booking hotel rooms in Whitehall, Hagengruber said.
Madison County Sheriff Dave Schenk did not immediately return a call for comment. The Montana Standard reported the Mammoth area has about a dozen homes. The Pony fire has burned at least one structure near Carmichael Creek and firefighters were working to protect others. Officials were not certain what type of structure was damaged. At least 38 firefighters responded to the blaze burning through sage brush and timber. Two helicopters that had been used to fight the fire were grounded Monday afternoon due to strong wind. The cause of the fire, which began on Sunday, was not known. About 30 miles north of the Pony fire, the Antelope fire had spread to 682 acres Monday after it was reported Saturday. Firefighters were contending with rattlesnakes in responding to the remote fire located in hilly, forested terrain, Hagengruber said. There have been no reports of structures being threatened by that fire, he said. A Type 2 National Incident Command Team from northern Idaho took over management of the two fires Monday afternoon. There were no reliable estimates of the size of the Bear Trap fire burning on BLM land in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness southwest of Bozeman, said Rick Waldrup of the BLM’s Dillon office.
The fire broke out along Bear Trap Canyon Road, where there are several campsites, and it is believed to be human-caused, he said. Jon Grassy of the state Department of Natural Resources and Development said his agency has dispatched two helicopters to drop water on the fire. Ron Aasheim of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said agency officials closed two fishing access sites, Damselfly and Black Ford.
Firefighters battled a wind-driven wildland fire in Lytle Creek Canyon on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The fire was reported at 4:56 p.m. near Sheep Canyon Road, north of the Lytle Creek community, a part of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino National Forest. Two hundred firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, San Bernardino County Fire Department, Cal Fire and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management responded, holding the fire to 12 acres, according to a release from the U.S. Forest Service. The fire burned in heavy chaparral in rocky, steep, terrain and into a Forest Service fuels reduction project, which greatly helped slow the spread of the fire, authorities said. During the height of the firefight, five residences were temporarily evacuated in Happy Jack, a community in Lytle Creek Canyon, and Lytle Creek Road was closed north of Sheep Canyon, firefighters said. Firefighters will be improving fire lines throughout the evening with containment expected at 6 a.m. Monday and full control expected at 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to the news release. The Forest Service said investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze. The San Bernardino National Forest comprises three ranger districts spanning 676,666 acres in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
25.06.2012
Forest / Wild Fire
USA
State of New Mexico, [Community of La Puebla, Santa Fe County ]
Two wildfires broke out in the northern Santa Fe County community of La Puebla on Sunday evening, causing electricity to be cut off to some homes and other residences to be evacuated. The first, called the Rio Vista Fire, began about 6 p.m. with a vehicle that caught fire for unknown reasons at a residence near Rio Vista Run and Santa Fe County Road 88B. The car fire quickly spread to about 3 acres in the bosque on both sides of the Rio Santa Cruz near Camino de Flores, where it reportedly was crowning in cottonwood trees. A state Forestry Division spokesman said residents in a 2-mile radius were being advised to head south and that roadways in the area were expected to be congested. John Wheeler, a public information officer for the Santa Fe County Fire Department, said five residences were evacuated. He said county animal-control officers were removing some dogs from the residences. Fifty firefighters from various jurisdictions responded and “had a good handle” on the Rio Vista Fire by 8:30 p.m., he said. About 8 p.m., however, a second fire, dubbed the Alamo Fire, was reported about two miles away near Calle Alamo, causing most of the firefighters to be shifted to the second site. The Alamo Fire’s origin is unknown, but by 9:30 p.m., it had grown to about 3 acres and was threatening five structures, Wheeler said. “We’re going to have to cut power to a few houses out here,” he said. “It looks like [electric power transmission lines] are going to catch fire.” Wheeler said he didn’t know how many residences would be without power, but he said the outage was likely to last overnight. Hot and dry conditions have made much of New Mexico a tinderbox. Calmer winds Sunday night were helping firefighters contain the La Puebla wildfires, but Wheeler cautioned New Mexicans to be “hypervigilant” of wildfires, at least until the summer rains begin.
BALTIMORE CANYON TO HATTERAS CANYON OUT TO 36N 70W TO 34N 71W
HATTERAS CANYON TO CAPE FEAR OUT TO 34N 71W TO 32N 73W
CAPE FEAR TO 31N OUT TO 32N 73W TO 31N 74W
BISMARCK ND
DODGE CITY KS
SIOUX FALLS SD
GOODLAND KS
SHREVEPORT LA
NORTH PLATTE NE
TULSA OK
HASTINGS NE
RAPID CITY SD
ABERDEEN SD
AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby’s outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states and causing at least one death.
The death in Florida was blamed on a tornado spawned by the storm, while a man went missing in the Gulf of Mexico at an Alabama beach.
Coastal Alabama and parts of Florida, including the Panhandle, were under tropical storm warnings. Underscoring the storm’s unpredictable nature, forecasters discontinued a tropical storm warning for Louisiana after forecast models indicated Debby wasn’t likely to turn west.
Debby already has dumped heavy rain on parts of Florida and spawned some isolated tornadoes, causing damage to homes and knocking down power lines. High winds forced the closure of an interstate bridge that spans Tampa Bay and links St. Petersburg with areas to the southeast. Residents in several counties near the crook of Florida’s elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the threat of flooding.
Debby was essentially stationary about 115 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Fla., on Sunday evening. While storm tracks are difficult to discern days in advance, a forecast map predicted that the storm would meander north as the week unfolds.
Debby’s top sustained winds were at about 60 mph.
6/25/2012 — Tropical Storm ‘ Debby ‘ stalls out off Florida Gulf Coast
Tropical storm “Debby” has stalled off the north coast of Florida — dropping the severe arm that hit Florida today up to the northeast … but the center of the storm remains off the coast in the gulf of mexico.. almost looking like it wants to pull west again.. or at least hang out off the coast as it pulls west but the prevailing winds push NE.
If you live in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and even Mississippi, Louisiana, and south Texas.. be prepared for severe weather the further east you are.. and be aware of the possibility of severe in TX , LA, and MS if this storm starts to pull westward again.
This NOAA satellite image captured Tropical Storm Debby as it was taking shape Saturday afternoon.
The formation of the fourth tropical storm of any Atlantic Hurricane season has never occurred in June — that was until Tropical Storm Debby took shape.
Debby developed at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday about 220 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
While there is more concern about which part of the Gulf Coast Debby will eventually threaten, the formation of Debby means another broken tropical weather record in less than a week.
“Zombie” Chris started the record-breaking week by becoming the earliest storm to be named north of a latitude parallel to the border of Virginia and North Carolina Tuesday afternoon.
Never before since record-keeping began in 1851 has the fourth tropical storm of any Atlantic Hurricane season been detected before July, a feat Debby achieved this year with a week to spare.
The above typical hurricane frequency chart is definitely not being followed this year.
Dennis came close to breaking that record in 2005, reaching tropical storm status in the eastern Caribbean on July 5.
Forming on July 7, Cindy in 1959 holds the distinction of being the second earliest fourth tropical storm in an Atlantic season. Cindy was not given a “D” name due to it being preceded by an unnamed hurricane.
