Tag Archive: Minnesota


Earth Watch Report  -  Environmental Pollution

 

Reuters  |  Posted: 03/28/2013 1:30 pm EDT

 

Canadian Pacific Oil Spill Minnesota

 


By Edward McAllister

March 28 (Reuters) – Recovery efforts were underway on Thursday to clean up an oil spill in western Minnesota a day after a mile-long Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed, rupturing three tankers and leaking around 15,000 gallons of fuel.

The cleanup was expected to take another day or two, officials said, after 11 cars on a 94-car train heading for the Chicago area left the tracks on Wednesday about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis near the town of Parkers Prairie.

The spill came as a debate rages over the environmental risks of transporting Alberta tar sands crude from Canada across the border. This was the first spill since the start of a boom in North American crude-by-rail transport began three years ago.

The amount of oil estimated to have spilled into a nearby ditch and field was less than the 20,000 to 30,000 gallons originally estimated, Minnesota officials said, though freezing temperatures were hampering efforts to draw up the loose fuel.

“Only about 1,000 gallons has been recovered,” said Dan Olson, spokesman for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. “The remaining oil on the ground has thickened into a heavy tar-like consistency.”

It was not yet clear if the crude was from the Alberta tar sands or from conventional oil fields.

Canadian Pacific reopened the rail line in western Minnesota, it said on Thursday, following full track repairs and inspections, said Canadian Pacific spokesman Ed Greenberg.

An investigation into the cause of the derailment is ongoing, he said.

Meanwhile, the tar-like crude is being excavated into a lined trench and will be hauled away for disposal.

Canadian Pacific will use steam to heat the 11 derailed tanker cars so the oil they contain can be pumped out. This process is expected to take a few weeks, Olson said.

Oil Spills Since The Gulf Disaster

See More  Photos Here

 

Getty

Red Butte Creek Spill, Utah – June 2010
In June 2010, a Chevron pipeline ruptured and spilled oil into a creek near Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was first estimated that over 17,000 to 21,000 gallons spilled into the creek, which leads into the Great Salt Lake, reported AP. Around 150 birds were “identified for rehabilitation.” The oil did not reach the Great Salt Lake, however.

Chevron was later cited for the spill, which released an estimated 33,000 gallons in total.

In March 2012, a group of 66 residents of a Salt Lake City neighborhood sued Chevron for damage caused by the Red Butte Creek spill and a smaller spill in December 2011.

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by: David Gumpert Fri, 02/01/2013 – 08:23 posted in:

The Complete Patient

An unlicensed organization like a food club is not only distributing “contraband,” but a “controlled substance,” in the view of a Minnesota prosecutor fighting to prevent dismissal of three misdemeanor food allegations against farmer Alvin Schlangen. In other words, if licenses aren’t purchased and regulators involved, food is no longer just food, it is in the same realm as oxycontin or morphine.

Schlangen’s lawyer, Nathan Hansen, had petitioned a court in Stearns County to dismiss three of six misdemeanor counts against Schlangen because they are very similar to the three counts a Minneapolis jury acquitted him of last September–relating to illegal sale of raw milk and selling food without a retail license. Hansen labeled the Stearns County campaign against Schlangen “serialized prosecution.” As evidence of the state’s intent to charge Schlangen repeatedly for the same alleged crimes, he included a memo from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture about Schangen that listed possible charges against the farmer and stated  the “violations…are chargeable as misdemeanor crimes in Stearns, Hennepin [where Schlangen was acquitted], and Ramsey counties of the state of Minnesota.” Hansen used as legal precedent a case in which an individual charged with several acts of reckless driving had multiple cases thrown out because they were part of the same overall incident.

In building on an allusion he made in a court hearing early last month that raw milk was “a controlled substance,” Stearns County prosecutor, William MacPhail, has expanded his argument, applying it to all unregulated food. He argues in a brief in opposition that the best way to examine Schlangen’s request is to compare it to “crimes involving sex, controlled substances and thefts.” MacPhail’s technical argument is that double jeopardy of the sort prohibited by the U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions applies only when a single episode of the same crime is involved. When separate incidents occur at different times and at different places, legal precedent doesn’t protect the defendant.

But repeatedly, the prosecutor makes a comparison between food and drugs, pornography, and theft. “In drug cases (and situations involving similar contraband as here) generally the possession of two controlled substances at the same time and place is treated as a single incident,” he states at one point.

 

Read Full Article Here

Earth Watch Report  -  Extreme Weather

 

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1 Today Snow Storm USA State of Minnesota, [Northeastern Minnesota] Damage level
Details

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Snow Storm in USA on Monday, 10 December, 2012 at 03:49 (03:49 AM) UTC.

Description
Winter Storm Caesar barreled through the Midwest Sunday, dumping heavy snow in southwestern Minnesota and the Twin Cities, with less in Northeastern Minnesota. A winter storm warning remains in effect until midnight on the Iron Range, with snow possibly heavy at times and up to 2 to 3 inches more into Monday morning. Monday will be partly cloudy and colder, with lows Monday night of 1 to 6 degrees, the National Weather Service office in Duluth said Sunday afternoon. The Minnesota Department of Transportation was citing difficult driving conditions across much of the southern two-thirds of the state, with no travel advised in the Willmar area of west-central Minnesota. MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht says the agency has pulled its plows off the roads in the Granite Falls, Madison, Marshall and Montevideo areas of southwestern Minnesota until conditions improve. The Minnesota State Patrol reported about 300 crashes statewide from Saturday night through noon Sunday, with more than 30 involving injuries, but no fatalities. Lt. Eric Roeske also reports more than 300 spinouts or vehicles off the road. More than 150 flights at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have been canceled due to the storm. An updated report will be posted on this website later this evening and in the MDN online edition Monday.

….

 

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Earth Watch Report

Today Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Minnesota, [Waseca County ] Damage level Details
Waseca County Courthouse

Waseca County Courthouse (Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn)

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Sunday, 11 November, 2012 at 05:36 (05:36 AM) UTC.

Description
A massive grassfire spread quickly around Buffalo Lake in Waseca County on Saturday. The incident started around 3 Saturday afternoon near Buffalo Lake in Waseca County, just a couple miles south west of Janesville. Authorities blocked off traffic and tanker trucks could be seen making a dash to fight the fire. High temperatures for this time of the year, along with low humidity helped to create a substantial amount of fuel for the blaze. We will have more information as it becomes available.

 

Doctors now hitting patients with extra fees if they ask too many questions

patients

by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer

 

(NaturalNews) The next time you visit your primary care physician for a physical, you may want to consider inquiring as to whether or not you will be billed extra for asking too many questions during your checkup. This is what happened recently to Susan Krantz of Minnetonka, Minnesota, who was reportedly charged an additional $50 on her medical bill for simply inquiring about a sore hip.

It is called a “split charge,” and it is increasingly creeping up in the medical billing process for patients who converse with their doctors about specific ailments outside the general physical regimen. Time spent with doctors discussing “acute care” matters are apparently billed differently than time spent for a “wellness” visit — in essence, doctors are now sometimes charging for two office visits when patients discuss other matters.

“Even as a registered nurse, I can’t figure out what this is,” said Krantz to WCCO News in Minnesota about the charge, recalling when she first noticed it on the bill. “You can be charged an extra office visit if you ask too many questions. I don’t understand that, because isn’t that what [the] visit is for?”

According to Krantz, her doctor asked her whether or not she had any additional questions following the physical, but made no disclosure about the fact that those questions would end up being billed as a separate line item. And Park Nicollet, the health services corporation where Krantz had her visit, tried to legitimize the deceptive practice by claiming it is a requirement for insurance purposes.

But this explanation does little for Krantz, who is now expected to either pay or make a co-pay for the “additional visit” that was really just a part of her single visit. And since she was never told that there would even be an additional charge, she feels as though the entire situation is largely unjustified and illegitimate.

“As always, the doctor’s visit started out with her (the doctor) asking what questions do you have? And I had a little list. This one and this one and this one. And she said, ‘Okay,’” explained Krantz about the frustrating situation. “I think you need to put a sign up in the exam room saying, ‘You may be billed extra if you ask too many questions.,’” she added.

Sources for this article include:

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com

Earthquakes

USGS

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s
LAT
deg
LON
deg
DEPTH
km
 Region
MAP  6.2   2012/09/25 23:45:26   24.835  -110.152 10.1  GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP  2.6 2012/09/25 22:55:09   32.112  -115.746 0.1  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  5.2   2012/09/25 19:42:33   -9.764   159.758 27.5  SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP  2.7 2012/09/25 19:30:22   32.179  -115.231 26.7  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 18:43:13   36.014  -118.394 2.0  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  5.4   2012/09/25 18:33:05  -21.134  -174.323 29.0  TONGA
MAP  4.7   2012/09/25 17:49:08   -8.877   -75.923 113.0  CENTRAL PERU
MAP  3.8 2012/09/25 16:03:33   36.500  -114.854 11.5  NEVADA
MAP  4.9   2012/09/25 15:48:46   54.145  -164.101 51.7  UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP  4.5   2012/09/25 15:15:10   39.168  -123.166 11.5  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  3.2 2012/09/25 15:07:00   31.828  -115.003 10.0  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  5.0   2012/09/25 14:21:40   36.108   142.305 25.4  OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP  2.9 2012/09/25 12:02:15   33.147  -115.695 4.1  SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  3.1 2012/09/25 12:02:05   33.159  -115.641 4.0  SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  2.6 2012/09/25 11:37:40   59.979  -141.588 1.3  SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP  3.0 2012/09/25 11:00:26   19.061   -65.394 52.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  4.9   2012/09/25 10:41:28   9.717   126.702 57.7  MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP  2.5 2012/09/25 10:06:39   33.158  -115.641 2.6  SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  3.4 2012/09/25 09:59:54   18.976   -65.381 71.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  4.7   2012/09/25 09:59:19   9.839   126.724 49.3  MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 09:26:46   33.791  -116.021 7.2  SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  5.1   2012/09/25 08:33:02   36.383   69.186 33.5  HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP  4.7   2012/09/25 08:08:27   1.887   127.368 111.5  HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 07:14:26   36.221  -118.317 7.1  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  5.2   2012/09/25 05:37:52  -25.144   178.860 565.0  SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP  4.8   2012/09/25 03:08:14   -9.420   124.717 21.4  TIMOR REGION
MAP  5.7   2012/09/25 03:06:52  -15.472  -173.923 104.5  TONGA
MAP  5.2   2012/09/25 01:43:14  -53.252   25.399 15.7  SOUTH OF AFRICA
MAP  2.7 2012/09/25 01:42:22   19.023  -155.421 43.2  ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP  3.4 2012/09/25 00:43:35   19.128   -64.782 68.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.9 2012/09/25 00:38:55   19.245   -64.728 48.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 00:35:40   19.334   -64.722 33.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.9 2012/09/25 00:33:48   19.137   -64.632 68.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.6 2012/09/25 00:27:52   19.327   -64.763 9.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 00:23:34   19.133   -64.692 64.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 00:19:41   19.214   -64.797 7.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 00:15:36   19.358   -64.777 48.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/09/25 00:14:25   18.972   -64.549 79.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes near Mexico’s Baja Peninsula

MEXICO CITY

(Reuters) – A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, on Tuesday and caused panic, but local officials said there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The quake’s epicenter was located 46 miles north of La Paz, Mexico, and was centered in the Gulf of California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

“It felt pretty strong,” said Ivan Calderon, a Baja California Sur state civil protection official, adding there were no reports of damages or injuries.

“So far there have just been some reports of people panicking, but nothing serious,” Calderon said.

He said school was suspended across the state on Wednesday while officials examined sites for damages. Some other public buildings would also be closed Wednesday for checks, he said.

A magnitude 6 earthquake is capable of causing severe damage. Four more tremors, magnitude 4.8 or less, followed the bigger quake, all clustered north of La Paz, the USGS said.

The southern part of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula is sparsely populated outside of La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur, and the tourist resort of Los Cabos, located about 98 miles to the south.

(Reporting By Michael O’Boyle; Editing by Bill Trott and Stacey Joyce)

Globe with Earthquake Location

6.2 Mwp – GULF OF CALIFORNIA

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.2 Mwp
Date-Time
  • 25 Sep 2012 23:45:26 UTC
  • 25 Sep 2012 17:45:26 near epicenter
  • 25 Sep 2012 17:45:26 standard time in your timezone
Location 24.835N 110.152W
Depth 10 km
Distances
  • 75 km (47 miles) N (11 degrees) of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
  • 154 km (96 miles) E (98 degrees) of Constitución, Baja California Sur, Mexico
  • 155 km (96 miles) SW (220 degrees) of Ahome, Sinaloa, Mexico
  • 1086 km (675 miles) SE (140 degrees) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Location Uncertainty Horizontal: 13.7 km; Vertical 1.9 km
Parameters Nph = 441; Dmin = 470.7 km; Rmss = 1.12 seconds; Gp = 69°
M-type = Mwp; Version = A
Event ID us c000cw0l

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://neic.usgs.gov/

Tectonic Summary

Seismotectonics of Mexico

Located atop three of the large tectonic plates, Mexico is one of the world’s most seismologically active regions. The relative motion of these crustal plates causes frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions. Most of the Mexican landmass is on the westward moving North American plate. The Pacific Ocean floor south of Mexico is being carried northeastward by the underlying Cocos plate. Because oceanic crust is relatively dense, when the Pacific Ocean floor encounters the lighter continental crust of the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor is subducted beneath the North American plate creating the deep Middle American trench along Mexico’s southern coast. Also as a result of this convergence, the westward moving Mexico landmass is slowed and crumpled creating the mountain ranges of southern Mexico and earthquakes near Mexico’s southern coast. As the oceanic crust is pulled downward, it melts; the molten material is then forced upward through weaknesses in the overlying continental crust. This process has created a region of volcanoes across south-central Mexico known as the Cordillera Neovolcánica.

The area west of the Gulf of California, including Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, is moving northwestward with the Pacific plate at about 95 mm per year. Here, the Pacific and North American plates grind past each other creating strike-slip faulting, the southern extension of California’s San Andreas fault. In the past, this relative plate motion pulled Baja California away from the coast forming the Gulf of California and is the cause of earthquakes in the Gulf of California region today.

Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In September 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City. In southern Mexico, Volcán de Colima and El Chichón erupted in 2005 and 1982, respectively. Paricutín volcano, west of Mexico City, began venting smoke in a cornfield in 1943; a decade later this new volcano had grown to a height of 424 meters. Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanos (“smoking mountain” and “white lady”, respectively), southeast of Mexico City, occasionally vent gas that can be clearly seen from the City, a reminder that volcanic activity is ongoing. In 1994 and 2000 Popocatépetl renewed its activity forcing the evacuation of nearby towns, causing seismologists and government officials to be concerned about the effect a large-scale eruption might have on the heavily populated region. Popocatépetl volcano last erupted in 2010.

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server

GSN Stations

These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: September 26, 2012 05:19:09 UTC

Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.

CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda

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CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados

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CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama

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CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada

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CU/GRTK, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands

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CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

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CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica

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CU/SDDR, Presa de Sabaneta, Dominican Republic

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CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

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IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China

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IC/ENH, Enshi, China

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IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China

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IC/LSA, Lhasa, China

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IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China

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IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China

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IU/ADK, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

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IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa

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IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

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IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey

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IU/BBSR, Bermuda

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IU/BILL, Bilibino, Russia

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IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica

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IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA

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IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand

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IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA

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IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

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IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia

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IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines

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IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

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IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu

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IU/FURI, Mt. Furi, Ethiopia

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IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia

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IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany

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IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands

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IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA

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IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands

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IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA

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IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea

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IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean

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IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway

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IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland

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IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine

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IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA

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IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya

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IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati

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IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway

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IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali

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IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile

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IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia

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IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile

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IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia

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IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan

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IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan

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IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia

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IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA

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IU/MSKU, Masuku, Gabon

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IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia

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IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Equador

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IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain

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IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

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IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia

 PET 24hr plot

IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

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IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica

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IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii

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IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

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IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil

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IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica

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IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermandec Islands

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IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

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IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil

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IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

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IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil

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IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica

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IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela

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IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

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IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico

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IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico

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IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand

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IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA

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IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati

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IU/TATO, Taipei, Taiwan

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IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico

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IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia

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IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean

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IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina

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IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia

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IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona

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IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean

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IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA

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IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA

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IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati

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IU/YAK, Yakutsk, Russia

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IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia

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Volcanic Activity

Mexican Volcano Popocatépetl Eruptions Increase

Imagen activaMexico, Sep 25 (Prensa Latina) At least 26 eruptions accompanied by steam and gas, as well as a volcano tectonic quake were registered as a consequence of the Mexican volcano Popocatépetl activity during the last hours, it was reported Tuesday.
The National Center of Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) said eruptions were of low and medium intensity with no ash expulsion in any of them.According to the institution, the volcano tectonic quake was registered at 11.54 local time (16:54 GMT).At this moment, the alert light of volcano activity remains yellow phase 2 and the surrounding population to keep informed as to alerts on the activity of the volcano also known as Don Goyo.Traffic between Santiago Xalitzintla and San Pedro Nexapa, via the Cortes passage, is under control.The Popo is located at the center of the country, in the territorial limits of the Morelos, Puebla and Mexico states.

Located 55 kilometers Southeast of the Federal District, the Popocatépetl is the second highest volcano in Mexico, with a maximum height of five thousand 458 meters above sea level, only second to the Pico de Orizaba (Veracruz) with five thousand 610 meters.

sgl/ef/lac/dfm

Modificado el ( martes, 25 de septiembre de 2012 )

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

25.09.2012 Extreme Weather United Kingdom Scotland, [Scotland-wide] Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in United Kingdom on Tuesday, 25 September, 2012 at 18:53 (06:53 PM) UTC.

Description
Ferries have also been cancelled and commuiters suffered severe delays to rail services. A number of trees came down overnight in Aberdeen, causing roads in the city centre to close, including Union Terrace and Willowbank Road. The city council said it received dozens of calls about fallen trees and crews are working to remove them. Drivers were also warned to take extra care on the Esplanade after sand and water was blown on to the road. In Dundee a driver suffered minor injuries after a tree came down and hit a car on Arbroath Road near Baxter Park at about 9am. Fife Constabulary also reported trees down in the area, with “Standing Stane road” between Kirkcaldy and Leven shut as well as the road from Cupar to Melville Lodges roundabout. High winds also led to restrictions on bridges, with the Forth Road bridge opened to cars only this morning. There was widespread disruption on the main East Coast rail line between Edinburgh and Newcastle, although ScotRail reported only “minor disruption” to its West Highland line. For those hoping to travel by ferry, many Caledonian MacBrayne services were facing disruption and some routes were cancelled.Flood warnings are in place for Haddington in East Lothian and many parts of the Borders. A further nine flood alerts were issued across Scotland, including in Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway and Fife. The Met Office put out yellow “be aware” warnings of severe weather for much of the country and forecasters predicted the most persistent rain would be in the south and east throughout the day. Transport minister Keith Brown is leading the Scottish Government’s resilience committee meeting this morning to receive updates on the transport network, utilities and flooding. The resilience committee meeting was told that about 2,000 households across a number of areas were without power, but electricity providers had staff trying to reconnect customers as quickly as possible. It also heard the heavy rain had seen some areas record about 40mm of water in the past 36 hours. Mr Brown said: “Yet again, we have seen a wide range of agencies and organisations react quickly to weather alerts and to put in place their response plans for the potential impact of heavy rain and high winds. “This activity, including a significant level of multi-agency co-operation, has played its part in keeping disruption to a minimum in difficult conditions. “The travelling public also deserve praise for the way they have reacted to the various travel updates this morning. “But no-one is being complacent and whilst the weather alerts remain in place, the focused response will continue.”
26.09.2012 Extreme Weather United Kingdom Multiple region, [South west, northern England and Scotland] Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in United Kingdom on Monday, 24 September, 2012 at 13:34 (01:34 PM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Tuesday, 25 September, 2012 at 18:56 UTC
Description
Hundreds of homes have been evacuated and dozens of cars abandoned by drivers after widespread flooding across the UK. Flood warnings are in place across Britain as rivers burst their banks and forecasters say there is more bad weather to come. The North East has been worst affected, with towns such as Morpeth, Chester-le-Street, Stockton on Tees and parts of Newcastle badly hit. Other areas in England, Wales and Scotland have also been flooded, with over 200 official warnings and alerts still in place. More than 300 properties have flooded since Sunday. Over a month’s worth of rain fell in just one day in some parts of the country. There has been widespread disruption to travel after roads were closed and long delays to rail services. The A1 and the East Coast Main Line were among the routes hit by the conditions. The Met Office said many places have had between 50mm and 70mm (2in to 2.8in) rain in the past 48 hours. Heavy rain and strong winds are forecast to return to some southern areas with 20mm to 40mm (0.8in to 1.6in) likely in places into Wednesday. There is also no sign of the downpours easing in the Midlands. Among the properties evacuated was a council care home at Gilling West, in North Yorkshire.The Oswin Grove Unit’s 19 pensioners had to be carried to safety by firefighters after it became swamped by 3ft of water. Parts of the UK are also experiencing strong winds, with gusts over 60mph across parts of Scotland and Ireland at times. The Environment Agency is urging people to sign up to its flood alerts and has issued guidance to residents who may be affected by flooding. Kath Evans, from the Environment Agency, told Sky News that the situation had been made worse by the wet summer. “With the rainfall over the summer and more falling over the last 24 to 36 hours, it has caused this widespread flooding,” she said. She said they were watching areas around the River Ouse in Yorkshire and the River Severn as the water moved downstream and would “urge people to keep an eye out and listen out for flood warnings”. Communities in Yorkshire, the North West and North Wales were urged to remain on guard for further floods. In Morpeth, parts of the town were evacuated as a precaution before the river burst its banks and some 40 stranded residents were rescued using lifeboats, although water levels later appeared to have peaked. Heavy rain sent cars careering down the River Coquet and homes were flooded in Rothbury, Northumberland, with at least two more flooded in Thropton and Netherton.Hebden Bridge, which suffered severe flooding twice this summer, appeared to have escaped further damage as river levels seemed to level off just below bank tops. About 50 properties in and around Wearside were evacuated, Sunderland City Council said. A number of roads and two primary schools were closed and residents were warned refuse collections could be disrupted. Emergency services evacuated around 30 properties in Hartburn, Stockton, Teesside, as water levels rose, and a crew of refuse collectors had to be rescued by firefighters at Eryholme, North Yorkshire, when a river burst its banks and swamped their truck. The A1 was closed near Catterick in both directions and is not expected to reopen until Wednesday morning. The A66 was closed in both directions near Darlington as a result of flooding. In Durham, police threatened to prosecute impatient drivers who tried to use closed roads. There was no service on the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle for much of the day because of flooding at Eryholme, near Northallerton, preventing the running of services between London and Scotland. East Coast Trains advised people not to travel and said tickets for Tuesday would be valid on trains on Wednesday. The West Coast line remained open.

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Storms, Flooding

  Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system Location Formed Last update Last category Course Wind Speed Gust Wave Source Details
Jelewat (18W) Pacific Ocean 20.09.2012 26.09.2012 SuperTyphoon 305 ° 250 km/h 306 km/h 5.18 m JTWC Details

 Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Jelewat (18W)
Area: Pacific Ocean
Start up location: N 13° 42.000, E 132° 18.000
Start up: 20th September 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 507.67 km
Top category.:
Report by: JTWC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
22nd Sep 2012 06:41:44 N 11° 42.000, E 129° 54.000 6 93 120 Tropical Storm 200 9 JTWC
23rd Sep 2012 06:04:26 N 11° 48.000, E 128° 54.000 7 139 167 Typhoon I. 270 11 JTWC
24th Sep 2012 08:06:11 N 13° 36.000, E 128° 30.000 9 241 296 Typhoon IV. 350 10 JTWC
24th Sep 2012 10:43:47 N 14° 12.000, E 128° 12.000 13 232 278 Typhoon IV. 335 14 JTWC
25th Sep 2012 05:16:53 N 15° 42.000, E 127° 48.000 7 259 315 Super Typhoon 360 9 JTWC
25th Sep 2012 10:29:06 N 16° 24.000, E 127° 30.000 15 259 278 Super Typhoon 340 18 JTWC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
26th Sep 2012 10:56:11 N 18° 0.000, E 126° 6.000 15 250 306 SuperTyphoon 325 ° 18 JTWC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
27th Sep 2012 18:00:00 N 21° 48.000, E 123° 48.000 SuperTyphoon 213 259 JTWC
27th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 20° 12.000, E 124° 12.000 SuperTyphoon 232 278 JTWC
28th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 23° 6.000, E 124° 6.000 Typhoon IV 194 241 JTWC
29th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 25° 24.000, E 126° 36.000 Typhoon III 167 204 JTWC
30th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 29° 18.000, E 132° 6.000 Typhoon I 120 148 JTWC
01st Oct 2012 06:00:00 N 34° 48.000, E 137° 54.000 Tropical Depression 83 102 JTWC
Miriam (EP 13) Pacific Ocean – East 22.09.2012 26.09.2012 Hurricane II 310 ° 130 km/h 157 km/h 2.74 m NOAA NHC Details

 Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Miriam (EP 13)
Area: Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location: N 13° 42.000, W 107° 30.000
Start up: 22nd September 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 663.50 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
22nd Sep 2012 06:35:22 N 13° 42.000, W 107° 30.000 19 56 74 Tropical Depression 275 10 1005 MB NOAA NHC
23rd Sep 2012 06:07:18 N 14° 54.000, W 108° 30.000 13 74 93 Tropical Storm 300 15 1002 MB NOAA NHC
24th Sep 2012 08:09:13 N 16° 48.000, W 111° 18.000 19 148 185 Hurricane I. 305 15 979 MB NOAA NHC
25th Sep 2012 05:19:32 N 18° 30.000, W 113° 54.000 13 167 204 Hurricane II. 305 14 968 MB NOAA NHC
25th Sep 2012 10:37:14 N 18° 42.000, W 114° 18.000 9 167 204 Hurricane II. 310 10 968 MB NOAA NHC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
26th Sep 2012 10:58:11 N 19° 30.000, W 115° 30.000 9 111 139 Hurricane I 320 ° 15 990 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
27th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 21° 30.000, W 116° 0.000 Tropical Depression 83 102 NOAA NHC
27th Sep 2012 18:00:00 N 22° 24.000, W 116° 24.000 Tropical Depression 65 83 NOAA NHC
28th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 22° 54.000, W 116° 36.000 Tropical Depression 56 74 NOAA NHC
29th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 23° 12.000, W 116° 48.000 Tropical Depression 46 65 NOAA NHC
30th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 23° 30.000, W 117° 0.000 Tropical Depression 37 56 NOAA NHC
Ewiniar (19W) Pacific Ocean 24.09.2012 26.09.2012 Typhoon I 60 ° 93 km/h 120 km/h 4.88 m JTWC Details

 Tropical Storm data

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Storm name: Ewiniar (19W)
Area: Pacific Ocean
Start up location: N 18° 30.000, E 139° 0.000
Start up: 24th September 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 498.82 km
Top category.:
Report by: JTWC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
24th Sep 2012 08:04:10 N 18° 30.000, E 139° 0.000 26 46 65 Tropical Depression 335 17 JTWC
24th Sep 2012 10:42:45 N 19° 36.000, E 138° 54.000 20 56 74 Tropical Depression 350 17 JTWC
25th Sep 2012 05:14:15 N 21° 48.000, E 138° 18.000 15 74 93 Tropical Storm 355 15 JTWC
25th Sep 2012 10:28:32 N 22° 48.000, E 138° 30.000 19 74 93 Tropical Storm 10 10 JTWC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
26th Sep 2012 10:53:51 N 26° 24.000, E 142° 12.000 24 93 120 Typhoon I 40 ° 19 JTWC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
27th Sep 2012 18:00:00 N 31° 18.000, E 142° 30.000 Typhoon I 111 139 JTWC
27th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 29° 48.000, E 141° 42.000 Typhoon I 111 139 JTWC
28th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 32° 42.000, E 143° 48.000 Typhoon I 102 130 JTWC
29th Sep 2012 06:00:00 N 37° 24.000, E 148° 54.000 Tropical Depression 83 102 JTWC

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Radiation / Nuclear

Today Non-categorized event Russia [Asia] Novaya Zemlya archipelago, [K-27 Russian nuclear submarine wreck, Kara Sea] Damage level Details

Non-categorized event in Russia [Asia] on Wednesday, 26 September, 2012 at 05:57 (05:57 AM) UTC.

