Archive for June, 2010
Posted by feww on June 13, 2010
BP CHAIRMAN: NO COMMENT!
Mr Carl-Henric Svanberg, How Can You Say NO COMMENT?
ASTER on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this false-color image of the Mississippi Delta and nearby polluted water on June 10, 2010. Vegetation is red and water appears i n shades of white and blue. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)
MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on June 10, 2010. The oil slick appears as shades of gray. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)
BP Chairman Carl-Henric [NO COMMENT] Svanberg
Carl-Henric [happy we did it over there, not over here] Svanberg is to meet Barack [action figure] Obama and rest of the White House Action Comedy Gang. Image: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Related Links:
Posted in BP oil disaster, BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, gulf oil spill site, Mississippi Delta, offsore drilling, oil slick satellite photo | Tagged: BP, Carl-Henric Svanberg, Gulf of Mexico Satellite Images, Oil Spill Satellite Images, Tony Hayward, White House Action Comedy | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on June 12, 2010
Images of the Week:
“A Roomful of Voyeurs”
“[Our parents thought they had] voted in a hands-on President and all we got was a roomful of [lousy] voyeurs.
Original caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, Louisiana, in this White House handout photo taken on May 2, 2010 and released on June 7, 2010.
Get the Firebugs from California!
Smoke billows from a controlled burn of spilled oil off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico, in this handout photograph taken June 9, 2010 and released on June 11. U.S. Coast Guard Handout [via Reuters]
Related Links:
Posted in BP oil disaster, BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: Action Comedy, Voyeurs, White House, White House sitting comedy | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on June 12, 2010
Flash floods swept through campground in Arkansas, killing at least 16, injuring 20, with 30 others reported missing, officials said.
A tsunami-like wave, caused by torrential rains that inundated the Little Missouri River to about 7 meters (20 feet), drowned the victims as they slept in their tents at the Albert Pike campground in the Ouachita Mountains west of Little Rock, according to reports.
A river gauge near the Ouachita National Forest registered a rise of about 2.4m (8ft) in just one hour, the US Geological Survey said.
At least 6 children are believed to be among the dead, as 65 people were rescued from the Ouachita Mountains valley.
The National Weather Service said 193mm (7.6in) of rain had fallen overnight.
“As that river goes down, you don’t know how many people are under it,” Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said.
This tragedy bears close resemblance to Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flood disaster in 1976 in which 145 people were killed.
Related Links:
Posted in Albert Pike campground, Big Thompson Canyon, Big Thompson Valley, Little Rock, Ouachita Mountains, Ouachita National Forest | Tagged: Arkansas, flash flood, flooding, Little Missouri Rive | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 12, 2010
Foot-and-mouth Disease Threatens Japan’s Livestock
Foot-and-mouth epidemic is spreading throughout Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture like a wildfire.
The country’s agricultural authorities have failed to deal promptly with the spread of the highly contagious disease, causing unprecedented damage since WWII to the livestock.
Thousands of heads of cattle are being culled and buried in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture (state) in Japan. Image cerdit: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright. See Fire-Earth Fair Use Notice.
More cattle in Miyazaki, Saito and Hyuga that prefectures (states) that were suspected of carrying the disease have now tested positive, local reports say.
As of now about 158,600 animals have been infected, according to the agriculture ministry’s animal health division.
“We’ve reached a critical point, a perilous point,” Japan’s new Prime Minister Naoto Kan said. “I understand that an immediate response is of paramount importance and would like to tackle the problem with a sense of urgency.”
“The latest weekly animal hygiene report of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries introduces cases in which sterilizing work has not been properly carried out after vaccinations have been performed. If that’s true, there may be a connection with the latest infections. There’s a need to provide thorough sterilization once again,” Hiroomi Akashi, a professor of veterinary virology at the University of Tokyo said.
Korea
Foot-and-mouth disease has also persisted in Korea since at least January this year. “The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) said Tuesday that it found four infected cows in a farm in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province. The ministry decided to cull all 54 cows at the farm, which is 6.5 kilometers away from the Livestock and Veterinary Research Institute where infected cases were discovered last month,” a report said.
China
“The foot-and-mouth disease outbreak that originated in Ganghwa County of Incheon might have been spread by a farmer who recently visited China,” a report dated May 18, 2010 said.