It should be noted that before weather satellites–the first launched in 1960–became an important observation tool to meteorologists, some tropical storms may have gone undetected.
With an inevitable path toward a part of the Gulf Coast, the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center hopes that the system set to become Debby only breaks a record in regards to its early formation and not loss of lives or destruction.
Rain from Debby is reaching some drought-stricken areas of the southeastern United States.
Debby has delivered over a foot of rain to some areas in Florida thus far. Hernando County Airport, located north of Tampa and southwest of Ocala, Fla., has received 12.16 inches of rain as of noon Monday, June 25, 2012, from the storm.
Prior to Debby’s arrival, central and northern Florida drought issues ranged from abnormally dry to extreme drought.
Some rain reached into southwestern Georgia and southeastern Alabama as well. Both areas were experiencing exceptional drought conditions as of late last week.
This Doppler radar image shows estimated rainfall for the 24-hour period ending at noon Monday, June 25, 2012.
As Debby moves slowly to the east-northeast across the Florida Peninsula this week and/or redevelops along the Atlantic coast of Florida, additional rain will fall through the end of the week.
The bulk of the rain from Debby will continue to fall over central and northern Florida moving forward, but there are hopes that additional rain will continue to reach into more of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, in the form of slow-moving, drenching thunderstorms.
The area from the Florida Peninsula to the South mainland is home to many vegetable crops as well as citrus, peanuts and many pasture lands for cattle.
This was the drought status as of June 19, 2012, released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Things are likely to change for the better for much of Florida and neighboring southern Georgia when the new drought status is released later this week.
Unfortunately, rain is not reaching all of the hard-hit drought areas and is bringing way too much rain all at once for drainage systems to handle in some areas.
Thirty homes have been damaged in an apparent tornado in Kestell, in the Free State, the provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs department said on Sunday. “There are 30 households affected in Tlholong township, where houses have been damaged and others ruined,” spokeswoman Senne Bogatsu said in a statement. She blamed the destruction on a tornado, and WeatherSA forecaster Michael Nethavanisaid the storm did appear to have been a tornado. “According to the reports we are getting in, it was a tornado,” he said. “We are still in the dark as to where it happened,” he said, but added that it would have hit somewhere in the eastern part of the province. The extent of the damage, and the total number of people affected, still had to be established by a joint operations centre in the district, said Bogatsu. “A community hall was immediately established as an evacuation centre, however only an elderly couple accepted the offer as other affected families were seemingly catered for by the community,” she said. Five people were taken to hospital. One of them was “seriously affected”. Six households in the Eeram area were also affected by the storm, but Bogatsu did not say how they were affected. Four people were taken to hospital. The joint operations centre was assessing structural damage, establishing basic needs such as food, blankets, counselling, and injuries. It was also removing debris.
Hundreds of British Columbians are away from their homes, others are without clean drinking water and at least one person is dead as a weekend of heavy rain flooded homes and washed away roads in several areas of the province.
Hardest hit is Sicamous, a community of about 3,100 people north of Kelowna, where about 350 people have been ordered to leave their homes due to flooding along the Sicamous and Hummingbird Creeks.
At least one home has been swept away and many more have been damaged, along with dozens of cars after flash floods tore through Sicamous neighbourhoods, between Shuswap and Mara Lakes.
There have been smaller evacuations in other areas, such as in Valemount, just west of the B.C.-Alberta boundary near Jasper, Alta., and residents in a number of communities have been told to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
In the Kootenays, emergency officials say 72-year-old Edward Posnikoff was killed Saturday night after he was swept away along with a bridge over Goose Creek.
The flooding has also made travel through the province difficult or impossible in some areas, as mudslides and floods force closures on the Tr
As a flood watch continues around B.C., residents were urged to “evacuate when emergency officials request it” by minister of justice and attorney general Shirley Bond Saturday. “We understand how difficult it might be for families to leave their homes, but they are only asked to do that when there is an imminent potential safety risk. When an evacuation order is given, it is essential that everyone consider their safety and that of first responders and leave as requested,” Bond said in a statement. “Emergency management officials don’t want to see the forcible removal of anyone from a property – rather, we depend on individuals to heed the advice of public safety professionals, whose decisions and directions are made with the highest regard for the safety of you and your loved ones,” Bond said. Swollen by melting snow and rain, the Fraser River has reached levels not seen for 40 years and has caused flooding from the province’s interior to the Fraser Valley. Early Sunday, Environment Canada said that a slow-moving low pressure system situated off the coast of Oregon state was expected to drop between 10 to 20 mm on the Arrow Lakes, Slocan Lake and East Kootenay regions. It also forecasted potential development of severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds Sunday afternoon.
ans-Canada Highway near Revelstoke and Highway 97A south of Sicamous, and reduce traffic on other routes.
25.06.2012
Flood
Afghanistan
Province of Ghor , [Ghor-wide]
Flood in Afghanistan on Saturday, 23 June, 2012 at 17:39 (05:39 PM) UTC.
Description
Flash floods have swept northern Afghanistan, killing at least 37 people, Afghan and U.N. authorities said Saturday. More than 100 homes, hundreds of hectares (acres) of farmland and farm animals were been destroyed by the floods that followed four or five days of heavy rain in the region. Abdul Hai Khateby, who is the spokesman in Ghor province, said Saturday that 24 people have been killed in four districts, including the provincial capital of Chaghcharan. “Many, many houses have been destroyed, and there are reports of lots of cattle and other animals being killed,” Khateby said. “It is cloudy and we expect more rain.” The provincial spokesman of Badakhshan, Abdul Marouf Rasekh, said 13 people were killed Friday night in Yaftal district and four other districts have been affected. The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said an estimated 135 houses in Badakhshan had been destroyed, forcing residents to flee. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said many of the unpaved, rutted roads in the area have been severely flooded, making aid distribution difficult. Elsewhere, a bomb exploded at a music store on Saturday in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar in the east. Provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said the shopkeeper and one of his customers were killed in the blast and two other people were wounded.
(Reuters) – At least 18 people were killed in eastern Uganda on Monday after a landslide buried several settlements in a coffee-growing area on the slopes of Mount Elgon straddling the Kenyan border, the Uganda Red Cross said.
A local member of parliament, David Wakikona, told Reuters that up to 100 people could have been buried and local media reported that hundreds could be missing. It was not immediately possible to verify these reports.
Red Cross spokeswoman Catherine Ntabadde said: “From the latest reports we have we can only confirm 18 dead but assessment of the devastation around the area is continuing.”
Wakikona said three villages had been flattened in Bumwalukani parish on the slopes of Mount Elgon “and the initial reports I have is that more than 100 have been buried.
“The areas around Bududa district have been experiencing heavy rains for days now,” he said. “I am told the landslides started around midday today and that they’re still going on and some villagers who survived the early slides are fleeing.”
Landslides caused by heavy rains are frequent in eastern Uganda, where at least 23 people were killed last year after mounds of mud buried their homes. Scores of people were buried alive in a similar disaster in March 2010.
The area affected produces coffee in what is the third biggest economy in east Africa.
Stephen Mallinga, Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, said it remained unclear how many people had been killed but confirmed three Bududa villages had been inundated.