Description
A group of 16 Russian and Norwegian researchers who sailed to take measurements surrounding a Russian nuclear submarine that was scuttled for nuclear waste off the coast of the former Soviet nuclear test archipelago Novaya Zemlya in the Kara Sea have found no radioactive leaks, Norwegian radiation authorities said today. Per Strand, a director at the Norwegian Radiation Protection agency told Bellona, however, that the primary purpose of the expedition, which returned today, was to inspect the possibility of an uncontrolled chain reaction aboard the K-27 Russian nuclear submarine, which was sunk in 50 meters of water in Novaya Zemlya’s Stepovogo Bay in the Kara Sea as nuclear waste in 1981. “The Russian side indicated there might be a hypothetical possibility that spent nuclear fuel in the reactor in extreme situations could cause an uncontrolled chain reaction, which can lead to heat and radioactivity releases,” Strand said in a telephone interview from Kirkeness. The K-27, was dumped by the Soviet Navy in 1981, with spent nuclear fuel packed in its reactors, after a 1968 reactor leak aboard the killed nine sailors.The navy tried to repair it before deciding to seal the nuclear units and sinking the sub. The researchers also examined some 2000 containers of various kinds of radioactive waste that were dumped in Stepovogo Bay, but found no increase in radiation since the site was last inspected in 1994. Authorities in Russia and their counterparts in Norway, which lies about 965 kilometers to the west of the sunken sub, need to make a decision about a safe disposal of the K-27, which was the top priority of the expedition, Strand said. Strand said that the joint research team aboard the Ivan Petrov research vessel took sediment, plant and sea life samples. They also used a mini submarine to take photos of the K-27’s condition. Though emphasizing that all data collected is preliminary, Strand said it would “contribute to making decisions about whether the submarine needs to be lifted out of the water” for safer storage. “For now, the first priority will be the development of environmental impact studies based on the information we have collected to judge the feasibility of lifting the submarine,” he said. Norway’s number one focus for the moment, said Strand, will be developing an effective system of countermeasures should a chain reaction occur aboard the K-27.
Today Nuclear Event USA State of Minnesota, Monticello [Monticello Nuclear Power Plant] Damage level Details

Nuclear Event in USA on Wednesday, 26 September, 2012 at 03:28 (03:28 AM) UTC.

Description
Xcel Energy says its Monticello nuclear power plant automatically shut down Tuesday, Sept. 25, for unknown reasons. The shutdown occurred at 11:07 a.m. and all plant safety systems were functioning, the Minneapolis-based utility said Tuesday. The shutdown posed no danger to the public or the plant’s workers, Xcel officials said. The cause of the shutdown is under investigation. Xcel said it has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state. Monticello is located about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The 600-megawatt boiling water reactor plant was last shut down in August for seven days due to a leaking gasket on a pipe flange. Monticello also had a three-week shutdown last year that started on Nov. 19 when safety systems detected low oil pressure in the plant’s turbines, Xcel said at the time of the incident. In both previous shutdowns, Xcel said there was no danger to the public or workers. Monticello generates enough electricity to supply almost 500,000 homes. Xcel officials said the current shutdown is not expected to be lengthy.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Today Epidemic Hazard Denmark South Denmark, Odense [Odense University Hospital] Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Denmark on Wednesday, 26 September, 2012 at 03:07 (03:07 AM) UTC.

Description
Five persons showing symptoms of infection from a SARS-like virus have been admitted to Odense University Hospital (OUH), central Denmark, the hospital said in a press statement Tuesday. The five patients are currently being examined for symptoms of infection from a new corona virus, which can lead to severe respiratory disease. Corona viruses are a large family of viruses including those which cause the common cold, as well as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an outbreak of which killed some 800 people in 2003. The new corona virus is thought to have an incubation period lasting seven to 10 days, and has previously been found among patients who had traveled from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. OUH Director Jens Peter Steensen said to Danish media late Tuesday that the five patients, who are all Danish residents, will be tested for the new corona virus and for a range of more common triggers of respiratory infection. The results of these tests will be released Wednesday afternoon, Steensen said, adding the patients will be kept in isolation until then. On Monday, the Danish Health and Medicines Authority advised persons who had traveled to Qatar or Saudi Arabia to seek medical advice if they experienced fever, cough or difficulty breathing within ten days of their return from these countries. It followed a warning from British health officials who alerted the World Health Organization on Saturday of the new virus found in a man transferred from Qatar to the UK on Sept. 11.
Biohazard name: SARS (susp, human)
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.
Symptoms:
Status: suspected
26.09.2012 Epidemic Hazard Qatar Ad Dawhah, Qatar Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Qatar on Monday, 24 September, 2012 at 04:46 (04:46 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Tuesday, 25 September, 2012 at 03:03 UTC
Description
The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a global alert on Monday for a new SARS-like respiratory virus which left a man from Qatar critically ill in a London hospital and killed at least one more in Saudi Arabia. The 49-year-old Qatari was admitted to an intensive care unit in Doha on September 7 suffering from acute respiratory infection and kidney failure before being transferred to Britain by air ambulance on September 11, the WHO said. A Saudi Arabian national died earlier this year from a virtually identical virus, the WHO said, while Saudi medical authorities said they were investigating other possible cases of the disease. The WHO confirmed the illness was in the coronavirus family but was not SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which swept out of China in 2003, killing more than 800 people worldwide. “This is a new virus,” WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told AFP. “We haven’t heard of any more new cases. We don’t have an appreciation of how widespread the virus is,” Hartl said. “This is one reason why we’re trying to get more information. We don’t know how it’s transmitted.”The WHO said the Qatari first fell ill on September 3 after visiting Saudi Arabia. Britain’s Health Protection Agency confirmed the presence of the new coronavirus and then found that it was a 99.5 percent match with a virus obtained from the lung tissue of a 60-year-old Saudi man who died earlier this year. Coronaviruses are causes of the common cold but can also include more severe illnesses including SARS. In Riyadh, the health ministry revealed that a total of three people, including the Qatari man, had been diagnosed with the virus after spending time in Saudi Arabia, according to state media. The other two later died. The ministry said it would continue to “follow developments” linked to the disease “in coordination with international health organisations,” adding that “these are rare cases and the situation is reassuring”. The announcement comes ahead of next month’s annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca which will attract nearly three million believers, although the WHO said it did not recommend any travel restrictions. In Britain, the HPA, an organisation set up by the government to manage infectious diseases, meanwhile, stressed no-one else in Britain, including those who had come into contact with the man, were reporting symptoms. The HPA said the new virus was “different from any that have previously been identified in humans.” It said there were encouraging signs that it was not as infectious as SARS as there had been no evidence of illness in people who had been in contact with the Qatari or the Saudi, including in health workers.”Based on what we know about other coronaviruses, many of these contacts will already have passed the period when they could have caught the virus from the infected person,” it said. John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases at the HPA, said: “Immediate steps have been taken to ensure that people who have been in contact with the UK case have not been infected, and there is no evidence to suggest they have.” Peter Openshaw, director of the Centre for Respiratory Infection at Imperial College London, urged caution, saying any evidence of human-to-human transmission causing severe disease “would be very worrying”. But fellow expert John Oxford, professor at the University of London, said he was “somewhat relaxed” because he believed the illness was more likely to behave “like a nasty infection rather than join the ‘exception’ group like SARS.”

Epidemic Hazard in Qatar on Monday, 24 September, 2012 at 04:46 (04:46 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Tuesday, 25 September, 2012 at 05:15 UTC
Description
A previously unknown virus has appeared in both Saudi Arabia and in a traveler who recently returned from the country. The virus killed one and has left the other in intensive care in London. Officially, the World Health Organization called the disease a “novel coronavirus.” Coronaviruses include multiple viruses including the common cold and SARS, according to the WHO. SARS killed hundreds of people in Asia during a 2003 epidemic. British officials informed the World Health Organization over the weekend of the new virus in a man that had recently been sent to London for treatment from Qatar. The patient has since suffered renal failure. Health officials don’t know much about the new virus and the WHO said it’s “in the process of obtaining further information to determine the public health implications of the two confirmed cases.” However, the WHO is not recommending any travel restrictions at this time.
25.09.2012 Epidemic Hazard Canada Province of Ontario, [Southwestern area] Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Canada on Tuesday, 25 September, 2012 at 16:48 (04:48 PM) UTC.

Description
Ontario has found a case of an infection with a new swine flu virus, in a man who had close contact with pigs. The infection was caused by an H1N1-variant virus, which is not the swine flu virus that has been jumping from pigs to people in the United States this summer. That virus was an H3N2-variant, and has caused 305 infections this year in the U.S. but has not been spotted in Canada to date. Most infections with the H3N2-variant flu have been in people who visited pig barns at state and county fairs. The Ontario case was announced by the province’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Arlene King on Tuesday morning. Ms. King said the man is being treated in hospital in southwestern Ontario. She did not indicate whether that is as a precaution or because he is seriously ill. Health Minister Deb Matthews said the fact that the case was detected in Ontario demonstrates that the province has a strong surveillance system for infectious diseases.“It’s one case, the first we’ve seen in Ontario, but not really unexpected because there have been cases in the States,” Ms. Matthews told reporters on Tuesday. Ms. Matthews said health care providers in Ontario learned a lot about infectious diseases from the earlier outbreaks of SARS and H1N1. “Our hospitals know exactly what to do when they get a case,” she said. Ms. King said this new virus is one that rarely spreads from animals to people, and human-to-human spread is also rare. She stressed the discovery of the infection does not trigger food safety concerns. “Proper cooking of meats, including pork, kills all bacteria and viruses.” She also urged people to remember that hand washing and getting a flu shot are the best way to protect against contracting the flu. The term variant is added to flu virus names when viruses that normally circulate in animals cause infections in humans. In written form it is often shortened to a “v” at the end of the virus’s name. This H1N1v virus would be a distant cousin of the H1N1 viruses that have been circulating in people for most of the last century. That family includes the virus that cause the 2009 pandemic. But viruses within a large family group such as H1N1 can be sufficiently different from one another that antibodies to one won’t fully protect a person from becoming infected with another. U.S. authorities have also seen one case of infection with an H1N1v virus there this summer, in Missouri. Ms. King did not say whether the genetic blueprints of the Ontario and Missouri viruses were closely related.
Biohazard name: H3N2
Biohazard level: 2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

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Solar Activity

3MIN News Sept 25. 2012

Published on Sep 25, 2012 by

2012 Pole Shift Video: http://youtu.be/uI10tKuLtFU

TODAY’S LINKS
GOES14 Takes the Stage: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/MediaDetail2.php?MediaID=1195&MediaTypeID=1
Jupiter Explosion: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-explosion-jupiter.html
Arab Cyclones: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-tropical-cyclones-arabian-sea-due.html
Arctic Methane Mission: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-methane-gas-arctic-seafloor.html
Great Barrier Reef Climate Change: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-climate-great-barrier-reef.html
Grim Prediction: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-arctic-ice-cap.html
Europa Water: http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/5043/water-near-europas-surface-doesnt-s…

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

US Wind Map: http://hint.fm/wind/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.html

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php

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Space

BIG SUN-DIVING COMET DISCOVERED:

Astronomy forums are buzzing with speculation about newly-discovered Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). Currently located beyond the orbit of Jupiter, Comet ISON is heading for a very close encounter with the sun next year. In Nov. 2013, it will pass less than 0.012 AU (1.8 million km) from the solar surface. The fierce heating it experiences then could turn the comet into a bright naked-eye object. (continued below)


Comet ISON photographed by E. Guido, G. Sostero & N. Howes on Sept. 24. [more]

Much about this comet–and its ultimate fate–remains unknown. “At this stage we’re just throwing darts at the board,” says Karl Battams of the NASA-supported Sungrazer Comet Project, who lays out two possibilities:

“In the best case, the comet is big, bright, and skirts the sun next November. It would be extremely bright — negative magnitudes maybe — and naked-eye visible for observers in the Northern Hemisphere for at least a couple of months.”

“Alternately, comets can and often do fizzle out! Comet Elenin springs to mind as a recent example, but there are more famous examples of comets that got the astronomy community seriously worked up, only to fizzle. This is quite possibly a ‘new’ comet coming in from the Oort cloud, meaning this could be its first-ever encounter with the Sun. If so, with all those icy volatiles intact and never having been truly stressed (thermally and gravitationally), the comet could well disrupt and dissipate weeks or months before reaching the sun.”

“Either of the above scenarios is possible, as is anything in between,” Battams says. “There’s no doubt that Comet ISON will be closely watched. Because the comet is so far away, however, our knowledge probably won’t develop much for at least a few more months.”

Meanwhile, noted comet researcher John Bortle has pointed out a curious similarity between the orbit of Comet ISON and that of the Great Comet of 1680. “Purely as speculation,” he says, “perhaps the two bodies could have been one a few revolutions ago.”

Stay tuned for updates.

AUTUMN LIGHTS:

The onset of northern autumn means it’s aurora season. For reasons researchers don’t fully understand, equinoxes are the best times to see Northern Lights. And, right on cue, the Arctic Circle is glowing. Marianne Bergli sends this picture of auroras shimmering directly above Storfjord, Norway:

“Last night it was difficult to select [which part of the sky to photograph]. The auroras were dancing everywhere,” says Bergli. “Eventually I was just lying on my back looking up. It was absolutely, unbelievable wonderful.”