Related Links:
Posted in Livestock, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, Naoto Kan, vaccination | Tagged: FMD, Foot-and-mouth Disease, Japan FMD, Japan Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, veterinary virology | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on June 11, 2010
Plume Spewed by Ulawun Volcano
Ulawun Volcano located on Papua New Guinea (PNG) island of New Britain spewed a plume of steam and ash on June 10, 2010. The above is a natural-color image captured by ALIon NASA’s EO-1 satellite on the same day.
Ulawun is one of the most active volcanoes in PNG and has repeatedly erupted producing large lava and pyroclastic flows over the past 40 years. Image Source: NASA E/O. Click images to enlarge.
Ulawun Volcano (Father) and Bamus Volcano (Son)
Summit Elevation: 2,334 m
Coordinates: 5.05°S, 151.33°E
Ulawun and Bamus volcano (upper left) are the two highest volcanoes of the Bismarck arc, and are known as the Father and South Son volcanoes. The peak to the left of the summit is a prominent E-W-trending escarpment on the south side that may result from large-scale slumping. Historical eruptions date back to the beginning of the 18th century. Photo by Wally Johnson (Australia Bureau of Mineral Resources). Caption: GVP.
Klyuchevskaya Volcano Signals New Round of Activity
Protruding from clouds, the summit of Klyuchevskaya Volcano located on Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) released a small plume on June 7, 2010. Natural-color image acquired by ALI on NASA’s EO-1Download large image (924 KB, JPEG) satellite the same day. “A faint brown-gray plume blows toward the north (image right), contrasting with the bright clouds below.” Source: NASA E/O.
6,000-year-old Kliuchevskoi: Kamchatka’s highest and most active volcano
Summit Elevation: 4,835m
Coordinates: 56.057°N, 160.638°E
The 4,835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred during the past roughly 3,000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring on the NE (seen here) and SE flanks of the conical volcano at altitudes of 500-3,600 m. Photo by E.Y. Zhdanova (courtesy of Oleg Volynets, Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk). Source: GVP.
Grouping on the Global Map
Map of Volcanoes
Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.
Latest Entries:
Related Links:
More Links:
FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast
Other Related Links:
Posted in Bamus Volcano, Klyuchevskaya Volcano, Ulawun Volcano, volcanic eruption, volcanic plume, volcanism, volcano | Tagged: PNG volcanoes, Volcanic Activity Satellite Images, Volcano Satellite Images | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 11, 2010
‘World cannot survive without a revolution’
A year ago to the date MSRB wrote [and Google censored—filtered, blocked, or buried:]
Not Just the US, world cannot survive without a revolution
Consider this:
1. About 92 percent of all economic activity goes toward maintaining a system that is destroying the very world our lives depend on.
2. Between us and a possible future stands a tiny minority that are actively destroying our chances of getting there. More…
America has very little time, if any, to put its house in order, before facing a major collapse.
Related Links:
Posted in American Collapse, energy dinosaurs, revolution, U.S. Collapse, War on Nature | Tagged: Human Impact on Nature, lifestyle, mechanisms of collapse, State of the World | 2 Comments »
Posted by feww on June 10, 2010
Texas
Flooding in Texas is said to have killed at least one resident “as 11 inches of rain in two southern counties caused evacuation of several communities, authorities said,” UPI reported.
“It’s a madhouse out here,” a police lieutenant said. “We’ve made several rescues, and we’re in the middle of many more now.”
“Originally, we heard an estimate of 50 people needing shelter, but they’re bringing buses in,” American Red Cross spokeswoman Susie Walker-Atchison said. “Also, there’s some flooding that’s preventing people from getting to the shelters.”
Snapshot of Weather Forecast. Click image to update.
Wyoming
A 22-square-mile section of Fremont County including about 2,000 homes is flooded or threatened by flooding, the Wyoming National Guard reported.
“Fremont County has already been declared a disaster area by the state because of widespread flooding from raging rivers, a report said.
“Rapidly melting mountain snowpack and rain have pushed rivers in the area to record or near-record levels, washing away bridges, flooding homes and curtailing drinking water supplies. Flooding also is occurring in south-central Wyoming, but sandbagging efforts have proved largely successful in Saratoga and other small communities threatened.” AP reported.
US Weather Hazard Map. Click image to enter NWS portal.
Greeley, Colorado
The swollen Poudre River has flooded parts of Greeley, Colorado. Carp were reportedly spotted crossing a flooded street. See also: Afternoon weather could bring flooding, severe storms
Oregon
Heavy rain and melting snow have triggered severe flooding in eastern Oregon, damaging or destroying “many roads, bridges, trails and recreation sites on the 2.4-million-acre” Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, according to a report. A state of emergency has been declared.