“Our response team has already left and we hope to get a clearer picture by tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. We’re also mobilizing relief items like food, tents and water containers.”
The Uganda Red Cross said it had sent a team of volunteers to assess the situation. Local authorities have said there could be about 80 people living in each village.
Ntabadde said nine people had been injured and 15 houses buried in the mudslide, while 29 houses were at risk and needed to be urgently relocated.
Rain has fallen regularly on parts of Uganda over much of the past two months, even though this is usually a dry period between the rainy seasons.
(Additional reporting by Jocelyn Edwards; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
The Village of Kaslo has issued a red alert to residents after a mudslide on Josephine Creek, which empties into Kemp Creek, severely compromised water flows to the main reservoir said Chief Administrative Officer Rae Sawyer Sunday. Fact is the mudslide completely wiped out the main water dam to the village. “It’s completely gone,” Sawyer told The Nelson Daily Sunday night. “The dam on Kemp Creek Kemp Creek is gone and the reservoir is not filling up.” The slide occurred sometime around noon Sunday. A contractor working in the area of the reservoir alerted village officials, which went into damage control. “Right now we’ve switched over to emergency water supplies from the Kaslo River but we’re having a hard time keeping up with the demand,” Sawyer explained. The slide had destroyed the dam, built of concrete and steel, which holds the intake to the main reservoir so no water is draining into the system. “We don’t know yet if we can rebuild the dam at the same site . . . we’re still assessing that,” Sawyer explained. “At this time we’re running on emergency systems from the Kaslo River that drains into a small reservoir in the water treatment plant. “It’s a small reservoir that can’t handle the normal demands of the village and that’s what we’re concerned about.” Sawyer is hopeful residents comply with the village alert to conserve water. “We’re asking residents to simply use extreme water conservation,” Sawyer said. “Restrict water consumption to interior household use and set drinking water aside.” Sawyer said the staff is still assessing the situation and is hopeful a plan will be put into place to fix the problem in a few days.
Family who contracted a mystery illness after a family reunion trip up north. Tonight officials have confirmed at least one person has a case of Legionnaires disease. Twenty-seven family members went to a private resort in Boyne City, but when they came back last week, four had to be hospitalized, and 10 others have become sick or are taking antibiotics. Two of them are on life support at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. One family member is so sick, she remains on a respirator and was diagnosed with Legionnaires. The Saginaw County Health Department worked over the weekend to interview family members in an attempt to piece together any common threads, things like where they ate, where they slept, to figure out exactly where they may have been exposed to the disease. While family members got together Monday to look at pictures of their trip, they say the most common thread is the lodge itself. TV5 called the lodge several times, but were told no one of authority could talk to us. TV5 has chosen not to identify the lodge until further investigation by authorities is completed.
Biohazard name:
Legionnaires disease
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Different technique lifts veils of dust that obscure Centaurus A’s central band
A recent photo of the colossal Centaurus A galaxy pierces through thick clouds of cosmic dust to reveal a clear view of its bright galactic center.
The image was taken by the European Southern Observatory (ESO)’s Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, the world’s most complex collection of ground-based radio telescopes located in the Chilean Andes. To lift the veils of dust that obscure Centaurus A’s central band, astronomers observed the galaxy in longer wavelengths of radiation than optical light.
The photo, which was released on May 31, combines observations from ALMA at around one millimeter, and other views in near-infrared light from the SOFI instrument, which is attached to the ESO New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.
The result is a clear look at the galaxy’s brilliant center, where a supermassive black hole with a mass 100 million times heavier than the sun resides.
Centaurus A is a sprawling elliptical galaxy that emits strong radio waves, and is the nearest and most prominent radio galaxy in the sky. The galaxy is located about 12 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur).
Centaurus A has been an intriguing target for astronomers, who have observed the massive galaxy using different telescopes at a variety of wavelengths. In visible light, Centaurus A’s characteristic dark central band obscures many features at its heart. This prominent lane of gas and dust is also a hotbed of young stars.
In the new photo, measurements from ALMA appear as shades of green, yellow and orange. These views map the position and motion of Centaurus A’s clouds of gas, and they are among the sharpest and most sensitive observations of these features ever made, ESO officials said.
ALMA was used to detect signals emitted by molecules of carbon monoxide gas at wavelengths around 1.3 millimeters. The motion of the gas in the galaxy causes slight changes to this wavelength, which can be seen in the slight changes of color in the image.
Gas moving toward us appears green, while the orange colors show gas moving away. Since gas to the left of the center is moving toward us, and gas to the right of the center is moving away, these clouds appear to be orbiting around the galaxy.
The image was created by overlaying ALMA’s observations on a near-infrared image of Centaurus A from the New Technology Telescope’s SOFI instrument.
ALMA is a complex of 40-foot (12-meter) radio telescopes sitting at an elevation of 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) on the Chajnantor plateau in northern Chile. These individual antennas each pick up light in the millimeter/submillimeter range — about 1,000 times longer than visible-light wavelengths.
ALMA’s early science phase began in 2011 with 19 individual telescopes, but construction on the $1.3 billion project will be complete in 2013, when all 66 high-precision antennas will be fully operational, ESO officials said.
Meteor reports of the latest worldwide meteors, fireballs and bolides worldwide. Report a Meteor/fireball/bolide worldwide and join the worldwide community of nightsky meteor fireball and bolide reporters and watchers. Owner LunarMeteorite*Hunter, Dirk Ross, Tokyo, Japan. All Rights Reserved – Copy allowed with link citation ONLY http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/ .
A cattle ranch in Elgin, Texas., where 15 head succumbed to death by cyanide poisoning after eating genetically-modified grass. (KEYE)
(CBS News) ELGIN, Texas – A mysterious mass death of a herd of cattle has prompted a federal investigation in Central Texas.
Preliminary test results are blaming the deaths on the grass the cows were eating when they got sick, reports CBS Station KEYE.
The cows dropped dead several weeks ago on an 80-acre ranch owned by Jerry Abel in Elgin, just east of Austin.
Abel says he’s been using the fields for cattle grazing and hay for 15 years. “A lot of leaf, it’s good grass, tested high for protein – it should have been perfect,” he told KEYE correspondent Lisa Leigh Kelly.
The grass is a genetically-modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel’s 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.
“When we opened that gate to that fresh grass, they were all very anxious to get to that,” said Abel.
Three weeks ago, the cattle had just been turned out to enjoy the fresh grass, when something went terribly wrong.
“When our trainer first heard the bellowing, he thought our pregnant heifer may be having a calf or something,” said Abel. “But when he got down here, virtually all of the steers and heifers were on the ground. Some were already dead, and the others were already in convulsions.”
Within hours, 15 of the 18 cattle were dead.
“That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying,” said Abel.
Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.
“Coming off the drought that we had the last two years … we’re concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this,” Dr. Gary Warner, an Elgin veterinarian and cattle specialist who conducted the 15 necropsies, told Kelly.
What is more worrisome: Other farmers have tested their Tifton 85 grass, and several in Bastrop County have found their fields are also toxic with cyanide. However, no other cattle have died.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are dissecting the grass to determine if there might have been some strange, unexpected mutation.