As the week begins, the solar wind velocity is low (~350 km/s), but at this time of year it only takes a gentle gust to ignite bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras

 Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
(2002 EZ2) 26th September 2012 0 day(s) 0.1922 74.8 270 m – 610 m 6.76 km/s 24336 km/h
(2012 SM8) 26th September 2012 0 day(s) 0.0376 14.6 15 m – 33 m 5.57 km/s 20052 km/h
334412 (2002 EZ2) 26th September 2012 0 day(s) 0.1922 74.8 270 m – 600 m 6.76 km/s 24336 km/h
(2012 SL50) 27th September 2012 1 day(s) 0.0073 2.8 14 m – 31 m 12.04 km/s 43344 km/h
(2012 QF42) 27th September 2012 1 day(s) 0.1095 42.6 130 m – 280 m 8.67 km/s 31212 km/h
(2012 SY49) 28th September 2012 2 day(s) 0.0067 2.6 19 m – 42 m 15.84 km/s 57024 km/h
(2012 SJ32) 28th September 2012 2 day(s) 0.0297 11.6 26 m – 59 m 8.11 km/s 29196 km/h
(2012 SM50) 30th September 2012 4 day(s) 0.1074 41.8 36 m – 81 m 8.68 km/s 31248 km/h
(2012 RH10) 03rd October 2012 7 day(s) 0.1260 49.0 98 m – 220 m 12.90 km/s 46440 km/h
(2012 QE50) 09th October 2012 13 day(s) 0.0809 31.5 450 m – 1.0 km 11.47 km/s 41292 km/h
(1994 EK) 14th October 2012 18 day(s) 0.1356 52.8 230 m – 520 m 12.22 km/s 43992 km/h
(2012 PA20) 15th October 2012 19 day(s) 0.1502 58.5 100 m – 230 m 10.36 km/s 37296 km/h
(2012 RV16) 18th October 2012 22 day(s) 0.1270 49.4 310 m – 700 m 16.14 km/s 58104 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife / Hazmat

Today Biological Hazard USA State of Washington, [Seattle region] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in USA on Wednesday, 26 September, 2012 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.

Description
Experts and citizen scientists are tracking the “zombie bee” infection across the country. The insects have a parasite that causes them to fly at night and lurch around erratically until they die. The infection is another threat to bees that are needed to pollinate crops, in addition to the mysterious ailment “colony collapse disorder.” The infection is as grim as it sounds: “Zombie bees” have a parasite that causes them to fly at night and lurch around erratically until they die. And experts say the condition has crept into Washington state. “I joke with my kids that the zombie apocalypse is starting at my house,” said Mark Hohn, a novice beekeeper who spotted the infected insects at his suburban Seattle home. Hohn returned from vacation a few weeks ago to find many of his bees either dead or flying in jerky patterns and then flopping on the floor. He remembered hearing about zombie bees, so he collected several of the corpses and popped them into a plastic bag. About a week later, the Kent man had evidence his bees were infected: the pupae of parasitic flies. “Curiosity got the better of me,” Hohn said. The zombie bees were the first to be confirmed in Washington state, The Seattle Times reported. San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik first discovered zombie bees in California in 2008.Hafernik now uses a website to recruit citizen scientists like Hohn to track the infection across the country. Observers also have found zombie bees in Oregon and South Dakota. The infection is another threat to bees that are needed to pollinate crops. Hives have been failing in recent years due to a mysterious ailment called colony collapse disorder, in which all the adult honey bees in a colony suddenly die. The life cycle of the fly that infects zombie bees is reminiscent of the movie “Alien,” the newspaper reported. A small adult female lands on the back of a honeybee and injects eggs into the bee’s abdomen. The eggs hatch into maggots. “They basically eat the insides out of the bee,” Hafernik said. After consuming their host Relevant Products/Services, the maggots pupate, forming a hard outer shell that looks like a fat, brown grain of rice. That’s what Hohn found in the plastic bag with the dead bees. Adult flies emerge in three to four weeks. There’s no evidence yet that the parasitic fly is a major player in the bees’ decline, but it does seem the pest is targeting new hosts, said Steve Sheppard, chairman of the entomology department at Washington State University. “It may occur a lot more widely than we think,” he said. That’s what Hafernik hopes to find out with his website, zombeewatch.org. The site offers simple instructions for collecting suspect bees, watching for signs of parasites and reporting the results. Once more people start looking, the number of sightings will probably climb, Hohn said.
Biohazard name: Colony collapse disorder (bees)
Biohazard level: 3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

……………….

Today HAZMAT USA State of  , Charlotte [Emerald Performance Materials plant] Damage level Details

HAZMAT in USA on Wednesday, 26 September, 2012 at 06:00 (06:00 AM) UTC.

Description
Mecklenburg County and Charlotte fire fighters responded to the Emerald Performance Materials plant Tuesday to help contain an acid spill. The West Mecklenburg Fire Department was the first on scene at about 9 p.m. Soon after, they called for the hazmat team from the Charlotte Fire Department. Hazmat teams determined the spill was triflic acid. A pipe that was malfunctioning caused the leak. One employee was treated on the scene for chemical burns. He was not taken to the hospital, firefighters said. Triflic acid is extremely strong acid, often called a “super acid,” according to manufacturers. It is used to make a variety of products. Investigators told WBTV News an improper mixture of chemicals caused a chemical cloud, that plant operators feared was caustic, caused the incident. Hazmat crews were able to control the spill and contain it to the plant. The scene was cleared in about an hour, and hazmat crews said there was no environmental impact.

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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

Food Safety

Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Hits Illinois Hard

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Illinois has been hard hit by the cantaloupe Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 204 people in 22 states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Illinois residents account for about 12 percent of all reported cases nationwide. So far, 24 people from 11 counties in that state have confirmed cases of Salmonella poisoning. And at least eight of them had cases so severe that they needed to be hospitalized.

The tainted cantaloupes were grown on Chamberlain Farms Produce, Inc. of Owensville, Indiana and were distributed throughout the country. Retailers who reported removing cantaloupes from their shelves include Walmart, Krogers, Schnucks, Meijer and Marsh.

“Illinois consumers should check for and ask about the origin of recently purchased cantaloupe, and discard any cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana,” said Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. “Anyone who becomes ill after eating cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana should seek medical attention immediately.”

Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps developing 12 to 72 hours after exposure and lasting up to seven days. For some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that hospitalization is required. Those most at risk include older adults, infants, and those with impaired immune systems. Infections that travel from the GI tract to the bloodstream can be fatal id they are not treated quickly with antibiotics. In this outbreak 78 people have been hospitalized, and two people from Kentucky have died.

Get Salmonella help here.

Case counts by state are as follows: Alabama (13), Arkansas (5), California (2), Florida (1), Georgia (4), Illinois (24), Indiana (22), Iowa (8), Kentucky (63), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (6), Minnesota (5), Mississippi (5), Missouri (13), New Jersey (2), North Carolina (5), Ohio (5), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (8), Texas (2), and Wisconsin (4).

Swine Flu Kills 61-Year-Old Ohio Woman

Not transmissible to people through eating properly cooked pork

Food Safety News

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Friday announced the nation’s first known H3N2v-associated (swine flu) death.
Testing involving a 61-year-old Madison County woman at the Ohio Department of Health Laboratory confirmed that the individual had been infected with the H3N2v influenza virus.
The patient had multiple other underlying medical conditions, but the influenza virus may have contributed to the death.
The deceased woman is known to have had direct contact with swine at the Ross County fair before becoming ill.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main risk factor for infection is direct exposure to swine. CDC points out that the virus does not spread easily from person-to-person, but limited human-to-human infection has occurred.
Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs, according to CDC.
 ”H3N2v, like many other viruses, has the greatest potential to impact those with weakened immune systems,” said Dr. Ted Wymyslo, Director of ODH. “We have been seeing a mild illness in most individuals infected with the H3N2v virus, so there’s no need for alarm. However, it is important for those at-risk individuals to take extra precautions like avoiding swine exhibits to protect themselves.”
Ohio is currently reporting 102 cases of H3N2v statewide. Those with confirmed cases of H3N2v are between the ages of 6 months and 61 years old. Most ill individuals have recovered on their own or were treated and released after a short stay in the hospital.
At this time, surveillance indicates that the individuals most likely became ill with the flu virus after exposure to swine. At-risk individuals (children younger than 5 years old, people 65 years and older, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic conditions such as asthma and other lung diseases, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune system, and neurologic or neurodevelopmental disorders) should avoid exposure to pigs and swine barns during this fair season.
Those attending fairs should remember:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and running water before and after exposure to animals;
- Never eat, drink or put things in your mouth in animal areas, and don’t take food or drink into animal areas;
- Leave baby strollers parked outside of areas with pigs;
- Young children, pregnant women, people 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems should be extra careful around animals;
- If you have animals – including swine – watch them for signs of illness and call a veterinarian if you suspect they might be sick;
- Avoid close contact with animals that look or act ill, when possible;
- Avoid contact with swine if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
If you are sick:
- If you are at high risk and you get flu symptoms, call a health care provider. Tell them about your risk factor, other medical conditions and your flu symptoms. If you have recently been exposed to swine, tell them about that too.
- If you are not at high risk and you get flu symptoms after exposure to pigs, seek medical care as you normally would.

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Recalls

World Foods Recalls Winn-Dixie Products Made with Recalled Daniella Mangoes

Food Poisoning Bulletin

World Foods is recalling products it distributes to retail supermarkets that contain Daniella mangoes recalled by Splendid Products. The mangoes may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup that are linked to a nationwide outbreak. The products were distributed to stores in central and south Florida.

The recalled products include: Garden Highway Tropical Salsa in 11 ounce packages, with UPC code 8.26766-42210.4 and code dates 8/31/2012 and 9/1/2012. Generic/Winn Dixie Stores brand Fresh Island Medley in 1 pound pack, with UPC number 0.21140-01696.6 and code dates 8/30/2012 and 8/31/2012. Also recalled are Generic/Winn-Dixie Stores brand Fresh Fruit Burst Bowl in 1 pound pack, with UPC number 0.21140-01701.7 and code dates 8/30/2012 and 8/31/2012. And finally, Generic/Winn-Dixie Stores brand Fresh Fruit Burst Bowl in 1.5 pound pack is recalled, with UPC number 0.21140-01707.9 and code dates 8/30/2012 and 8/31/2012.

All affected products have a plant code P-009 on the label next to the UPC bar code. No other World Foods LLC products or code dates are affected by this recall. If you have purchased these products, discard them. For questions, call the company at 1-407-851-4504 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.

Hannaford Recalls Mango Products for Possible Salmonella

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Hannaford Bros. Co. is recalling several products made with recalled Daniella mangoes. The fruit may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup and may be linked to a nationwide outbreak that has sickened 105 people in 16 states.

Hannaford Mango Spears in 16 ounce packages with Sell by date of August 28, 2012 are recalled. In addition, Hannaford Fruit Burst in 10 ounce, 20 ounce, and 4-pound packages, with Sell by date of August 28, 2012 is recalled. And finally, Hannaford Tropical Medley in 16 ounce packages, with Sell by date of August 28, 2012 is recalled.

The store has also removed Daniella brand mangoes with PLU #4051 from its stores as part of a larger recall by Splendid Products. Do not eat these products if you have purchased them. Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Or dispose of the product in a sealed container and bring the receipt or sticker back to the store for a refund.

EphBurn Dietary Supplement Recalled for Ephedrine Alkaloids

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Brand new Energy re-sale distributor is recalling all lot codes of EphBurn 25. The FDA has notified them that one lot of EphBurn 25 was sampled and found to contain ephedrine alkaloids, making it an unapproved drug.

Ephedrine is a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, and decongestant. Adverse effects of this drug include elevated blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, nerve damage, muscle injury, psychosis, and memory loss. More serious side effects include heart attack, stroke, seizure, and death. But there have been no reports of adverse events associated with the consumption of this product.

The recall affects all lot codes and use-by dates of EphBurn 25. The product is a 90-count bottle with red capsules. It displays the product name “ephBURN 25″ in white letters on a red label. There is no UPC code. EphBurn 25 was discontinued on or about May 2012.

If you have purchased this product, immediately discontinue use. Contact your healthcare provider if you have experienced any problems. Report adverse side effects at Medwatch. For questions, call 1-888-234-2595 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm PT.

Klement Bratwurst Patties Recalled for Foreign Materials

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Klement Sausage Company of Wisconsin is recalling about 2,920 pounds of frozen bratwurst patties because they may contain pieces of ap lstic pen. The product is 10-pound cases containing 4-ounce patties of Klement Sausage Co. Bratwurst Patty.

The products were produced on July 6, 2012. The packages have the establishment number “EST. 2426B” in the USDA mark of inspection. Each case label has the batch number “21097″. The products were distributed for foodservice use in Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

The problem was discovered when food preparation personnel discovered the foreign matter while cooking the product. There have been no reports of injury or illness associated with the consumption of this product. If you have questions, call Jeff Klement, the company’s vice president of special products, at 414-744-2330 extenion 244.

Stop & Shop Recalls Splendid Products LLC Daniella Mangoes

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is recalling Daniella mangoes it received from Splendid Products for possible Salmonella Braenderup contamination. The mangoes were purchased between July 12, 2012 and August 24, 2012. The mangoes have PLU #4959.

Stop & Shop says it is aware of illnesses reported in Canada and associated with this recall. If you have purchased this product, discard it and bring the receipt to Stop & Shop for a full refund. You can call Stop & Shop Customer Service at 800-767-7772 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm for more information. Stop & Shop stores are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey.

These mangoes may be linked to a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup that has sickened 105 people in 16 states. The FDA and CDC are still investigating this outbreak and they may announce other products linked to the outbreak.

BI-LO Recalls Daniella Brand Mangoes for Salmonella Braenderup

BI-LO is recalling whole Daniella brand mangoes for possible Salmonella Braenderup contamination. The mangoes, imported from Mexico, were sold in stores between July 12, 2012 and August 27, 2012. The fruit was sold as individual fruit and can be identified by the Daniella brand sticker and UPC number 0-00000-04051.

The recall is for fruit sold in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The company has received no reports of illness associated with this product, but the mangoes are linked to a nationwide outbreak that has sickened 105 people in 16 states. Do not eat the mangoes; discard them, or return to BI-LO for a refund. You must have proof of purchase to receive a refund.

