Reclaim Power: Block the System

‘Black Shirt’ Nazis Beat Protesters

Unprecedented Police Brutality at Copenhagen Climate Conference

Most nations no longer beat even their animals like the bacon-head is hitting the demonstrator!

Protesters march towards the Bella Center, where the UN Climate Change 2009 Conference is taking place, during a demonstration in Copenhagen December 16, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski. Image may be subject to copyright.

Perhaps you ought to block the system instead, and remove its ignorant politicians and their brutal police forces

Protesters march towards the Bella Center, where the UN Climate Change 2009 Conference is taking place, during a demonstration in Copenhagen December 16, 2009.  Credit: REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski. Image may be subject to copyright.

Related Links:

• Mad dogs and Englishmen
• Thousands Protest in Europe Ahead of the UN4C
• Thoughts of an Injured, Jobless G20 Protester
• The Gluttonous 20
• Images of the Day: G20 at a Glance
• I’ll give you clean air, you basta*d!

UPDATE 2: Tropical Cyclone Laurence (06S)

TC Laurence Intensifies to 167 km Sustained Winds

Active Tropical Cyclone in Southern Hemisphere

• Date Time: December 16 09:00 UTC
• Approximate Position: 16.3ºS, 124.2ºE
• Location:  Located approximately 440 nmi northeast of Port Hedland, Australia
• Movement: Has been tracking 185 degrees  at 08  knots during  the past six hours.
• Max Sustained Winds:  075 knots, Gusts 090 knots [compared with winds of 35 kt and gusts of 45 kt 48 hrs ago; and 075 kt,   24 hors ago]
• Max Significant Wave Heights:  Laurence is now located over land.

Based on the current forecast track, the system is now expected to move further inland and dissipate within the next 60- 72 hours. ALL but two models agree.

Top Left: NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured this image of Laurence’s rainfall on Dec. 14 at 5:29 p.m. ET (2329 UTC). TRMM revealed a well defined center of circulation in Laurence with areas of heavy rain (red) up to 2 inches per hour. Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce

Top Right: NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite 3-D image shows thunderstorm tops reaching about 9.3 miles high in various sides of Cyclone Laurence (red). The red areas also indicate rainfall at about 2 inches per hour. Credit: Hal Pierce.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Laurence. AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY/ TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING CENTRE PERTH/ TROPICAL CYCLONE FORECAST TRACK MAP/  Issued at 2:41 pm WST Wednesday 16 December 2009. Image may be subject to copyright. Click on images to enlarge.

Remarks by BOM:

• Severe Tropical Cyclone Laurence is a small but very intense tropical cyclone having VERY DESTRUCTIVE WINDS with gusts to 260 km/h .
• Laurence is expected to weaken overnight IF it  moves  in a generally southerly direction towards Derby.
• HEAVY RAIN is expected to continue over the north and west Kimberley. Daily rainfall totals in excess of 100mm are possible near the coast with totals decreasing further inland.

Related Links:

• TC Laurence Intensifies to 140 km Winds

• The Attack of the Cyclones
• What Mick Looked Like
• Satellite Imagery

Mayon Lava in Interesting Times!

Mayon Lava Flow Grows

Mayon at a ‘high level of unrest’ may experience  more dangerous explosions

Mt Mayon Spews Lava. Photo: Reuters. Image may be subject to copyright.

Mayon 5-level hazard alert raised to level 3 Tuesday after Mayon ejected ash and spewed lava.

According to Phivolcs, “Alert level 3 condition signifies magma is near the top of the crater and incandescent materials are now detaching. Mayon volcano is now at a ‘high level of unrest’ and may have more dangerous explosions.”

Quick fact about the latest episode of activity at Mt Mayon:

• Phivolcs Level 3 alert means an eruption is expected within days to weeks [Level 4 means an eruption is imminent, while level 5 means eruption is in progress.]
• Albay Governor Jose Salceda has declared “a state of imminent disaster” throughout the province, to allow the provincial government to access disaster funds needed to evacuate residents in Mayon’s danger zones.
• Phivolcs scientist, Alex Baloloy,  said, “a full blown eruption is expected to take place within weeks to days.”
• Baloloy said lava had cascaded down about 3 km from the crater summit of the volcano.
• By Monday Mayon had emitted about 800 tons of Sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas.

• The air in the region has been described as “hot and irritable” and “smelly.”
• After 23 volcanic quakes on Monday, 5 ash explosions occurred at the volcano generating a mix of brownish and grayish ash cloud.
• Phivolcs said it had recorded 78 volcanic earthquakes in the last 24 hours
• Philippines disaster management officials have now evacuated about 50,000 people from Tabaco City and the towns of Malipot, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan and Ligao near Mt Mayon, aiming for a “zero-casualty situation.”
• Schoolrooms within an 8-km radius of Mt Mayon have been suspended and used as evacuation shelters. [Let’s hope the schools are better built in the Philippines than they are in China.]

• Mayon has experienced more than 50 eruption in 400 years.
• The first recorded major eruption occurred in 1616.
• The most voluminous lava flow occurred in the 1766 eruption.
• Mayon’s most destructive eruption occurred on February 1, 1814. The volcano bombarded the town of Cagsa with tephra, burying all but the bell tower of the town’s church in about 9 m of ash. As many as 2,300 of Albay residents may have perished in the volcano’s deadliest eruption to date.
• Mayon erupted continuously for 7 days starting June 23, 1897. The village of Bacacay was buried in 15 m of lava. About 500 villagers were killed in the aftermath.

• In July, Fire Earth moderators said, “the Philippines should brace itself for major waves of seismic and volcanic activities in the coming weeks, months and years.”

Fire Earth Moderators believe more volcanic activities at other Philippines volcanoes are highly probable in the near future. The volcanoes located on the island on Mindanao are particularly liable to erupt in the next 12 to 36 months.

The moderators also believe a large eruption may occur at Taal volcano. For other related forecast, see links below and search blog contents.

Related Links:

• Mayon Volcano Oozes Lava
• Strong Earthquake Strikes Mindanao, Philippines
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [11 Nov 2009]
• Latest From TAAL and other Philippines Volcanoes

• Mount Mayon neighbors on evacuation alert
• Mayon Volcano Ejects Ash

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links