Until it can be determined why this grass suddenly began producing cyanide, Abel is keep his livestock far away.
A mysterious mass death of a herd of cattle has prompted a federal investigation in Central Texas.Preliminary test results are blaming the deaths on the grass the cows were eating when they got sick.The cows dropped dead several weeks ago on a ranch in Elgin, just east of Austin.Jerry Abel opens the gate on his 80-acre ranch in Elgin, walking on a field of grass he’s been using for cattle grazing and hay for 15 years.”This is it, a lot of leaf, it’s good, grass, tested high for protein – it should have been perfect,” said Abel.The grass is a genetically modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel’s 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.”When we opened that gate to that fresh grass, they were all very anxious to get to that,” said Abel.Three weeks ago, the cattle had just been turned out to enjoy the fresh grass, when something went terribly wrong.”When our trainer first heard the bellowing, he thought our pregnant heifer may be having a calf or something,” said Abel. “But when he got down here, virtually all of the steers and heifers were on the ground. Some were already dead, and the others were already in convulsions.”
Within hours, 15 of the 18 cattle were dead.”That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying,” said Abel.Dr. Gary Warner, an Elgin veterinarian who specializes in cattle, conducted the 15 necropsy. Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.”Coming off the drought that we had the last two years, we’re concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this,” said Warner. “The problem is, we don’t know, and there needs to be some caution exercised until we know more about the situation.”Until scientists can determine why this tried and true grass suddenly began producing cyanide, Abel is keep his livestock far away.”The grasshoppers are enjoying it now,” said Abel.What is even more worrisome – other farmers have tested their Tifton 85 grass, and several in Bastrop County have found their fields are also toxic with cyanide, although no other cattle have died.Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are dissecting the grass to determine if there might have been some strange, unexpected mutation. http://www.weareaustin.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_2393.shtml
Reports that GMO grass suddenly started producing cyanide and killed almost an entire herd of cattle in Texas are only partially true. CBS News reported June 23, 2012 that rancher Jerry Abel of Elgin, near Austin, Texas had been growing Tifton 85, a GMO version of Bermuda grass, for 15 years when the grass suddenly started emitting poisonous cyanide. However, Tifton 85 is not GMO grass, but a hybrid.
According to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service, Tifton 85 is a hybrid between an African Bermuda grass and Tifton 68, a different hybrid produced in Tifton, Georgia(*). Tifton 85 is highly digestible and has good protein content, something that first drew Mr. Abel to the grass. Hybridization has been practiced by farmers as long as plants have been grown, and is not the same as GMO at all. (Story continues below.)
According to local station KEYE, Abel first knew something was wrong when the cows started bellowing. He thought he was about to witness a calving but instead saw his unfortunate animals staggering around, obviously dying. Others in the area have also since tested their grass and found the same results—the grass has started venting cyanide.
True: Cattle died after eating grass that suddenly started venting cyanide [Update: the animals died of prussic acid or hydrogen cyanide poisoning.]
False: The grass was genetically modified
Texas is starting to recover from a long drought and this may be a factor in the sudden self-poisoning of the grass. The USDA has dispatched scientists to find out what went wrong.
According to the Animal Health Library, Bermuda grass is high in hydrocyanic acid, which may be concentrated during times of drought. Those fighting the GMO food good fight will need to find another cause, because the only thing in this story that’s been genetically modified are the facts.
Update June 24, 2012 at 6:49 p.m.:
Dr. Larry Redmon of the Texas AgriLife Extension has confirmed, by way of this blog post, that the animals in question died of prussic acid poisoning–prussic acid is also known as hydrogen cyanide (HCN).
One of these, Tifton 68, is a stargrass, a species that has potential for generating HCN, but hasn’t apparently done so since the time the University of Florida starting using it for grazing in Ona, Florida in 1972.
Several factors resulted in the cattle dying, including abnormal growth patterns after drought and the fact that stressed and hungry cattle were released straight into a pasture previously ungrazed. The most significant remains that Tifton 85 can and does produce HCN–something not previously known.
Facts confirming the status of Tifton 85 as a hybrid, not a GMO, can be found at the links below. For those with cattle grazing Tifton 85, Dr. Redmon offers several tips.
Authorities say a central Florida woman was hospitalized and her dogs died after they were attacked by a swarm of bees. Martin County Fire Rescue reports the woman was going for a walk Monday morning when she was attacked near a vacant lot. Nearby lawn workers tried to help the woman. Fire rescue crews responded and took the woman to a nearby hospital. Officials say one of the dogs died at the scene, white the other died at a veterinary clinic. Officials say both dogs were pugs. The woman’s name wasn’t immediately released, and it wasn’t clear what her condition was. Insect experts weren’t sure how many bees attacked the woman and her pets, only guessing the number was in the thousands.
Biohazard name:
Bees attack
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Thousands of fish have died in the Gomti river, with officials clueless about the cause. A probe has been ordered. Jal Nigam officials here said they were in the dark about the possible cause of the fish deaths. The dead fish were first spotted Sunday by morning walkers and others who use the river bank at Tuliyaghat. On hearing the news, fishermen jumped into the river with their nets to gather the fish. Till late evening officials of the Jal Nigam’s Gomti Pollution Unit had no information about the ecological tragedy. “If true, the matter is serious and a thorough probe would be ordered into the death of the fishes” said Rajendra Kumar, chief engineer of the unit. Environmentalists say that in the past few days, the water level of the river has gone down considerably, leading to oxygen scarcity. Officials said they periodically checked the oxygen levels in the river, which invariably record 5-6 milligrams per litre, that is considered safe. Fish die if the oxygen level slips below 3 mg per litre. There has been some talk here in recent weeks of water being released into the river from the Sharda canal. Also environmentalists report a lot of silt in the Gomti forcing fish to come up, where oxygen levels are low and pollution very high. IANS learns that the Jal Nigam’s work of dredging the river for silt is pending for quite awhile.
Biohazard name:
Mass Die-off (Fish)
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
The mysterious death of 22 green turtles, a protected species, is puzzling experts in North Queensland. The experts have not ruled out poisoning and even drowning as a cause. The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is investigating the deaths of the turtles found at Wunjunga Beach, about 100 kilometres south of Townsville. The department’s director of threatened species, Wolf Sievers, said the vulnerable animals have been washing up on the beach for over a week. “It is very unusual for this many turtles to have stranded on one beach and we will be making every effort to establish what may have happened,” Mr Sievers said. Senior turtle expert Dr Ian Bell said that initial investigations found no injuries, no obvious signs of malnutrition or illness. “It’s a bit like turtle CSI, it’s all about ruling out possible alternatives,” Dr Bell said. “We’re ruling out starvation. It doesn’t look like it’s any infectious type of disease, and it leaves us with two possibilities. “One is potential poisoning, and we’re also looking at the possibility of a drowning. “At this stage we really don’t know.” The department hopes they will be able to establish the causes of death after performing further necropsies. The entire Great Barrier Reef is an important feeding area for green turtles, which are classified as a vulnerable species nationally under legislation. All of the green turtles, except one, have been large adult female green turtles. Adults have a shell length of about 1m and average about 130 kg, although some nesting females can weigh more than 180 kg. A loss of just one breeding size individual can have an impact on the species.