For questions, call BI-LO customer relations department at 1-800-862-9293. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET. If you have purchased mangoes that do not have a sticker, consult the store to find out where they came from.

Ready Pac Recalls Package Fruit With Daniella Brand Mangoes

Food Safety News

Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac Foods Inc. Saturday recalled about 30 package fruit products containing mangoes, distributed through Aug. 30, 2012, for potential Salmonella Braenderup contamination.
The package fruit products contain Daniella Brand mangoes previously recalled by Splendid Products, the supplier.
The Ready Pac  recall is part of an ongoing food safety investigation in the United States and Canada.
There have been several confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of Daniella brand mangoes contained in the Ready Pac fruit products.
The Ready Pac Foods fruit products were distributed in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Washington D.C., Florida,

readypac_320x175.png

Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Canada.
Consumers who may have purchased the products should check the Ready Pac website for a complete list of products, use-by dates, and UPC codes.
Ready Pac is asking retailers to check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the products are present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories.
Customer service representatives are contacting all the retail stores impacted and are in the process of confirming that the recalled products are not in the stream of commerce.
Consumers with questions may contact Ready Pac  at 1-800-800-7822 M-F 8am-pm PDT.

More Mexican Mangoes Recalled By A Northeast Distributor

Food Safety News

More Mexican grown mangoes have been recalled, this time by New Jersey’s F&S Produce Co. Inc., which distributes in the Northeast U.S.
The company recalled products containing fresh cut mangoes for possible Salmonella Braenderup contamination. Several brand names, some familiar, are involved. F&S said the recalled products have an expiration date of Aug. 28.
The F&S recall is part of an ongoing food safety investigation by both the United States and Canada.

mangobox.jpg

There have been more than 100 confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of Daniella brand mangoes from Mexico.  None of the illnesses have yet been connected to F&S products.
Five lots of Daniella brand mangoes have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada while officials in the two counties try to pin point the problem.  No deaths have yet been connected to the outbreak.
F&S said its products with mangoes that fall under the various recalls were distributed to grocery and convenience stores in the Northeast and were processed between  Aug. 9 and 19.  F&S switched to using mangoes from Brazil for packages with use or sell-by dates on or after Aug. 29.
The company has asked retailers to remove the recalled products from store shelves. The F&S recalled products by label, all with an expiration date of Aug. 28, unless otherwise noted include:
-Delish!: Mango Spears 5 ounce Cantaloupe; Mango, Pineapple Spears 5 ounce; Fruit Burst 10 ounce; Tropical Medley 10 ounce; Mango and Berry Mix 10 ounce; Mango Spears 1 lb.
-Garden Highway: Mango Medley 1 lb.; Tropical Mango Spinach Salad 7 ounce.
-Garden Pure: Mango Chunks 5 lb.; Mango 9 ounce ; Fruit Medley 3 lb.; Seasonal Fruit Bowl 4 lb.
-Signature Café: Fruit Basket Medley 30 ounce.
-Trader Joe’s: Tropical Fruit Medley 1 lb.

-Signature Café: Fruit Basket Medley 30 ounce.
-Generic Label, sold at Wal-Mart (expiration date Aug. 25): Mango Spears 1 lb.

In Canada, Glatt’s Ground Beef and Veal Recalled for E. coli 0157:H7

The CFIA and Continental Strictly Kosher Meat, Poultry and Delicatessen Products are recalling ground beef and ground veal products because they may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. The following Glatt’s brand products are being recalled: lean ground veal, lean ground beef, medium ground beef, and medium ground beef club pack.

You can see where these products were sold at the CFIA web site. You can also see label photos at that web site. If you have purchased these products, discard them. Please check your home freezers to see if you have the products. And if you’re not sure if you purchased these products or not, check with your retailer.

There have not been any confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of these products. For more information, call Continental at 514-522-1196, or the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342.

Soybean Sprouts and Tofu Recalled For Listeria

Food Safety News

Newark, NJ-based Manna Organics, Inc. on Sunday recalled various soybean sprouts and tofu products listed because they have the potential to be contaminated with potentially deadly Listeria monocytogenes.
No illnesses have yet been associated with the recall.

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Manna Organics became concerned about possible contamination after random testing by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets discovered Listeria in a 16 oz. package of of SOONYEOWON SOYBEAN SPROUTS.
Not known is whether New York’s testing was done under USDA’s 11-year old  Microbiological Data Program (MDP), which the Obama Administration is ending at the end of this growing season at the behest of the produce industry, or whether it was done on the state’s own nickel.
The company has suspended production while it investigates the problem with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Consumers who have purchased any of the items listed are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-862-267-3400. Hours of operation are 9 AM to 5 PM EST, Monday through Friday.
The recalled products were distributed to various restaurants, retailers, and distributors in NY, NJ, PA, MA, VA, MD, CT, GA, IL, and TX on or after July 17, 2012.
The Jinga Firm and Soft, SooNyeoWon Firm and Soft Tofu are packaged in a square 16-ounce white plastic container with the label sealed on top with UPC Codes: 0 28346 09112 4, 0 28346 09111 7, 0 28346 07812 5 and 0 28346 07814 9. Expiration date of September 9, 2012 or later is printed in black on top of the label.
The 5 pieces and 10 pieces tofu are packaged in a white plastic bucket. The 5 pieces and 10 pieces are lidded and labeled in Korean “Healthy Tofu” with UPC Codes 0 28346 09125 4 and 0 28346 09129 2. Affected products have an expiration date of July 25, 2012 or later.
The Soy Milk is packaged in a 1.3 gallon white plastic pail.
The Large Tofu Bucket(30 pieces), Soon tofu, and Small Tofu are packaged in a large, white plastic pail enclosed in a plastic bag labeled TOFU with the company name, address, and nutritional information listed directly below. Affected products have an expiration date of July 25, 2012 or later.
SooNyeoWon Silken Tofu is packaged in a small 14-ounce square plastic container with the label sealed on top. It has a UPC Code of 0 28346 09113 1. There is an expiration date printed in black on top of the label. Affected products have an expiration date of September 9, 2012 or later.
The Soybean Sprouts 16-ounce products come in a clear plastic sealed bag colored in red or green with the labels SOONYEOWON SOYBEAN SPROUTS or SOONYEOWON HEALTHY SOYBEAN SPROUTS with UPC Codes 0 28346 07121 8 and 0 28346 07140 9. The Soybean Sprouts 10lbs. and 5 lbs. bags come in a clear hand tied plastic poly bag labeled SPROUTS with the company info directly beneath it.
See the attached table for more information.

Recall of Sea Salt Product For Not Listing Milk As Allergen

Food SafetyNews

The San Francisco-based Somersault Snack Co., LLC has recalled some of its Somersaults Pacific Sea Salt (6 oz.) for a packaging mistake.
“Limited quantities of Somersaults Santa Fe Salsa flavored product were inadvertently commingled with Somersaults Pacific Sea Salt flavored product in packages labeled as Somersaults Pacific Sea Salt,” the snack firm said.

seasalt_320x175.png

“The inadvertent commingling of these two products introduced another allergen (milk) to the Somersaults Pacific Sea Salt (6oz). packages, and that allergen (milk) is not listed on the packaging as either an ingredient or an allergen.
The sell-by date and UPC number on the product is: MAR1113 G6 / UPC Product Code: 8-98403-00201-7.   The Sell By Date is located on the back of the package, in the middle, above the sunflower graphics,
and the UPC Product Code is located below the UPC bar code.
People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of an allergic reaction if they consume the affected product. The product was distributed to retail stores nationwide. No allergic reactions have been reported.
Somersault Snack Co. has taken the precautionary measure of notifying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is voluntarily recalling approximately 418 cases of the product shown.
Somersault Snack Co. will work with retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are removed from store shelves.
In the event that consumers believe they have purchased products affected by this voluntary recall, they should return the product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. Consumers or customers with questions may call 415-275-1247 for more information.

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Articles of Interest

Consumer Groups Sue Obama Administration Over Stalled FSMA Regulations

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Two consumer groups have sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the delay in implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Four critical regulations have been delayed at OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for more than eight months, making the Act “unlawfully delayed for more than a year and a half,” according to the complaint.

FSMA was signed into law in January 2011, but the FDA has failed to put seven food safety regulations into effect. The lawsuit was filed in Federal Court on Thursday, August 30, 2012 by the Center for Environmental Health and the Center for Food Safety. Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement, “if the Obama administration has lost the political will to make FSMA a reality, we’re here to help them find it. It’s a disgrace that a crucial, lifesaving law sits idle while the bureaucracies of FDA and OMB grind along without a hint of results.”

FSMA was established to update the food safety laws in the United States. The FDA was given the power to require preventive controls in the food supply, to inspect food producers, and ensure imported foods meet U.S. safety standards. Meanwhile, two major outbreaks linked to imported foods have occurred this year. The Salmonella Bareilly outbreak in tuna imported from India, and the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak in Mexican mangoes, have sickened hundreds of Americans.

This is not the first time groups have pressured the White House to release the delayed rules. In April 2012, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) called on the White House to implement the regulations. And in March 2012, the Consumer Federation of America urged the Obama administration to release the proposals.

The lawsuit seeks a court order to impose a deadline to require the FDA to enact FSMA regulations and prevents the OMB from delaying the FDA’s compliance. Charles Margulis, Food Program Director at Center for Environmental Health said, “this unreasonable and dangerous political food-dragging on FSMA has to stop now. While illness outbreaks continue and Americans question the health and safety of their food supply, FDA issues excuses instead of new regulations.”

Food Safety Was Never at Risk at Central Valley Meat

Food safety was never at risk at Central Valley Meat, which was shut down for a week for inhumane treatment of animals.
But USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has concluded that no downer cows entered the food supply, meaning incidents of inhumane treatment did not result in any food safety violations.

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The Hanford, CA slaughterhouse was subjected to an undercover video sting by an animal rights group that produced disturbing footage of inhumane treatment of animals at the plant.
It brought potentially devastating losses to Central Valley Meat, with customers including USDA, Costco, McDonald’s and In-N-Out Burger.
But the concern about downer cattle entering the food supply is apparently unfounded.
“The USDA team conducting the Central Valley Meat investigation has concluded there is no evidence to support the allegation that a downer cow was slaughtered and entered the food supply, and that no food safety violation occurred as a result,” FSIS Administrator Al Almanza told Meatingplace, the industry news service.
Central Valley Meat said it is ready to resume full operations. It reopened with more video surveillance cameras installed, more training for those employees stunning animals and tighter rules for handling animals that become non-ambulatory while in transit from farm to plant.
FSIS took what it said was “aggressive action” to investigate the incident involving “evidence of inhumane treatment of cattle.” The agency received a copy of the undercover video from the animal right groups that took it.
With no downer cows entering the food supply, USDA did not demand the recall of any meat.  By comparison, the 2008 animal cruelty investigation at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, CA brought the one of the largest recalls in history — 143 million pounds of beef — because downer cows has entered the food supply.
Valley Meat Packing Co. did, at least temporarily, lose the business of Costco, In-N-Out Burgers, McDonald’s and USDA. In reopening the company said it was going to improve monitoring and deploy more third-party audits of its operations.

Grand Jury Indicts Meat Company Owners in Nebraska

Food Safety News

A federal grand jury in Nebraska has indicted Paul Rosberg, 61, and Kelly Rosberg, 44,  on six counts stemming from the sale of misbranded and/or non-inspected meat and meat products to  Omaha Public Schools.  Both men are from Wausa, NE.

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If convicted, each man could be sentenced to 3 to 5 years in federal prison, and fined from $10,000 to $250,000 on each of the six counts along with requirements that any release be supervised and fees paid.
Count one charges the pair with conspiracy with the intent to defraud.   The second count charges Kelly  Rosberg with selling 2,600 pounds of ground beef that was labeled as inspected by the USDA when it was not.
Count three charges both men with selling on or about Sept. 19, 2011 ground beef that was not inspected by USDA.  In other words, the indictment is for both the mislabeling ground beef as inspected when it was not and for actually selling beef outside the required USDA inspection.
The fourth count against both men is for representing the 2,600 pounds of beet was USDA inspected,   Counts  five and six are against Paul Rosberg for making a false statements on or about Nov. 3, 2011 to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Deborah Gilg, U.S. District Attorney for Nebraska, announced the indictments.
The pair were caught by a joint investigation of USDA’s Office of Program Evaluation, Enforcement and Review (OPEER) and the Inspector General (IG).
Information development by investigators led to the issuance of a search warrant  for Nebraska’s Finest Meats, which led to the confiscation of records, labels, equipment and other evidence in the case.
Nebraska’s Finest Meats has suspended operations.
Omaha Public Schools, with about 50,000 K-12 students, are Nebraska’s largest.

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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

Food Safety

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cantaloupes Extends to West Virginia

OpenCantaloupeMain.jpgWV man hospitalized; 3 more ill in MO

Four more cases of Salmonella, including the first case in West Virginia, have been reported as part of a growing outbreak linked to cantaloupes from a farm in southwestern Indiana.

Missouri has increased its victim count from the 9 it originally reported to 12, reported the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, while West Virginia counted its first case — a 47-year-old man who was hospitalized for 6 days at the end of July.

These new developments bring the total number of cases up from 141 in 20 states, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its initial update, to 145 in 21 states.
Neither CDC nor the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have updated their outbreak reports to reflect these new numbers.
The Missouri Department of Health says it is conducting interviews with victims. So far, at least 3 reported eating cantaloupes before becoming ill.
The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department in West Virginia is investigating the illness in that state, which occurred in Kanawha County. The Department warns that other people may still be at risk for infection.
“We want to make sure to put the word out to individuals because there’s still the chance they could still be in trouble,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of K-CHD Monday, according to NY Daily News.
And that advice extends nationwide. Anyone who purchased cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana should discard them and not consume them. Many large retailers have taken cantaloupes grown in this reason off of store shelves.
Health officials are refraining from naming the farm whose cantaloupes have been implicated in this outbreak until they can confirm that the farm is the source.
See Food Safety News‘ coverage of advice from experts on cantaloupe safety for information on how to avoid foodborne illness from cantaloupes in light of both this outbreak and a recent recall of melons from North Carolina due to potential Listeria contamination.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection include fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, headache and body aches.
If you think you may have contracted a Salmonella infection, contact your healthcare provider.