Utah
As many of Salt Lake County residents begin cleaning up from flooding thousands of others anxiously monitor the weather and swollen rivers. County officials have warned of the high risk of flooding on the eastern Wasatch Front into Thursday, a report said.
Missouri
Severe storms brought in heavy rains pummeling parts of Kansas City metro area, and causing flash flooding in many low-lying areas which forced some businesses along Indian Creek in the south of the city to evacuate, a report said.
“It looks pretty powerful, the size of trees coming down, it’s just completely manipulative,” said a resident who lives near the creek.
Related Links:
Posted in environment, flooding, weather chaos, weather forecast, weather-related Disasters | Tagged: Indian Creek, Kansas city, Oregon flooding, Texas flooding, Wyoming flooding | 1 Comment »
Posted by msrb on June 10, 2010
Summary of Weekly Volcanic Activity Report
[Source: SI/USGS]
New Activity/Unrest (2 June – 8 June 2010)
- Bezymianny, Central Kamchatka (Russia) [Group J]
- Cleveland, Chuginadak Island [Group H]
- Pacaya, Guatemala [Group F]
- Taal, Luzon [Group K]
- Tiatia, Kunashir Island (Kuril Islands, Russia) [Group J]
- Tungurahua, Ecuador [Group D]
- Ulawun, New Britain [Group K]
Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.
Ongoing Volcanic Activity:
- Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia)
- Dukono, Halmahera
- Eyjafjallajökull, Southern Iceland
- Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia)
- Kilauea, Hawaii
- Kliuchevskoi, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
- Popocatépetl, México
- Sakura-jima, Kyushu
- Santa María, Guatemala
- Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
For additional information, see source.
Related Links:
More Links:
FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast
Other Related Links:
Posted in volcanic activity, volcanic eruption, Volcanic Explosions, volcanic hazard, volcanism, volcano | Tagged: Bezymianny, Cleveland, Pacaya, Taal, Tiatia volcano | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 9, 2010
Rio Tinto: Another Multinational the World Would be better Off Without
The stunning wetlands of the Kakadu National Park in far-north Australia are experiencing a huge decline in tourists as eager visitors are stopped short by reluctant hosts and a sea of red-tape. Blood red-signs at the borders of Arnhem Land warn visitors that entry is prohibited without a permit, and paved roads turn immediately to pocked gravel paths that disappear under crocodile-rich floodwaters for nearly six months of the year. Image and Caption Reuters. Image may be subject to copyright.
One of Rio Tinto’s uranium mines in Australia has leaked toxins into a river that enters the wetlands of the Kakadu National Park, Australia, Reuters reported a bi-weekly analysis of companies in the news by ASSET4 data providers showing. More information …
Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park. Image Credit: Stephen Codrington.
Related Links:
Posted in Another Australian Disaster, Ranger Uranium Mine, Uranium Mining | Tagged: energy dinosaurs, Kakadu National Park, Rio Tinto, Uranium Mine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 9, 2010
Fire Earth Estimate for Crude Oil and Gas Spewed into the Gulf: 69,000 BPD
Fire Earth Estimate for the rate of crude oil and associated gas leak from the undersea ruptured wellhead into the Gulf of Mexico is based on the analysis of recent video images released by BP, which are available via Internet, and other information.
The Moderators estimate that about 69,000 barrels of crude oil and associated gas per day (BPD) are currently spewing out of the damaged wellhead. The associated error margin is ± 16%. [Updated June 13, 2010]
Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico
Worsening Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo-image acquired by (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on June 7, 2010. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (12 MB, JPEG)
“The White House Action Comedy: A Roomful of Voyeurs”
“[Our parents thought they had] voted in a hands-on President and all we got was a roomful of [lousy voyeurs.] Original caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, Louisiana, in this White House handout photo taken on May 2, 2010 and released on June 7, 2010.
Black Pelicans
A pelican sits covered with oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in Barataria Bay, Louisiana just off the Gulf of Mexico, June 6, 2010. Greenpeace Handout (via Reuters).
BP Submarine Volcano
Gas and oil continue to surge out from the containment cap at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, in this frame grab taken from a BP live video feed on June 8, 2010. BP Handout (via Reuters).
Related Links:
Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf Oil Disaster, gulf oil spill site | Tagged: BP, Haliburton, Transocean | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 9, 2010
Gas Pipeline Blast Kills Two Near Darrouzett, Texas
Two people were killed and three others injured, one of them critically, when a natural gas pipeline exploded in the Texas Panhandle, according to the local sheriff.