Biohazard name:
Mass Die-off (turtles)
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:
confirmed
25.06.2012
Biological Hazard
Thailand
Province of Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai [Chedi Luang Worawihan temple]
Swarms of bees attacked a group of novice monks at a Buddhist temple in northern Thailand, causing 76 of them to be hospitalised, reports said on Sunday. Naren Chotirosnimitr, director of Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying 19 of the 53 monks admitted to hospital were in serious condition. He said six of the monks arrived at the hospital in a coma, with their blood pressure at a dangerously low level. Naren said bee attacks can be fatal if patients sustain multiple stings and are allergic. Sting victims typically experience nausea, difficulty in breathing and skin rash. In serious cases blood pressure drops sharply. The monks were sweeping the grounds of the Chedi Luang Worwiharn temple in Chiang Mai province, 600km north of Bangkok, when the bees attacked. Abbot Phra Ratcha Jetyajarn said he had no idea why the bees attacked. He said the temple would continue to keep bee hives on the grounds but will warn visitors to keep their distance.
Biohazard name:
Bees attack
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
At least 30 people in Georgia have contracted anthrax this year, prompting authorities to step up safety measures, medical officials said Friday. Georgia’s Center for Infectious Diseases said that by year’s end the ex-Soviet nation is expected to roughly match last year’s total of 59 cases. That would represent a marked increase from the 28 anthrax cases the Caucasus Mountains country had in 2010. Naira Gogebashvili, a leading expert of a Tbilisi clinic treating infectious diseases, said some of the patients contracted anthrax due to violations of safety procedures regarding the burial of sick animals. “They should be buried in specially allocated ground, not in accidental places as it often happens,” she said. One of the hospital’s patients, Alexei Alaichev, a 58-year-old resident of the town of Tsalka in southern Georgia, contracted anthrax while cultivating a potato field. “I rubbed my hand and after several hours I saw that it’s covered with sores,” he said. “It turned out that a cow that died of anthrax was buried nearby. They conducted a check and found out it was buried not deeply enough.” Most of the cases this year have been registered in eastern Georgia near the border with Azerbaijan, but the infection has spread to other regions as well. Dzhemal Kaldani, 49, a resident of the village of Lemshveniera in the Gardaban region that borders Azerbaijan, said he got sick after helping a neighbor to cut a dead cow. “We had no idea that the cow had anthrax,” he said, showing his arms still covered with sores. Kaldani said that authorities quickly vaccinated all cows in the region following several anthrax cases.
Biohazard name:
Anthrax
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Delicate, shining threads of white seem alienlike against the darkness of space in a new image of a type of “night-shining” or noctilucent cloud taken from the International Space Station (ISS) and released today (June 25).
More specifically, these polar mesospheric clouds (a type of noctilucent cloud) were hovering above the Tibetan Plateau on June 13 when the photo was snapped from the ISS. The lower layers of the atmosphere are also illuminated in the new image, captured by the Expedition 31 crew, with the lowest layer, called the stratosphere, shown in dim orange and red tones near the horizon.
Polar mesospheric clouds are most visible during the respective late spring and early summer in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Astronauts frequently get views of these clouds over Canada, northern Europe and Asia during the summer, according to NASA. However, observations of these same clouds in the Southern Hemisphere are less frequent.
Normally too faint to be seen, noctilucent clouds are only visible when illuminated by the sun from just below the horizon, while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in Earth’s shadow. The strange clouds form between 47 and 53 miles (76 and 85 kilometers) above Earth’s surface where sufficient water vapor is available. But clouds also need something for these water molecules to stick to, like dust. As the water gathers onto these dust or other particles it forms droplets or ice crystals.
How noctilucent clouds get their dust particles, and thus exactly how they form, is still debated. Possible contributors include dust from meteors, global warming and rocket exhaust. However, it’s tricky to get wind-blown dust into the mesosphere where polar mesospheric clouds form. As such, scientists also speculate noctilucent clouds get their dust from outer space, as some tiny particles from meteoroids remain aloft in the atmosphere.
Recent research has suggested changes in the composition of gases in the atmosphere or temperature has caused these clouds to get brighter.
Some of you may know that in August I’m speaking at the Weird Weekend on the Flying Snake of Namibia. The other day I came across a report from the Namibian (newspaper’s) web site, dated April 3rd 2012
Under the headline ‘ Strange Serpents’ plague Tubuses, a town in Namibia. This is the story, by Adam Hartman:
Since December last year, Erongo’s Tubuses settlement, north of Usakos near the foot of the Erongo Mountains,(1) has apparently been plagued by hundreds of ‘large strange snakes’.
Speculation is rife, but one particular version has it that some residents claim that they saw a helicopter flying low over the area before the New Year- soon after which there was a sharp increase in the snake population. According to one resident, the snakes are not the usual kinds (like pythons, puff adders, whip snakes and mambas) found in the area. The ‘new’ snakes were also larger and more dangerous. “Instead of staying in the bush, these snakes are coming into the houses as if the houses belong to them” said David Nuseb. One story has it that a toddler was apparently sitting on the couch watching television, when a large serpent entered the living room and made its way to the TV where it started ‘fighting’ with the images on the screen. The child called his parents, the snake was cornered and killed Nuseb said.
There is agreement among the community that there is usually an increase of snakes after a good rainy season, like that of last year, but then the snakes apparently stay in the bush, away from people. Another member of the community, Isak Naweseb said that scores of them have been killed by people over the past few months, or by vehicles driving over them on the roads. ” Just this past weekend, when a relative of mine went to a funeral nearby, he said that he drove over three large snakes,” said Naweseb.(While he was speaking to the newspaper, another resident of the area, a certain Yvonne, sent a sms to this reporter’s mobile claiming that a snake was in the generator room at the water pump.)
Mobile images of some of the dead snakes were given to The Namibian. The images are of poor quality, but a comparison to the snakes kept at the Swakopmund Snake Park did not shed much light except – considering the colours – that some of those photographed could have been Angolan or Mozambican cobras and mambas. Some of the snakes are found in that area, while others not. One argument is that the snakes could have been washed down river from another region. “Sometimes large snakes are found in Swakopmund, especially after the Swakop River has flooded. The river brings the snakes downstream from the interior. Maybe this was what had happened, an official at the snake park explained.
The owner of the Snake Park, and author of books regarding reptiles of the Namib, Stuart Hebbert, said that nothing is “impossible” anymore, but there were definitely things that were “improbable”. The story of the helicopter is improbable. Helicopters are very expensive, and it would be much easier to transport snakes by car. And why would someone drop snakes from a helicopter? he asked. Hebbert said that he did not want to shrug off the community’s stories as fables, but admitted he was a sceptic.” I’ve heard many snake stories, and once a story gets off the ground it spreads like wildfire, and with that the snakes become more in number, bigger and more dangerous” , he said. He said that the idea of good rains bringing more rodents into the area, attracting more snakes, was more probable.(2)
1. Central Namibia. 2. The Namibian April 3rd 2012 http://www.namibian.com accessed June 11th 2012
Residents of the village of Litky near Kiev in Ukraine have noticed mass deaths of horses and cows from snake bites. Until now, vipers weren’t seen in this area. Villagers claim that the snakes were thrown on the pasture from a helicopter. However, a local veterinarian, Dmitry Panchenko, calls this mere legend.