USDA Bought 21 Million Pounds of Beef Last Year from Slaughterhouse Now Closed for Animal Abuse

Purchases from Central Valley Meat Co. were worth nearly $50 million in 2011

The U.S. Department of Agriculture purchased 21.2 million pounds of beef last year from Central Valley Meat, the plant shut down this week for inhumane treatment of cows. The beef went to federal nutrition programs like the National School Lunch Program, according to department records.

Though undercover video shows egregious mistreatment of spent dairy cows at the company’s slaughterhouse, some of which appear lame or injured, USDA said Wednesday there is so far no evidence that so-called “downer” animals — those who can no longer walk — were slaughtered for human consumption. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s investigation is ongoing.

As recently as 2009, Central Valley Meat was one of the top three suppliers of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program, but USDA has so far not responded to questions about current contracts with the company.

Records posted on USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service website show that between October 2010 and September 2011, the USDA purchased 21.2 million pounds of various beef products, including ground beef and boneless beef, from Central Valley Meat. Five separate purchases, ranging from 40,000 pounds to 6.9 million pounds, were made for a total of $49.7 million.

According to the overview of purchases, the USDA purchased around 135 million pounds of beef products during the fiscal year. Purchases from Central Valley Meat accounted for roughly 16 percent of beef purchases by volume during that time.

A graphic excerpt of the video, which animal rights group Compassion Over Killing says was shot by an undercover worker at Central Valley Meat, shows cows before slaughter covered in dirt and feces, some writhing on the ground and bleeding on themselves after being bolted several times but not rendered senseless. Several cows are shown projectile vomiting, presumably from stress, while being hit repeatedly with the bolt gun.

One cow is shown being suffocated by a worker who stands on the animal’s snout. Some cows seem to survive the bolt gun and get sent down the assembly line still thrashing as they are strung upside down before being bled out. Another clip shows cows being sprayed with hot water and electrically prodded to move them.

Shortly after learning about the video, popular fast food chain In-N-out Burger announced they had severed ties with the company, which had previously been supplying between 20 and 30 percent of the chain’s beef.

Renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin issued a statement Wednesday condemning certain practices featured in the video, but also questioned why some of the sick cows were not euthanized instead of being shipped to a slaughter facility.

“Some of the major issues in the video originate due to the poor condition of the animals arriving at the plant, many of which should have been euthanized on the farm,” said Grandin. “I urge the dairy industry to market their cows before they become weak and extremely debilitated.”

Central Valley Meat Co responded Monday by saying that it was cooperating fully with the USDA investigation.

“At Central Valley Meat Co., ensuring that the livestock we process are treated humanely is critically important,” said Brian Coelho, president of the company, in a statement. “Our company seeks not just to meet federal humane handling regulations, but to exceed them.”

Coelho said he was “extremely disturbed” to be told by USDA of the allegations, but the company has not yet commented on the contents of the video.

Update:

“Beef purchases from this company have been suspended during the investigation,” said a USDA spokesman in a statement late Wednesday. “The Department works to ensure that product purchased for the Federal feeding programs meets stringent food safety standards and that processors comply with humane handling regulations. While some of the footage provided from this facility shows unacceptable treatment of cattle, it does not show anything that would compromise food safety. However, we are aggressively continuing our investigation.”

Suppliers to federal nutrition programs are required to have animal welfare plans in place and they are subject to on-site audits.  According to USDA policy, audit scheduling is performance-based with a minimum of two audits a year.

According to Compassion Over Killing, their investigator who shot the undercover video worked at the plant in June and July 2012. The last audit of Central Valley Meats was completed on July 24, 2012.

Indiana’s Chamberlain Farms Named As Source of Bad Cantaloupe

Salmonella case-count up to 178, with 61 hospitalizations and 2 deaths attributed to contaminated melons

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Wednesday night announced a recall of cantaloupe grown by Chamberlain Farms located at Owensville, IN.
Previously, FDA declined to name the cantaloupe farm involved in an ongoing outbreak of foodborne illnesses spreading across the country.
Cantaloupe from Chamberlain Farms “may be one source” of contamination in the multi-state outbreak of salmonellosis, FDA said in the announcement.

cantaloupesatmarket-iphone.jpg

Chamberlain Farms agreed to remove their cantaloupe from the market place after meeting the health officials from FDA, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State of Indiana.
Salmonella Typhimurium is the cause of the outbreak that previously being attributed to an un-named cantaloupe farm in southwestern Indiana.
So far, 178 in 21 states have been sickened in the outbreak, which has result in two deaths.
FDA said records at Chamberlain Farms indicate the cantaloupe was originally shipped to Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Food Safety News has asked FDA for a wholesale-retail distribution list for cantaloupes from Chamberlain Farms.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) routinely provides such lists for Class I recalls like this one where there is an immediate threat to public health.   ”We don’t have the distribution list yet,” said Shelly Burgess, FDA’s spokeswoman.
Chamberlain’s melons were sold in local retail outsells in four counties in southwest Indiana and one county in southeast Illinois before being shipped to wholesalers in Durant, IA, Peru, IL, Owensboro, KY, and St Louis.
However, Chamberlain Farms reportedly stopped shipping cantaloupe on Aug. 17, the day Kentucky’s state laboratory connected the outbreak strain to two cantaloupes from an Indiana grower that were being sold at retail.
The agency’s late night announcement came after a day when it was taking ever more criticism for not going public with what it knew about the source of the outbreak.

Salmonella Linked to Turkey Jerky Sickens 4 in Minnesota

TurkeyJerkyPiecesMain.jpg

Four cases of Salmonella infection have been linked to turkey jerky produced by a Minnesota company.

The Minnesota Department of Health is warning consumers not to eat whole-muscle turkey jerky manufactured by Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market because investigators have linked the product to a cluster of 4 illnesses from the same strain of Salmonella.

The first patient became ill August 2 and the last illness onset was August 7, according to MDH.
One of the victims was hospitalized but all have since recovered.
All 4 victims reported eating turkey jerky during the week before becoming ill.
Of those sickened, 1 lives in the Twin Cities metro area and 3 live in Greater Minnesota.
Hoffman Town & Country has issued a voluntary recall of all whole muscle turkey jerky sold on or before August 21, 2012. The product was sold wrapped in white butcher paper.
Consumers who purchased the recalled product and have not yet consumed it are urged not to eat it and to return it for a full refund.
Those with questions about the recall can call the company at 218-847-72-7.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection appear anywhere from several hours to 3 days after infection and include fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, head ache and body aches.
If you think you may have contracted a Salmonella infection, contact your healthcare provider.

Pork Rind Plant Temporarily Shuts Down After Finding Salmonella

rindpork_iphone.jpgA Dallas pork rind factory has halted operations to do a deep clean after finding Salmonella in their plant, according to a local news source.

NBC Dallas Fort Worth reported Friday that Rudolph Foods found four positives for Salmonella on the floor in their “pro-cook” area.

While the company said they did not find any positive in their finished product or on food contact surfaces, they continuously check for bacteria and if they find a positive they initiate a thoroughly cleaning.

They said they expect to resume full production in a week.

“This is a USDA inspected facility, and the onsite inspector has been informed throughout this process, and are supportive of the plant actions,” the company told NBC 5. “We’re confident there are no risks to any finished product.  We can be certain, because not only is there a validated kill step in the fryer process, but all of our seasoning goes through our Sensitive Ingredient Program.”

NBC DFW reported that Dallas plant has been up and running since 2003 and can produce 15 million pounds of pork rinds per year.

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Recalls

Bagged Salad Recalled for Potential Listeria Contamination

GreensMain.jpgDole Fresh Vegetables is recalling 1,039 cases of bagged salad due to the potential that it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The California-based company issued the voluntary recall Wednesday after a sample of its Dole Italian Blend taken by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture tested positive for Listeria.
The sample was collected as a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Microbiological Data Program (MDP), a small federal program that provides funding to 11 state agencies for produce surveillance.
While MDP was responsible for collecting the sample, it did not conduct the Listeria test.
“We at North Carolina did not do the testing on their product,” Daniel Ragan, Director of the Food & Drug Protection Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, told Food Safety News. However, “The sample was collected through the USDA’s Microbiological Data Program,” he confirmed.
MDP was slated to be shut down in July of this year after being zeroed out in the Obama Administration’s 2013 budget proposal, but USDA decided to extend the program until the end of the year after media attention prompted a public demand to keep it going.
Product subject to this recall — the fourth recall prompted by MDP testing this month — is marked with UPC code 7143000819, located on the back of the package below the bar code, and bears a use-by date of August 20. The salads were sold in 10 oz. bags coded 0049N2202008.
They were distributed in 8 U.S. states, including Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.
No illnesses have been linked to consumption of this product to date.
Although the product is now 3 days past its use-by date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking retailers to check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the recalled product is in the warehouse or available to customers.
Dole Fresh Vegetables has contacted retailers to which the salads were distributed and is in the process of ensuring that the recalled product is taken off the market.
DoleBaggedSalad.gif

Protein Drinks Recalled for Botulism Risk

.jpgA Pennsylvania-based company is recalling several of its protein drinks because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that can cause a life-threatening illness in humans when ingested.

Protica, Inc. of Whitehall, PA issued a voluntary recall of its Body Choice “Protein Shots,” Nutritional Resources “Protein Wave,” ProBalance “Protein to Go French Vanilla Latte” and “Protein to Go Milk Shake” Thursday after an on-site investigation revealed that they were being processed in a way that is not guaranteed to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Toxins produced by this bacteria attack the nervous system and can cause paralysis and even death.
Products subject to the recall include:
- Protein to Go Milk Chocolate Shake, sold in a 2.5 oz. bottle, marked with the following:
 Manufacture Date Lot Number
 
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 A
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 B
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 C
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 D
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 E
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 F
    2/9/12               PP0402 4109 G
    2/13/12               PP0442 4113
    2/16/12               PP0442 4115
    3/29/12               PP0892 4121
    4/12/12               PP1032 4131 A
    4/12/12               PP1032 4131 B
    4/25/12               PP1162 4134 B
    4/25/12               PP1162 4134 C
    4/25/12               PP1162 4134 A
    5/3/12               PP1242 4139
    5/8/12               PP1242 4140
    6/7/12               PP1592 4145 B
    6/7/12               PP1592 4145 A
- Protein to Go French Vanilla Latte, sold in a 2.5 oz. bottle, marked with the following:
 Manufacture Date Lot Number
    9/8/2011      PP2511 4066 A
    9/8/2011      PP2511 4066 B
    10/11/2011      PP2841 4079
    10/18/2011      PP2911 4086
    12/6/2011      PP3401 4103
    2/13/2012      PP0442 4112
    4/2/2012      PP0932 4122
    4/4/2012      PP0952 4125
    4/11/2012      PP1022 4129
    4/24/2012      PP1152 4133 A
    4/24/2012      PP1152 4133 B
    4/24/2012      PP1152 4133 C
    5/1/2012      PP1222 4138 A
    5/1/2012      PP1222 4138 B
    5/1/2012      PP1222 4138 C
    5/8/2012      PP1292 4141
    6/8/2012      PP1592 4146 A
    6/8/2012      PP1592 4146 B
- Nutritional Resources Protein Wave gelatin, served in a 6 oz. cup and marked with a manufacture date of May 03 2012 and lot number PP 1242 6123
- Body Choice Protein Shots, served in a 3 oz. vial and marked with a manufacture date of Dec 20, 2011 and lot number PP 3541 2924
Consumers who purchased any of the above products can return them to the place of purchase or to Protica for a full refund. Anyone with questions should call the company at 1-800-PROTICA (1-800-776-8422).
Symptoms of botulism (the illness caused by C. botulinum toxins) include general weakness, dizziness, double-vision, trouble speaking or swallowing, difficulty breathing, muscle weakness, abdominal distention and constipation.
If you think you may have botulism, contact your healthcare provider.

Salmonella Illnesses Prompt Mango Recall in Canada

mangoes-406.jpgThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency and North American Produce Sales are recalling Mexican mangoes sold in western Canada due to likely contamination of Salmonella Braenderup, CTV News reports.

Several illnesses have already been associated with the mangoes.

The affected mangoes are sold individually with a sticker reading PLU# 4959. They were sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon between July 12 and August 14.
Call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at 1-800-442-2342 for more information.

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Articles of Interest

Michigan Mom & Daughters Sue Wal-Mart for Bad Cantaloupes

A Michigan family has sued Wal-Mart for selling contaminated cantaloupe that’s involved in the multistate Salmonella outbreak.
The complaint was filed in Michigan’s Calhoun County Circuit Court on behalf of Battle Creek resident Angela Compton and her two children, who both were infected with Salmonella Typhimurium after eating cantaloupe they purchased form Wal-Mart in mid-July.
Compton purchased three cantaloupes at the Wal-Mart store located at 6020 B. Drive North in Battle Creek on July 12, 2012, later cutting the melons into slices and serving them to her family.   Within days of eating the cantaloupe slices, one of her children, “MC,” became ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection, including diarrhea and painful abdominal cramping.
She was treated several times by her pediatrician and was later seen at the emergency room for dehydration and was admitted to Bronson Kalamazoo hospital.  ”MC “was hospitalized for four days and continued to suffer symptoms of Salmonella infection for at least a week after she was discharged.
Her sister, “CC”, fell ill with a Salmonella infection several days into MC’s illness.  She was also treated at her pediatrician’s office, but required further treatment at the ER on three occasions.  Both children tested positive for Salmonella Typhimurium.
Michigan health officials told Angela Compton that her daughters’ illnesses were part of the multi-state cantaloupe outbreak linked to melons grown in southwest Indiana.
The complaint was filed on behalf of the Compton family by Marler Clark, the nationally known food safety law firm based in Seattle, and by prominent Michigan attorney Michael Heilmann.
“I’m in the middle of litigation from last year’s Listeria outbreak traced to cantaloupes grown in Colorado.” said attorney Bill Marler,   “I would have expected farmers, distributors and retailers to have better food safety procedures in place this year to prevent another cantaloupe-related outbreak from happening.”
Marler represents 42 families from last year’s deadly Listeria outbreak traced to cantaloupes from Colorado’s Jensen Farms.  His firm has been litigating foodborne illness cases since the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak.
It has represented victims of nearly every major foodborne illness outbreak in the last 20 years, and has brought cases against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Dole, Nestle, and Taco Bell.
The Michigan lawsuit may be the first brought in the Salmonella outbreak that has now reached 21 states with 145 sickened and two dead.

