Archive for environment
Haiti hit by powerful 6.1 aftershock
Posted by: | CommentsA 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets only eight days after the country’s capital was devastated by an apocalyptic quake.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the new quake hit at 6:03 a.m. (1103 GMT) about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince. It struck at a depth of 13.7 miles (22 kilometers) but was too far inland to generate any tidal waves in the Caribbean.
Wails of terror rose Wednesday as frightened survivors of last week’s quake poured out of unstable buildings. It was not immediately possible to ascertain what additional damage the new quake may have caused.
Last week’s magnitude-7 quake killed an estimated 200,000 people in Haiti, left 250,000 injured and made 1.5 million homeless. A massive international aid effort has been launched, but it is struggling with logistical problems, and many Haitians are still desperate for food and water.
Tornado warning in Los Angeles and Orange counties
Posted by: | CommentsLOS ANGELES — A storm moving through Central and Southern California has brought high winds, waves and lightning, prompting a tornado warning and pier closures.
Los Angeles County firefighters report minor street and building flooding in some areas of Los Angeles County on Tuesday but there are no reports of major damage or injuries.
Officials shut down piers in Ventura, Seal Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach because of 15-foot waves.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for south-central Los Angeles County because of a fast-moving thunderstorm. That warning expired at 1:15, but one issued slightly after 1 was continued until 2 p.m.in Orange County, including the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, Irvine, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.
5.8 earthquake shakes Cayman Islands
Posted by: | CommentsA 5.8 earthquake shook the Cayman Islands, south of Cuba on Tuesday morning, reports said.
On Monday morning, a strong earthquake rocked Guatemala and parts of El Salvador, but no there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in either country. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0.
The USGS says it hit Monday morning about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Guatemala City, where it was felt by many residents. There were reports of shaking in the Guatemalan countryside and in El Salvador as well.
Civil protection officials in the two countries says so far there are no reports of injuries or damage, but authorities are still checking.
There have been some reports that telephone lines appear to have been affected throughout the region’s islands, but there have been no injuries. Nonetheless, this is rattling the nerves of the people in the Caribbean. It is also interesting to note that the fault line that the earthquake ran along in the Cayman Islands isn’t the same one as the earthquake that struck Haiti.
Oklahoma Earthquake
Posted by: | CommentsA magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook central Oklahoma on Friday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey says that the epicenter of the quake was recorded about 3 miles northeast of Jones, OK. Jones is located about 17 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The earthquake struck at 9:18 a.m. at a depth of about 3 miles. No damage or injuries have been reported.
National Weather Service office employees in Tulsa say they felt the quake. Ashley Copelin at 61st and Garnett in Tulsa, said,
“I felt it this morning while I was lying in bed, twice! It felt like my whole apartment shifted.”
This is now the third earthquake in Oklahoma this week. A 2.8 earthquake was recorded in Logan County on Thursday morning and a 3.3 earthquake struck near Jones on Monday.
haiti Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake earthquake Thousands Feared Dead
Posted by: | CommentsThe death toll from a devastating earthquake off the coast of Haiti may reach the thousands, aid workers said Wednesday after viewing extensive damage in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
The situation in Haiti is “truly heart wrenching” in a nation that is “no stranger to hardship and suffering,” President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday. He promised a “swift and aggressive” effort including rescue workers and humanitarian aid as part of a coordinated international response.
In Geneva, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated that as many as 3 million people in the impoverished country may have been affected by the quake, according to the Associated Press. The ICRC predicted that it would take 24 to 48 hours for a clear picture to emerge of the scale of the destruction.
According to the UN, the island is the scene of widespread devestation. Collapsed buildings include the national penitentiary, where prisoners have escaped, the National Palace (President Rene Garcia Preval is said to be safe), the Parliament Building, the National Cathedral and at least four other ministry buildings including the finance ministry.
The main airport’s control tower is said to have collapsed, hindering rescue efforts. But the airport is said to be operational, and planes carrying aid from the UN are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince this morning. A UN spokesperson in Geneva says the road from the airport is badly damaged.
Fulton, NY–55 inches of snow and counting
Posted by: | CommentsFor some people, just a few inches of snow throws them into panic mode. So imagine what it’s like for 55 inches of snow! But according to reports at gather.com, the people of Fulton, New York, don’t have to imagine at all as they really do have 55 inches of the stuff.
The snow began falling in Fulton on December 28th, and it’s been snowing there ever since. Green America Homes, recently reported 55 inches of snow in the Fulton, New York area. And according to reports, there is still more snow to come unfortunately.