All the corpses of the fallen animals were examined by a veterinary commission of Brovary. However, in the laboratory, it wasn’t possible to determine the nature of the poison that killed the animals. Cattle was tested only for anthrax and salmonellosis.
Anti snake venom serum that could save the animals also wasn’t found in the area. Veterinarians say it is no longer available in Ukraine.
The vet advised that the cattle be grazed in strictly limited areas only, but the villagers, although afraid of snakes, still drive the cows to pasture.
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Deputy PM denies Kremlin cover-up of multi-millions in offshore deals
The Russian Prosecutor’s Office has denied that the earnings of deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov are related to his job in government. The accusations came from several international business dailies that disclosed details of multi-million-dollar transactions involving Shuvalov. They said Shuvalov’s offshore company, registered in his wife’s name, has earned millions investing in the projects of Russia’s most powerful enterprises, among them Gazprom, during the last twelve years – while he has been a deputy prime minister. Journalists believe that it was Shuvalov’s post that allowed him access to the best possible deals…..
Open mic catches Obama asking Russian president for space on missile defense head
Posted by: CNN White House Correspondent Brianna Keilar In a private conversation about the planned U.S.-led NATO missile defense system in Europe, President Obama asked outgoing Russian President Dmitri Medvedev for space on the issue. “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space,” Obama told Medvedev. “Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space,” Medvedev replied. “This is my last election,” Obama said. “After my election I have more flexibility.” “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” Medvedev said, referring to incoming President Vladimir Putin……
Children ‘forced to shout Long Live Sarkozy!’ when French president visited their school
By Peter Allen The French president has caused an outcry after dozens of infant school children were forced to chant ‘Long Live Sarkozy!’ when he visited their school. Parents complained about the youngsters being used as ‘propaganda tools’ after they were made to treat Nicolas Sarkozy as a hero, waving Tricolour flags and constantly shouting his name. Some were even kissed by Mr Sarkozy, who is hugely unpopular and widely expected to lose the presidential election being held in France in the Spring…..
38 House Members Filtered Government Money to Relatives and Their Employers
Nearly 40 members of the House of Representatives earmarked $150 million to organizations affiliated with themselves and their family members from 2008 to 2010, according to a government watchdog organization. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported that although 24 of the earmarkers were Democrats and only 14 Republicans, the top five representatives who earmarked to organizations affiliated with them or their family members were all Republicans: Kay Granger (R-Texas) earmarked $28.3 million to her son’s project. J.D. Granger is the executive director of the Trinity River Vision Authority. Jerry Lewis (R-California) who earmarked a combined $25.5 million to three relatives’ organizations. Bill Young (R-Florida) earmarked a combined $16.6 million to two sons’ employers. In 2008 he herded $4.4 million to defense contractor SAIC’s facility in St. Petersburg, Florida, where son Patrick is a security administrator. Another $8.5 million went to the National Forensic Science Technology Center, where son Billy is a senior consultant. John Mica (R-Florida) earmarked $13 million to his daughter’s client. Mica has five relatives who work as lobbyists, two brothers, a son and a nephew. His daughter, D’Anne, ran a public relations firm whose client, the Central Commuter Rail, received the $13 million. Michael Simpson (R-Idaho) earmarked $12.5 million to his wife’s employer, the Idaho National Laboratory…….
A British company has announced it has struck oil in Kenya for the first time, beating rivals including China in the race to strike crude. President Mwai Kibaki said it was “the first time Kenya has made such a discovery” and called it a “major breakthrough”. Tullow Oil dug more than 3,000ft into the sand and rock of the country’s northern Turkana region, hitting viable “light crude” samples that suggest Kenya’s oil is of a similar geological provenance as Uganda’s. That country found large deposits, also identified first by Tullow, in 2006 and is expected to begin refining and exports soon. The discovery in Kenya follows more than a decade of exploration across the inhospitable north stretching from the Somali border in the east to the lands around Lake Turkana in the west, where some of the oldest bones of early hominids were found. British, Chinese, Italian and French companies are understood to have been in the race to strike crude first. Tullow Oil was the most recent operator to join the search…..
US approves $1.3 billion in military aid to Egyptian military dictatorship By Madison Ruppert So much for revolution, and so much for the United States being absolutely and completely broke. Since I wrote the article “Egypt: what revolution?” in July of last year, very little progress has been made. United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the United States will be giving military aid to Egypt even though there are “concerns that Cairo was not meeting goals in its democratic transition,” according to Azerbaijan’s Trend News Agency. I believe that this is a bit of an understatement, seeing as the democratic transition has yet to occur and, like Libya, the people of Egypt are in many ways worse off than they were before. Instead of addressing the fact that Egypt is being ruled by a military dictatorship, Clinton waived all of the conditions placed by Congress on the $1.3 billion in aid…..
A can is seen coated with oil that washed ashore from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in Waveland, Mississippi (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP) The infamous oil spoil which gushed for 86 days in the Gulf of Mexico continues to have a rippling effect on the ecosystem. The spill caused by the London based oil giant British Petroleum, is responsible for the deaths of 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which was approximately 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, and is now being blamed by scientist for the slow death of a brightly colored deep-sea coral community. The laboratory reports which have taken several months have resulted in scientist pointing the finger at one of the most catastrophic oil spills in history. The brown and dull coral which has been left in a state of ruin continues to sway in the gulf which had more than 70,000 barrels of oil pouring into it per day……
Green Climate Fund Wants Immunity from Any Kind of Prosecution
Activist Post
Fox News is reporting that the Green Climate Fund, created by the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is seeking full diplomatic immunity from “any kind of legal process, including civil and criminal prosecution, in the countries where it operates.” The U.N. enacted the legal framework for the private-public fund at the Copenhagen Accord in 2009, but it was ratified last year during COP-17 in Durban, South Africa. The fund, controlled by a 24-nation board of trustees, received $30 billion in start-up money from U.N. member nations. The function of the Green Climate Fund is to be the facilitator of money between countries. According to Wikipedia they will act “as a mechanism to transfer money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.” In other words, they are the group that decides where the money gets distributed. Clearly an outfit like this handling such large sums of money would be ripe for corruption. And perhaps that’s why they seek this broad immunity before the wealth transfers begin in earnest. Why else would any organization request immunity if they weren’t anticipating injustices in the actions they take? Their stated objective is to mobilize $100 billion in annual funds. They admit, however, that there’s “a lot of uncertainty where this money would have to come from.” Yet, they have outlined several potential sources of funding that further blends an already dubious relationship between governance and big business….
US needs Assange under arrest ‘while seeking Manning link’ Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, faces an uncertain future. Pr. Marcello Ferrada-Noli told RT why he thinks it’s convenient for the US to have Assange under arrest in Sweden. Even considering the particularities of the Swedish legal system, there is the possibility of questioning Assange by various means, by phone, for instance, noted Ferrada-Noli, a Senior Advisor at Stockholm University. But, he added, there is a political reason why Assange is kept under arrest – and why several players are falling into place to let America get its hands on WikiLeaks’ founder. “In the US, the preparations for the trial [over Assange] are seeking a connection between WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning, trying to make Assange accountable. For that they need time, they need to prepare this material. For that, of course, it’s highly convenient to keep him under arrest.” The professor also mentions the biased image of Assange the media has been carefully drawing.