CA Lawmakers Ask USDA to Reopen Slaughterhouse Shut Down for Inhumane Treatment

As the slaughterhouse accused of egregious humane handling violations remains unable to process meat after the U.S. Department of Agriculture withdrew inspectors from the plant over the weekend, three Central California Republican congressman are urging Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to “immediately” allow the company to operate again.

cattlenose_iphone.jpgHouse Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Reps. Devin Nunes and Jeff Denham said in a letter Thursday that keeping the plant shut down serves “no legitimate interest” and harms the plant workers at a time when the community has double digit unemployment.

Though an undercover video shows mistreatment of spent dairy cows, including some that appear lame or injured, USDA said Wednesday there is no evidence that so-called “downer” animals were slaughtered for human consumption. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s investigation is ongoing.

“The investigation can and should continue, but does not necessitate a prolonged and economically disastrous full stoppage of operations,” wrote the congressmen in their letter. “Furthermore, your agency should more aggressively clarify the fact that our food supply is not – and never was – in jeopardy as a result of this alleged violation.”

On his blog, Rep. Nunes blasted Compassion Over Killing, the advocacy group that went undercover, as “extremists who are actively working to undermine production agriculture in the United States.” Nunes said local residents now confront “economic terrorism” from animal rights groups.

A graphic excerpt of the undercover video, which animal rights group Compassion Over Killing says was taken by an undercover investigator in June and July, shows cows before slaughter covered in dirt and feces, some writhing on the ground and bleeding on themselves after being bolted, but not rendered senseless, several times. Several cows are shown projectile vomiting, presumably from stress, while being hit repeatedly with the bolt gun.

Renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin issued a statement condemning certain practices featured in the video, but also questioned why some of the sick cows were not euthanized instead of being shipped to a slaughter facility.

“Some of the major issues in the video originate due to the poor condition of the animals arriving at the plant, many of which should have been euthanized on the farm,” said Grandin. “I urge the dairy industry to market their cows before they become weak and extremely debilitated.”

In a cattle industry newsletter this week, animal care expert, Dr. Dave Daley, an associate dean for the College of Agriculture at California State University, argued that any and all mistreatment of animals “cannot be tolerated.”

“We do not condone any mishandling of livestock on the farm or ranch or in the packing facility,” said Daley. “In fact, we firmly believe that those knowingly and willfully committing any abuse to animals should not be in the business – period. The actions depicted in these videos are disgraceful and not representative of the cattle community.”

Slaughterhouse under investigation a major school lunch supplier

As recently as 2009, Central Valley Meat was one of the top three suppliers of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program, but USDA has so far not responded to questions about current contracts with the company.

Records posted on USDA’s website show that between October 2010 and September 2011, the USDA purchased 21.2 million pounds of various beef products, including ground beef and boneless beef, from Central Valley Meat. Five separate purchases, ranging from 40,000 pounds to 6.9 million pounds, were made for a total of $49.7 million.

According to the overview of purchases, the USDA purchased around 135 million pounds of beef products during the fiscal year. Purchases from Central Valley Meat accounted for roughly 16 percent of beef purchases by volume during that time.

Shortly after learning about the video, popular fast food chain In-N-out Burger announced they had severed ties with the company, which had previously been supplying between 20 and 30 percent of the chain’s beef.

USDA, Costco, McDonalds, and Jack in the Box have also dropped Central Valley Meat as a supplier.

Central Valley Meat said it was cooperating fully with the USDA investigation.

“At Central Valley Meat Co., ensuring that the livestock we process are treated humanely is critically important,” said Brian Coelho, president of the company, in a statement. “Our company seeks not just to meet federal humane handling regulations, but to exceed them.”

Coelho said he was “extremely disturbed” to be told by USDA of the allegations, but the company has not yet commented on the contents of the video.

High Drug Residues Found at California Meat and Dairy Operations

Violators receive FDA warning letters

MeatCowMain.jpg

Dairy and meat farms in California were among the most recent establishments to receive federal warning letters after unacceptable levels of drug residues were found in cattle that they sold for slaughter.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration visited each establishment to inspect operations there and looked at records to track animals that were slaughtered.
If an animal from a dairy farm was slaughtered for human consumption, FDA checked with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to see whether tissue samples from a specific dairy cow were tested for drug residues.
When FSIS testing reveals residue levels higher than set limits, the operation receives a warning letter.
The most recent violators include:
Meat: Cunha Calf Ranch, CA
Inspection Dates: May 2, May 24, June 5 and June 10, 2012
Violation: Sold cows for slaughter as human food with 7 residue violations of neomycin (highest was 18.43 parts per million). The FDA’s tolerance of neomycin is 7.2 parts per million.
Dairy: Double Diamond Dairy, CA
Inspection Dates: May 4, May 5 2012
Violation: Sold cows for slaughter as human food with two residue violations of neomycin (7.21, 7.47 parts per million).
Meat: GTA Calf Ranch, CA
Inspection Date: June 8, 2012
Violation: Sold cows for slaughter as human food with two drug residue violations of neomycin (14.91 parts per million) and oxytetracycline (5.89 parts per million). The FDA’s tolerance of neomycin is 7.2 parts per million and oxytetracycline is 2 parts per million.
Dairy: Johann Dairy Farm, CA
Inspection Dates: March 30, April 5, May 2, May 7, May 29, June 4, June 30 and July 3, 2012
Violation: Sold cows for slaughter as human food with nine drug residue violations of gentamicin (detected), neomycin (56.14 parts per million), penicillin (.08 parts per million), and sulfamethazine (4.418 parts per million). The FDA’s tolerance of gentamicin is 0 parts per million, 7.2 parts per million for neomycin, .05 parts per million for penicillin and 0 for sulfamethazine.

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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC) Magnitude Area Country State/Prov./Gov. Location Risk Source Details
19.08.2012 18:50:22 3.0 Europe Romania Lopatari VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 18:50:52 3.1 Europe Greece Peloponnese Limnai There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 18:41:01 2.8 Caribbean Puerto Rico Isabela Isabela VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 19:05:33 2.4 Caribbean British Virgin Islands Road Town VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 17:45:43 2.5 Europe France Rhône-Alpes Le Pouzin VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. EMSC Details
19.08.2012 16:45:25 3.1 Europe Romania Marasheshty VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 18:10:31 4.6 Indonesian archipelago Papua New Guinea East Sepik Angoram VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 18:51:11 4.6 Indonesian Archipelago Papua New Guinea East Sepik Angoram VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 16:20:35 2.0 North America United States California Potter Valley There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 16:10:30 2.3 North America United States Washington Black Diamond There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 16:45:46 2.0 Asia Turkey Denizli Bozkurt VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 15:50:41 2.5 Middle America Mexico Baja California Alberto Oviedo Mota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 15:35:27 2.7 North America United States Washington Entiat VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 15:45:24 3.2 Asia Turkey Antalya Beykonak VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 15:45:44 2.1 Asia Turkey Van Yuvacik There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 15:46:05 4.5 North-America United States Alaska King Cove VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 15:15:28 4.6 North America United States Alaska King Cove VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 14:40:51 4.2 Middle-East Iran East Azarbaijan Ahar There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 14:05:39 4.1 Middle East Iran East Azarbaijan Ahar There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 13:35:26 2.2 Europe Italy Sicily Rodi There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 13:35:52 2.3 Europe Italy Emilia-Romagna Predappio Alta VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 13:15:26 2.5 North America United States Arkansas Greenbrier VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 16:25:57 2.5 North America United States Arkansas Greenbrier VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 13:36:15 2.7 Asia Turkey Bal?kesir Ivrindi VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 12:31:29 2.4 North America United States California Mount Laguna VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 12:15:28 3.6 North America United States Hawaii Volcano There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 12:31:55 4.5 North America Canada British Columbia Tofino VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 12:30:20 4.5 North-America Canada British Columbia Tofino VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 11:50:35 4.8 Asia India Assam Dhekiajuli VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 12:31:05 5.0 Asia India Assam Dhekiajuli VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 12:10:25 3.1 North America Canada British Columbia Tofino VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 11:30:26 2.3 Asia Turkey Van Toyga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 11:30:52 2.0 Asia Turkey Manisa Golmarmara There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 10:40:29 3.3 North America United States Arkansas Greenbrier VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 10:45:30 3.3 North America United States Arkansas Greenbrier VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 10:25:25 5.6 North-America Canada British Columbia Tofino VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 10:26:45 5.6 North America Canada British Columbia Tofino VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 10:25:46 5.0 Indonesian Archipelago Indonesia Central Sulawesi Luwuk VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 09:45:34 4.7 Indonesian archipelago Indonesia Central Sulawesi Luwuk VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 10:26:05 2.4 Asia Turkey Van Yuvacik There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 09:25:21 2.3 Europe Italy Emilia-Romagna San Prospero VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 09:15:32 2.0 North America United States California Ojai VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 09:10:33 2.0 North America United States California Santa Paula VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 08:55:24 2.2 North America United States California Pearsonville There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 09:25:43 2.7 Europe Serbia Sumulice VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 08:25:19 2.7 South-America Chile Libertador General Bernardo O?Higgins Machali There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 07:22:20 4.5 Asia Russia Kamtsjatka Nikol’skoye There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
19.08.2012 07:20:26 4.5 Europe Russia Kamtsjatka Nikol’skoye There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 07:20:54 2.6 Asia Turkey Bal?kesir Sindirgi There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
19.08.2012 08:25:45 2.3 Asia Turkey Bal?kesir Sindirgi There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details

……………………………………………..

Strong quake hits northern Indonesian island

Associated Press

Posted:   08/18/2012 06:35:25 AM PDT
Updated:   08/18/2012 06:35:26 AM PDT
 

JAKARTA, Indonesia — An earthquake registering magnitude 6.3 rocked a northern Indonesian island on Saturday as residents were ending their fast on the final day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, officials said. There were reports of at least two injuries but no tsunami warning was issued.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the late-afternoon quake struck 56 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Palu city on Sulawesi Island at a depth of 19.9 kilometers (12.4 miles).

Sudirman, an officer at the Disaster Management Agency who uses one name, said there were reports from the province that at least two people were injured by falling debris and of damage to houses in Parigi Mountong, the district closest to the epicenter.

He said the full extent of the injuries and damage was not yet known.

The earthquake struck as people in the province were ending their fast on the last day of Ramadan, causing many to rush out into the streets in panic, local news reports said.

The USGS initially measured the quake at magnitude 6.6 but later adjusted it to 6.3.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

A giant quake off the country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, half of them in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh.

Magnitude 5.6 quake hits off coast of Washington state: USGS

(Reuters) – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of the West Coast state of Washington on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said.

The depth was reported at 6.3 miles and the quake was located 190 miles west of Neah Bay, the USGS said. There was no immediate statement from the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Hawaii on the quake.

(Reporting by Ed Lane; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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Volcanic Activity

Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador: possible lava flow

BY: T
Volcano Discovery

Thermal images taken of the lava flow and mobilized incandescent blocks tumbling down from a notch in the crater wall on the northwestern flank of the volcano Tungurahua. (S. Vallejo / IGEPN)

Thermal images taken of the lava flow and mobilized incandescent blocks tumbling down from a notch in the crater wall on the northwestern flank of the volcano Tungurahua. (S. Vallejo / IGEPN)

Current seismic signal (RETU station) with saturated tremor visible on the spectrogram (IG)

Current seismic signal (RETU station) with saturated tremor visible on the spectrogram (IG)

At 19h36 (local time) on 18 August, a possible lava flow from the summit crater and incandescent lava blocks continuously tumbling down were observed using thermal imagery.
The lava flow which some observers also reported seeing by naked eye is emerges from a breach in the sidewall of the crater on the upper NW flank and directed towards the Cusu gorge.
Apparently the lava flow stopped after nearly 4 hours of motion, but bad weather conditions make detailed observations difficult.
Preceding the effusion of the new flow, there had been a strong increase of activity since 16 August including seismic tremor, steam and ash emissions and loud explosions audible in nearby towns such as Ambato.


Links / Sources:
Today Volcano Activity Mexico State of Puebla, [Popocatepetl Volcano] Damage level Details

Volcano Activity in Mexico on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 13:22 (01:22 PM) UTC.

Description
A sharp increase in activity has been observed at Popocatépetl since yesterday. During 17-18 August, 176 mostly small explosions were observed (compared to values of 10-20 for the previous week), and 74 alone during the following 9 hours, i.e. about 1 every 8 minutes. The largest eruption occurred at 20:41 h local time yesterday and threw incandescent bombs to 800 m distance, which landed on the rim of the lower crater. Glow from the summit was visible during clear weather at night. After 19:00 h local time yesterday, a constant steam plume with small amounts of ash was being erupted and formed a plume rising about 2 km above the crater. No reports of ash fall have been given in the latest CENAPRED summary.
19.08.2012 Volcano Eruption Indonesia Lesser Sunda Strait, [Batu Tara volcano] Damage level Details

Volcano Eruption in Indonesia on Saturday, 18 August, 2012 at 04:10 (04:10 AM) UTC.

Description
On Aug. 15, NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite caught a crystal-clear image of a small ash plume emanating from a tiny volcanic Indonesian island. The volcano, called Batu Tara, is located on the island of Pulau Komba, and has been experiencing frequent, mild eruptions since mid-2006, according to a NASA release. While much of the island appears green thanks to tropical vegetation, one side of the island is noticeably free of plants and appears grayish. This barren area is a scarp that drops from the summit of the volcano to the ocean, a distance of 2,454 feet (748 meters). The scarp is created by the frequent eruptions, which send rocks and ash barreling down the slope.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather / Drought

Today Heat Wave Bulgaria [Statewide] Damage level Details

Heat Wave in Bulgaria on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 14:20 (02:20 PM) UTC.