With over four feet of snow in the area now, trucks and cars are just being buried. Salt trucks are working around the clock in Fulton. Do you live near the Fulton, New York area at all? If you do then what exactly is it like to have so much snow? Feel free to let us know.
Whale Wars Media Circus Strikes Again video
Posted by: | CommentsWell, the heroic anti-whaling activists of the Sea Shepherd (and stars of Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars”) have made the headlines once again. This time they claim the Japanese rammed their speed boat, the Ady Gil, in an “unprovoked attack,” breaking it in half.
Given that former Greenpeacer Paul Watson’s express purpose in tailing the Japanese whaling fleet through the Southern Ocean is to harass them, I highly doubt the attack was unprovoked.
Still, there’s nothing like some high seas dog fighting to make good television. I’ve got to hand it to the programming execs at Animal Planet who came up with this — they knew what they were doing. All they needed to do is add some camera crews to Paul Watson’s entourage, and then sit back and watch as all hell broke loose.
You can forget about any substantive argument for or against whaling, because that’s not what Watson, his crew, or the show is about. And that’s what’s most disappointing about the whole thing. Here are people glued to the TV set watching a show about a meaningless battle over a few minke whales in the Southern Ocean. Meanwhile our oceans are being polluted and acidified, and humans are gobbling up its fish (not whales) at an unprecedented rate.
I wonder what goes on in Paul Watson’s head, I really do — probably something akin to whatever went through Richard Heene’s before he launched a helium-filled flying saucer into the sky over Colorado and pretended his son was inside it. Regardless, I’m waving the white flag. It’s clear the media loves a diva, and they’ve found a worthy one in Watson.
To be fair, the Japanese ‘research’ activities are just as suspect as Watson’s crusade. I just hope that as folks watch this titillating little drama unfold, they can find enough time in their busy TV schedules to worry about where their seafood is coming from.
solomon islands 7.2 and 6.5 quakes
Posted by: | CommentsTwo strong earthquakes hit near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific on Monday, triggering a small local tsunami with some reports of damage, police said.
The magnitude 7.2 and 6.5 quakes struck close together around 9:48 p.m. EST and occurred around 55 miles south-southeast of the small island of Gizo, the U.S. Geological Survey and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers said.
“There are no reports of casualties, but we have unconfirmed reports of property damage caused by possible tsunami waves on Tetepare island,” Gizo police constable Macarthur Pania told Reuters.
The quakes occurred at depths of between 33 km (20.5 miles) and 36 km.
“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated,” said the Hawaii-based tsunami center in an emailed bulletin. “It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter.”
The warning center said there was no wider tsunami threat to Pacific coastlines.
A large 8.1 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck Gizo in 2007, killing 52 people and leaving thousands homeless. The Solomons are part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where colliding continental plates frequently causes seismic activity.
Normandy Nessie, the Madeira Beach Monster, Said to Be a Manatee
Posted by: | CommentsNormandy Nessie, or the Madeira Beach Monster, as it’s been referred to, has been seen by Russ Sittloh 6 times over the last few months. The Florida man says the creature is over 20-feet long, and swims in the canal behind his home, and he’s even captured it on camera.
However, the “monster” might actually just be a manatee. A biologist with Florida Fish and Wildlife apparently reviewed a video Ray took of Normandy Nessie (named after the street he lives on) and said judging by the speed and size of the object, it’s probably a lounging manatee.
Still, Ray, 78, doesn’t buy it. He said (via 11alive.com): “I’ve swam with manatees, I’ve swam with sharks, I’ve swam with sea snakes, there is no way it’s a manatee.”
Apparently Ray said it could be an anaconda, but he says the creature swimming in his backyard has a tail that’s nothing like a giant snake’s. Also, he says he’s seen at least two of these creatures, and thinks they might be dangerous.
Ray Sittloh says this is a picture of Normandy Nessie.
Friday The 13th Superstitions
Posted by: | CommentsToday is Friday, the thirteenth, which superstition holds to be a day of good or bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year. Any month’s 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday. There were three Friday the 13ths in 2009, in the months of February, March, and November. There won’t be another Friday the 13th until August of 2010; the next one after that is May 2011. The next year with three Friday the 13ths will be 2015.
The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia. According to some sources it’s the most widespread superstition in the United States today. Some people refuse to go to work on Friday the 13th; some won’t eat in restaurants; many wouldn’t think of setting a wedding on the date. via About.com
- Christian origins of the fear of Friday the 13th: The fear of Friday the 13th stems from two separate fears — the fear of the number 13 and the fear of Fridays. Both fears have deep roots in Western culture, most notably in Christian theology. Thirteen is significant to Christians because it is the number of people who were present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles). Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive.