New Whistleblower Emerges at JPMorgan Chase.
Posted By: Lion [Send E-Mail]
Date: Monday, 26-Mar-2012 07:54:05
——————
Source: Alcin Bramerton http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/
New whistleblower emerges at JPMorgan Chase.
JPMC actively involved in manipulation of LIBOR and precious metals futures.
JPMC hid client assets from MF Global. Greece holds hidden derivatives in excess of $1 trillion to which JPMC is a substantial counterparty.
Cascading global credit event imminent.
The following letter was originally posted on the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission website in the public comments section.
Bakers Green Acres vs. Michigan DNR – Family Farm Under Attack
Uploaded by Kyle Miron on Mar 21, 2012 A family farm in rural Michigan may be shut down by a Government Entity who has passed a law stating that the breed of hogs they are raising are a threat to neighboring croplands. In truth, the Big Pork Industry has been planning this campaign to take down all family farms with hopes to eventually siege complete control of the American Food Supply. This short-film was created with hopes to inspire the public to take action. The Baker Family website is http://www.bakersgreenacres.com and their battle has just begun. Please join in their fight.
Tokyo Soil – Blanketed With Fukushima Radiation – Would Be Considered “Radioactive Waste” In the United States
Tokyo Slammed with Radiation We noted in August that some parts of Tokyo have more radiation than existed in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zones. And see this and this. There are indications that radiation levels are increasing in Tokyo. Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen took 5 random soil samples in Tokyo recently, and found that all 5 were so radioactive that they would be considered radioactive waste in the United States, which would have to be specially disposed of at a facility in Texas: ……
WESTERN PSY-OPS AGAINST SYRIA: When Mrs Assad’s “Shopping” Becomes a “Crime Against Humanity”
by Finian Cunningham
Michelle Obama, the fashion style icon wife of US President Obama, is to have travel sanctions imposed on her by member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, including Russia, China and SCO associate state Iran. Mrs Obama’s annual six-figure budget for designer clothes and accessories is seen as an affront to moral decency at a time when her husband is overseeing foreign wars of aggression, mass murder in several territories using aerial drones, and ordering the assassination of individuals such as nuclear scientists in Iran. The equally fashionista-conscious wives of British and French premiers, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy, are also reportedly lined up for sanctions in several Middle East and Central Asian countries owing to these leaders supporting the illegal and murderous US-led NATO bombing campaign on Libya. By now, the reader will have spotted the above “report” to be a spoof. However, when it comes to the real world, the European Union is applying such unprecedented measures against the wife of Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad. “EU slaps Sanctions on Assad’s Wife,” read several newspaper headlines after Europe’s foreign ministers banned British born Asma Assad from traveling to EU states, and ordered the freezing of her personal assets. Describing the 36-year-old Syrian First Lady as stylish, glamorous, even sexy, the combined lurid portrayal was aimed at presenting Mrs Assad as an insensitive bimbo in the face of her country’s ongoing violence and misery….. http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29993 The CIA’s War On Human Consciousness The T.V. Kills Your Brain With The CIA’s Mass Mind Control Gun. “From 1950 to 1962, the C.I.A. ran a massive research project, a veritable Manhattan Project of the mind, spending over $1 billion a year to crack the code of human consciousness, from both mass persuasion and the use of coercion in individual interrogation.” – Professor Alfred McCoy, author of “A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror.” This quote is from Prof. McCoy’s interview with Democracy Now on February 17, 2006. “Our brain is domineering when it comes to coping with reality. We sometimes see things not as they really are, sometimes invent categories that do not exist and sometimes fail to see things that are really there. There are people who have never seen or heard of an aircraft and will not be able to imagine it and a real airplane overhead will be distorted in their minds, creating alternative realities. To recognize that what we call reality is only a consensus reality (only what we have agreed to call reality) is to recognize that we can perceive only what we can conceive. Captain Cook’s ship was invisible to the Tahitians because they could not conceive of such a vessel. Joseph Pearce explains this best: “Man’s mind mirrors a universe that mirrors man’s mind.”” – Bharati Sarkar, “Consciousness – Our third eye.” “Remember: those who are at the top of the heap will always take whatever steps are necessary to maintain the status quo. It is obvious that they cannot completely control the propagation of the information……
Black Panther who posted bounty for Martin’s killer arrested
The New Black Panther Party member behind the call for vigilante justice against Trayvon Martin’s killer has been arrested. On Monday Hashim Nzinga was imprisoned for an unrelated weapons charge. According to a Dekalb County Sheriff’s arrest warrant, Nzinga had a FN Herstal 5.7 x 28 handgun which was pawned. Over the weekend Nzinga announced to the media that anyone who was able to capture Zimmerman, “dead or alive” would be handed a reward of $10,000. The New Black Panther Party’s campaign to track and hunt down Martin’s killer was widely promoted with flyers and press conferences all across Sanford, Florida, the location of the black teen’s death. The radical group’s national chief of staff was arrested during a visit to a probation office by his probation officer….. http://rt.com/usa/news/arrest-panther-zimmerman-new-688/ Citing Potential “Hate,” Feds and Race Profiteers Descend on Florida As race-hatred profiteers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson whip up a frenzy of hysteria over a hypothetical racial element to the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida last month, the Obama administration’s Justice Department is reportedly investigating whether or not shooter George Zimmerman can be federally prosecuted for a “hate crime.” And experts fear the situation is spiraling quickly out of control. Some observers are even worried a “race war” may erupt as a group of racist blacks — the New Black Panther Party — offered a “bounty” for the “capture” of Zimmerman, who has not been charged with a crime. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” said New Black Panther leader Mikhail Muhammad during a rally in Florida, leading a group of followers chanting “black power.” “It’s time for us, as black men, to take justice in our own hands. If you won’t give us justice, we will have to take justice,” Muhammad told the crowd. “An eye for an eye. A life for a life.” Local officials and law enforcement condemned the incitement to violence and warned that “vigilante justice” could result in criminal charges. But the anti-Semitic black supremacist group has repeatedly called for violence against whites, Jews, and law enforcement. And during the 2008 election, members of the party were caught on film carrying weapons and intimidating voters at polling places….. Post Pic here http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/11310-citing-potential-hate-feds-and-race-profiteers-descend-on-florida 14 defining characteristics of fascism: The U.S. in 2012 Gregory Patin BlacklistedNews.com When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross. — Sinclair Lewis, It Can’t Happen Here. (1935) In the spring of 2003, ex-corporate executive and political scientist Lawrence W. Britt published an essay in Free Inquiry magazine entitled “Fascism Anyone?” In his work, Britt examined the traits of the two governments that formed the original historical model for fascism, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and five other protofascist regimes that imitated that model, Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal, Papadopoulos’s Greece, Pinochet’s Chile, and Suharto’s Indonesia. He identified 14 characteristics that were common to all of them. These traits have since been widely accepted as the 14 defining characteristics of fascism. Nearly three generations removed from the horrors of Nazi Germany, all of these regimes have been overthrown, but fascism’s principles can still be found in many nations. History