The explosion occurred near Darrouzett, about 270 miles northeast of Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday. On Monday, at least one worker was killed when a digger ruptured a natural gas line in Johnson County, about 50 miles southwest of Dallas, Texas.
Tuesday’s explosion occurred when a bulldozer struck a pipeline.
Related Links:
Posted in gas explosion, Lubbock | Tagged: Darrouzett gas explosion, fatal gas explosion, Texas Gas Explosion | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 8, 2010
Taal Volcano on Alert Level 2
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has just raised the alert level of Taal Volcano from Level 1 to Level 2.
The volcano has shown increased seismic activity since late April, said Allan Loza of the Phivolcs Taal Volcano Observatory.
Phivolcs recorded 2 high frequency volcanic earthquakes over the past 24 hours and reported an increase in the size of earthquakes over the period.
“Initial result of precise leveling survey conducted yesterday at the southeast side of the volcano island showed further inflation by 3.0mm, ” Phivolcs said.
Related Links:
Other Links:
FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast
Other Related Links:
Recent Posts on Chaitén:
Posted in volcani hazard, volcanic eruptions, volcanism, volcano | Tagged: Philippines volcanoes, Taal Volcano | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 8, 2010
The Swines Were Paid by Pharmaceuticals to Urge Stockpiling Drugs: Report
‘Report condemns swine flu experts’ ties to big pharma’
“Scientists who drew up the key World Health Organisation guidelines advising governments to stockpile drugs in the event of a flu pandemic had previously been paid by drug companies which stood to profit, according to a report out today.” Guardian UK reported.
“An investigation by the British Medical Journal and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the not-for-profit reporting unit, shows that WHO guidance issued in 2004 was authored by three scientists who had previously received payment for other work from Roche, which makes Tamiflu, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), manufacturer of Relenza.” More…
Google had previously blocked most of the entries that are listed on the following page:
Related Links:
Posted in Dr Arnold Monto, Professor Fred Hayden, Professor Karl Nicholson, Professor Neil Ferguson, World Health Organization | Tagged: big pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Guardian report on swine flu, Roche, Tamiflu | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 8, 2010
Quote of the Century:
“Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine”
“Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine … Remember these people are occupied, and its their land; not Germans’, it’s not Poland’s.”
Israelis should “go home” to “Poland,” “Germany” and America and everywhere else …
Helen Thomas turned 89 on Aug. 4, 2009.
Thomas, 89, the longest-serving reporter in the White House, was forced to resign.
“Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately,” Hearst news reported.
“Her decision came after her controversial comments about Israel and the Palestinians were captured on videotape and widely disseminated on the internet.”
Related Links:
Posted in germany, Poland | Tagged: Gaza, Helen Thomas, Israeli occupation, Occupied Palestine, White House | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on June 8, 2010
About Two Dozen People Killed or Injured in Two Separate Gas Explosions in West Virginia and Texas
Early Monday morning an explosion at a West Virginia natural gas well injured seven workers, who were taken to Pittsburgh hospital.
“A spokeswoman for one of the companies involved in the well, Texas-based Chief Oil & Gas, says that a rig firefighting company will move damaged equipment out of the way while the fire burns.” AP reported.
“The explosion happened about 1:30 a.m. in a rural area outside Moundsville, about 55 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. A column of fire shot at least 70 feet high, but the flames fell to 40 feet within hours. Gas continued to burn late Monday afternoon.”
About 98 percent of drilling in the region now involves Marcellus shale, authorities say.
Several hours later, a major gas explosion in a Texas gas pipeline killed at least three people, and injured up to a dozen more. Officials said the gas line was struck with a mechanical digger.
A 36-inch natural gas line exploded in Johnson County, Texas. Image Credit: COURTNEY PERRY/DMN. Image may be subject to copyright. See Fire-earth Fair Use Notice.
“My whole building was shaking,” Carolyn Black, who lives about five miles away from the explosion site was reported as saying. “It sounded like someone landing a big Jumbo 747 in the backyard.”
“A lot is going to depend on where the main valves are that control that section of line,” said Cleburne city manager Chester Nolen.
“Obviously, what’s in the line is going to have to burn off before they can get it shut off.
“So it may be late into this evening when they get the fire controlled.”
It could take several hours to bring the fire under control, he said.
Related Links:
Posted in environment, Johnson County gas explosion, Moundsville gas explosion, West Virginia gas well | Tagged: Marcellus shale, Texas Gas Explosion, Texas Gas Pipeline Explosion, W Va Gas Well Explosion | Leave a Comment »