tends to repeat itself because many leaders and nations fail to learn from history, or they draw the wrong conclusions. Sadly, historical amnesia is the norm in the world today….. http://www.blacklistednews.com/14_defining_characteristics_of_fascism%3A_The_U.S._in_2012/18642/0/0/0/Y/M.html TSA bars security guru from perv scanner testimony Last minute excuse blocks Bruce Schneier By Iain Thomson in San Francisco • Get more from this author Posted in Security, 26th March 2012 21:03 GMT Security expert Bruce Schneier was been banned at the last minute from testifying in front of congress on the efficacy – or otherwise – of the US Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) much-maligned perv scanners. Schneier is a long-time critic of the TSA’s policies for screening travelers, and was formally invited to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearings. However, the TSA objected to his presence because he is currently involved in a legal case over the use of said scanners in US airports. “I was looking forward to sitting next to a TSA person and challenging some of their statements. That would have been interesting,” Schneier told The Register. “The request to appear came from the committee itself, because they’d been reading my stuff on this and thought it would be interesting.”….. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/26/tsa_schneier_congress_block/ THE PENTAGON’S SECRET NUCLEAR AGENDA: “Privatizing Nuclear War” By Sherwood Ross BlacklistedNews.com U.S. corporations that reap billions from making nuclear weapons have “a direct voice” as to “their use and deployment,” according to professor Michel Chossudovsky in a recently released book. What’s more, he says, if nuclear weapons are integrated with conventional armaments, a decision to use nuclear weapons could be made by battlefield generals. On August 6, 2003, on Hiroshima Day, (August 6 1945), a secret meeting was held at U.S. Strategic Command headquarters at the Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb., that brought together more than 150 “senior executives from the nuclear industry and military-industrial complex,” writes Michel Chossudovsky, Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) in Montreal. “This mingling of defense contractors, scientists and policy-makers was not intended to commemorate Hiroshima”. According to a leaked draft of the agenda, the secret session included discussions on “mini-nukes” and “bunker-buster” bombs with nuclear warheads “for possible use against rogue states,” Chossudovsky writes in his new book, ” The meeting was intended to set the stage for the creation of a new generation of “smaller,” “safer,” and “more usable” nukes for use, in America’s 21st Century “in-theater nuclear wars”, Chossudovsky writes. No members of Congress representing the public were in attendance. Barely a week prior to this meeting, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) disbanded the advisory committee that had “independent oversight” over the U.S. nuclear arsenal, including the testing and/or use of new nuclear devices…..
Dominique Strauss-Kahn charged in French prostitution case
Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn faced preliminary charges Monday of aggravated pimping, or illegal procurement of prostitutes, in France.
Strauss-Kahn was summoned for eight hours of questioning Monday by French judges investigating an illegal prostitution ring operating out of the northern French city of Lille. The former IMF chief was notified that he was being placed under formal investigation, but allowed to leave after paying 100,000 Euros in bail, and agreeing not to talk to others being investigated in the case, or travel without consulting a judge, the Associated Press reported.
French prosecutors in Lille have been investigating an illegal prostitution ring that is alleged to have brought prostitutes from Belgium to luxury hotels in France and to parties in Washington, D.C., and New York attended by VIP clients, France’s Radio France International reported in October. Eight people have been charged in the case so far, including a police officer in Lille and three directors with the city’s Carlton Hotel, the New York Times reported………
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An MF Global executive, who has emerged as a central figure in the desperate shifting of funds before the brokerage’s collapse, refused to answer questions on Wednesday, frustrating lawmakers probing why more than $1 billion in customer money is missing.
Assistant Treasurer Edith O’Brien and other mid-level MF Global (MFGLQ.PK) executives, people who had operational control over money transfers at the brokerage, were called to testify before the investigations panel of the House Financial Services Committee.
O’Brien, a demure-appearing brunette dressed in a somber black dress suit, was excused after refusing to answer questions. The others remained to take scathing questions from the lawmakers who likened the missing customer funds to a grand heist.
The executives were unable to say why the money is missing, and who was responsible for it, keeping open the mystery nearly five months after MF Global filed for bankruptcy and former Chief Executive Jon Corzine resigned from the firm…..
A wealthy British banker and his wife died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a ‘tragic accident’ at their holiday home in Estonia, an inquest has heard.
Philip Townsend, 55, worked for a mysterious Moscow investment company, where he was an analyst in the lucrative but murky Russian telecoms industry.
But he and his wife MaryAnne, 52, were found dead at the converted barn near the town of Valga on February 24.
They are believed to have been killed by fumes from a faulty generator.
Police at the time said they couldn’t work out if the deaths were suspicious or not.
Four years ago another wealthy British-based tycoon involved in the Russian telecoms industry vanished from his opulent holiday villa in Latvia. Read Full Article Here
Soros Loses Case Against French Insider-Trading Conviction
Billionaire investor George Soros lost a challenge to his 2002 insider trading conviction, with the European Court of Human Rights saying French market regulations were clear enough to hold him responsible.
France didn’t violate Soros’s rights in punishing him criminally for trading on inside information about Societe Generale SA in spite of the market regulator’s conclusion that its rules were unclear, the Strasbourg, France-based court said.
“Soros was a famous institutional investor, well-known to the business community and a participant in major financial projects,” the court said in a statement about its ruling. “As a result of his status and experience, he could not have been unaware that his decision to invest” risked violating insider- trading laws, and given “there had been no comparable precedent, he should have been particularly prudent.”
Soros, 81, was convicted in 2002 of insider trading and ordered to repay 2.2 million euros ($2.9 million) he’d made from the share purchase and subsequent sale after a Paris court found he’d acted with the knowledge that the bank might be a takeover target. While prosecutors filed criminal charges, French stock market regulators didn’t pursue Soros, saying insider-trading laws were too vague to determine whether he’d broken them…..
Bloomberg’s report, “Soros Loses Case Against French Insider-Trading Conviction,” indicates that an appeal based on a “human rights” violation against Wall Street speculator George Soros has been rejected by the “European Court of Human Rights.” Soros, who was convicted and fined for insider trading in 2002 regarding French bank Société Générale shares he bought in 1988, has built an empire out of obfuscating global criminal activity with the cause of “human rights.” The court’s decision in rejecting the appeal was based on Soros being “a famous institutional investor, well-known to the business community and a participant in major financial projects,” and thus should have been “particularly prudent” regarding insider-trading laws. The contents of Soros’ appeal, based on “human rights” was not heard, and the details of the appeal not yet made public, however, it is an illustrative example of how Soros and global elitists like him leverage the legitimate cause of human rights and freedom as a means to execute and defend both individual and institutional criminal behavior……
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This NOAA satellite image captured Tropical Storm Debby as it was taking shape Saturday afternoon.
A cattle ranch in Elgin, Texas., where 15 head succumbed to death by cyanide poisoning after eating genetically-modified grass. (KEYE)
Family Survival Protocol - Microcosm News 