Description
The late summer heat wave that has gripped western Europe has started to arrive in Bulgaria, with highs set to rise over the week. Until the end of next weeks, temperatures in parts of Bulgaria, especially the south-west and north-east, are expected to reach around and above 40 degrees Centigrade. Highs Monday are expected to be in the range of 29-34 C, announced the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Light clouds are expected all over the week, but no precipitation is to be awaited. Weather in Bulgaria’s mountains and along the Black Sea coast is also expected to be clear and sunny. Air temperatures at the Black Sea will be around 25-27 C Monday, with almost the same expected for the water, 24-26 C.
19.08.2012 Heat Wave France MultiPrefectures, [Central and southern France] Damage level Details

Heat Wave in France on Saturday, 18 August, 2012 at 04:13 (04:13 AM) UTC.

Description
French authorities are fighting wildfires, keeping an eye on isolated elderly populations and advising people to drink fluids as temperatures soar in the country. Heatwave warnings were issued for a swath of central and southern France, from Burgundy to the Pyrenees. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 40C in some areas. The government is determined to avoid a repeat of the summer of 2003, when about 15,000 people died during a heatwave. Wildfires raged around Lacanau in the south-west on Thursday. Patrick Stefanini, prefect for the Aquitaine region, said on French television that they were brought under control on Friday. French television is airing public service announcements with recommendations to drink water and wear hats.
Today Extreme Weather USA State of Minnesota, Duluth [Lake Superior] Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in USA on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 15:52 (03:52 PM) UTC.

Description
One person was killed and several others were injured by lightning in what is the third mass U.S. lightning-related incident to occur in recent weeks. The Duluth News Tribune reports a 9-year-old boy died from his injuries and seven other were injured when lightning struck a private sailboat on Lake Superior off Minnesota Point late Saturday afternoon. The call came in around 5:30 p.m. CDT, Active Asst. Chief Jarry Keppers said. He says four people were critically injured including a 9-year-old boy, who was found face down in the water without a pulse shortly after the lightning strike. Only after repeated CPR attempts were crews able to regain it. The St. Louis County, Minn. Sheriff’s Office later reported that the boy died after being airlifted to Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center. The group was believed to be on shore but near the sailboat when the lightning hit. The boat had been brought to shore, seeking refuge from the storm moving through the area. The area was said to be so remote that initial emergency responders had to get there by boat.

This is the third mass lightning-related incident in recent weeks. On August 5, one person was killed and nine others injured when a cloud-to-ground lightning strike hit after a NASCAR race in Pennsylvania. On Aug. 14, 10 soldiers were injured at Fort Drum in New York after lightning struck their tent. August along with June are historically the second most dangerous months for lightning strikes. July is number one. Twenty-four people have now been killed by lightning strikes so far this year including the unborn child of a woman who was nine months pregnant when she was struck and killed.

Today Forest / Wild Fire Italy Province of Grosseto, [Il Sole, Marina di Grosseto, and Maremma camping areas, Tuscany] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in Italy on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 17:15 (05:15 PM) UTC.

Description
More than 1,000 tourists were evacuated from three campgrounds in Italy’s Tuscany region as forest fires threatened the area, officials said. Campers were evacuated late Saturday from the Il Sole, Marina di Grosseto, and Maremma camping areas as fires blazed in the coastal region. Emergency accommodations were set up in a local shopping center and other places where the displaced campers spent the night. Firefighters are still working to put out the fire, which had consumed 296 acres. Italy was hit by a total of 31 fires Friday and Saturday as temperatures reached triple digits.
19.08.2012 Forest / Wild Fire Greece North Aegean, [Island of Chios] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in Greece on Saturday, 18 August, 2012 at 18:51 (06:51 PM) UTC.

Description
A forest fire is raging on the island of Chios in the Greek archipelago and villagers and tourists are fleeing to the beach to escape the flames. Over 200 fire-fighters, soldiers and volunteers are involved in the operation and have been joined by eight aircrafts and two helicopters. At least three villages and tourist resorts have been evacuated and residents can only watch from the beach as fire consume the island. Rescue forces report that strong winds are making it difficult to control the fire which is thought to have broken out in the early hours of Friday morning. It is threatening ten villages on Chios and has moved very close to the Greek army base “PAP” near the Vessas village. Local media reports that the smoke can be seen from the island of Crete, over 60 miles south of Chios. The island is the fifth largest in the Greek archipelago and is a popular tourist destination with many tourists drawn to its scenery and medieval villages, which are now at risk. It is not clear if the 11th century monastery of ‘Nea Moni’, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be saved from the flames but local media reports that the fire is likely to have caused substantial damage to the islands tourism industry.

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Storms, Flooding

 Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system Location Formed Last update Last category Course Wind Speed Gust Wave Source Details
Gordon (AL08) Atlantic Ocean 16.08.2012 19.08.2012 Hurricane III 75 ° 157 km/h 194 km/h 5.49 m NOAA NHC Details

  Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Gordon (AL08)
Area: Atlantic Ocean
Start up location: N 29° 54.000, W 55° 6.000
Start up: 16th August 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 1,523.97 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
16th Aug 2012 04:16:29 N 29° 54.000, W 55° 6.000 30 56 74 Tropical Depression 355 9 1013 MB NOAA NHC
16th Aug 2012 04:55:06 N 31° 18.000, W 55° 30.000 28 56 74 Tropical Depression 345 15 1012 MB NOAA NHC
16th Aug 2012 10:46:15 N 32° 12.000, W 54° 48.000 22 65 83 Tropical Storm 15 15 1011 MB NOAA NHC
16th Aug 2012 16:45:48 N 33° 18.000, W 53° 48.000 26 83 102 Tropical Storm 45 17 1005 MB NOAA NHC
17th Aug 2012 04:47:05 N 34° 36.000, W 50° 18.000 28 111 139 Tropical Storm 85 15 995 MB NOAA NHC
17th Aug 2012 10:55:39 N 34° 36.000, W 48° 6.000 30 102 120 Tropical Storm 90 14 998 MB NOAA NHC
17th Aug 2012 16:39:57 N 34° 30.000, W 46° 18.000 30 102 120 Tropical Storm 95 19 997 MB NOAA NHC
18th Aug 2012 05:56:05 N 34° 12.000, W 42° 6.000 30 111 139 Tropical Storm 90 16 990 MB NOAA NHC
18th Aug 2012 16:23:59 N 34° 0.000, W 40° 42.000 30 120 148 Hurricane I. 90 22 988 MB NOAA NHC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
19th Aug 2012 16:53:31 N 35° 30.000, W 29° 42.000 335 157 194 Hurricane III 75 ° 18 973 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
20th Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 38° 0.000, W 23° 36.000 Hurricane I 111 139 NOAA NHC
20th Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 36° 30.000, W 26° 48.000 Hurricane II 139 167 NOAA NHC
21st Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 39° 12.000, W 20° 48.000 Tropical Depression 93 111 NOAA NHC
21st Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 39° 30.000, W 19° 0.000 Tropical Depression 74 93 NOAA NHC
22nd Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 39° 30.000, W 17° 0.000 Tropical Depression 56 74 NOAA NHC
Tembin (15W) Pacific Ocean 19.08.2012 19.08.2012 Tropical Depression 120 ° 83 km/h 102 km/h 2.74 m JTWC Details

  Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Tembin (15W)
Area: Pacific Ocean
Start up location: N 17° 42.000, E 124° 36.000
Start up: 19th August 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 0.00 km
Top category.:
Report by: JTWC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
19th Aug 2012 15:55:17 N 17° 24.000, E 125° 0.000 4 83 102 Tropical Depression 120 ° 9 JTWC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
20th Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 18° 48.000, E 125° 18.000 Typhoon I 120 148 JTWC
20th Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 17° 54.000, E 125° 6.000 Typhoon I 102 130 JTWC
21st Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 21° 0.000, E 124° 42.000 Typhoon II 139 167 JTWC
21st Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 20° 0.000, E 125° 12.000 Typhoon II 130 157 JTWC
22nd Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 22° 30.000, E 123° 18.000 Typhoon III 148 185 JTWC
23rd Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 23° 24.000, E 121° 6.000 Typhoon II 139 167 JTWC
24th Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 24° 6.000, E 118° 24.000 Typhoon I 102 130 JTWC

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Tropical Storm Helene slams Mexico; Hurricane Gordon heads for Azores

Nasa / Reuters

Tropical Storm Gordon, seen over the Atlantic Ocean in this NASA handout satellite image Thursday, became a hurricane Saturday.

By NBC News staff and wire services

Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET: Tropical Storm Helene made landfall off the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday and weakened into a tropical depression as it plowed up Mexico’s east coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The depression was about 15 miles south-southwest of Tampico and had maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour, the NHC said.

As Helene weakened, tropical storm warnings were discontinued on the Mexican coast, although it was expected to produce three to six inches of rain in the states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas.

Helene was predicted to continue weakening and dissipate within 48 hours, the NHC said.

There were no reports that Helene had affected the Gulf of Mexico’s oil installations, which are built to resist much more powerful hurricanes.

Earlier, Portugal posted warnings for the central and eastern Azores islands as Tropical Storm Gordon moved eastward across the Atlantic and later turned into a hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center said Gordon had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was headed east at 18 mph.

In the northern part of Veracruz, a lush coastal state with hundreds of towns and villages sitting along streams and rivers that can swell dangerously in heavy rain many were evacuated as Ernesto approached last week, and flood damage made some 10,000 people homeless.

State of emergency
Mexico’s government declared a state of emergency in more than 100 population centers in Veracruz and was providing them with emergency aid. The country’s national weather service warned of intense rains and winds along the Veracruz and Tamaulipas coasts, with heavy rain, hail and lightning possible.

A storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 1 to 2 feet above normal along the immediate coast and to the north of where landfall is made.

Heavy rain was expected in the city of Tampico, an oil-refining center and important port in the southernmost part of Tamaulipas state. The Tampico metropolitan area has roughly 790,000 inhabitants, sits just above sea level and is surrounded by lakes and lagoons that are already full and could easily flood in the event of heavy rains.

Civil protection authorities in Veracruz issued a yellow alert, one level below the highest warning, for population centers in the north and center of the state, warning residents to familiarize themselves with the locations of emergency shelters, avoid crossing swollen streams and rivers, and keep listening to radio and TV for storm updates.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Typhoon Kai-Tak kills nine in Vietnam

by Staff Writers
Hanoi (AFP)


Typhoon kills four, causes flooding in Vietnam
Hanoi (AFP) Aug 18, 2012 – At least four people died as Typhoon Kai-Tak barrelled across northern Vietnam bringing high winds and floods to several areas including the capital Hanoi, authorities and a report said Saturday.The typhoon, which made landfall late Friday, was downgraded to a tropical depression Saturday but continued to dump water on already flooded parts of the country.A taxi driver was killed when high winds caused a tree to fall on his car in Hanoi, while two others died from electric shock after a cable was felled in northern Son La city, according to an update from the national flood and storm central committee.

In Bac Giang province a 46-year-old woman died after soil from a partially collapsed hill buried her house in the middle of the night, VNExpress news site reported.

Earlier more than 11,000 boats, including several hundred used by tourists at the UNESCO world heritage site Halong Bay, were ordered to stay close to the shore.

The Vietnamese army put 20,000 soldiers backed by helicopters, rescue boats and canoes on standby to handle any incidents.

Kai-Tak swept across the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, dumping heavy rain on the Cagayan basin and other areas in the north, killing four people.

At least nine people were killed, thousands of homes damaged and swathes of farmland flooded as Typhoon Kai-Tak swept across northern Vietnam, authorities said Sunday.

The storm, which made landfall late Friday, brought strong winds and heavy rains that inundated several densely populated communities including part of the capital Hanoi.

Five people were swept away by floodwaters while one woman died when a landslide buried her house while she was sleeping in Bac Giang province, according to the government’s central committee on flood and storm control.

A taxi driver was killed by a toppled tree while two people were electrocuted by a falling electricity cable, it said.

Nearly 12,000 houses were damaged and 23,000 hectares (56,800 acres) of cropland were flooded, according to the committee.

In Hanoi, about 200 large trees were uprooted and part of the city remained under water early Sunday.

The Vietnamese army had put 20,000 soldiers backed by helicopters, rescue boats and canoes on standby for rescue operations, but only a small number of them were deployed.

More than 11,000 boats, including several hundred used by tourists at the UNESCO world heritage site Halong Bay, were ordered to stay close to the shore.

The storm, which earlier killed four people in the Philippines, was packing winds of about 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour when it slammed into Vietnam, but it was downgraded to a tropical depression on Saturday.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

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Radiation / Nuclear

Today Nuclear Event South Korea Province of North Gyeongsang, [Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant] Damage level Details

Nuclear Event in South Korea on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 15:48 (03:48 PM) UTC.

Description
A nuclear reactor automatically shut down Sunday due to problems of power supply, only 19 days after beginning its commercial operation, triggering concerns over power shortage in the season of high electricity demand. The accident took place at the New Wolsong 1 reactor in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province at around 11:00 a.m. as its power supply system did not work properly, the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) said. Officials said an investigation was underway to learn the exact cause of the malfunction but claimed that there is no danger of a radiation leak. “The shutdown is the level zero, according to the nuclear and radiological event scale by the International Atomic Energy Agency,” a KHNP official said. “It has nothing to do with the safety of the nuclear plant or radiation risks.” But he said that the operation of the reactor will resume only after two phases ― the KHNP completes its investigation, which may take two or three days, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approves its resumption.

The 1 million kilowatt nuclear reactor went into full operation on July 31, but as it was sidelined, worries sprout up that power shortage might hit the nation at a time when electricity reserves have fallen to an alert level several times of late. The Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has already issued an alert several times as the demand for electricity may be increasing due to hot summer weather after the peak vacation season ends at the end of August. Midway through last September, the nation suffered unprecedented rolling blackouts due to unseasonable heat waves, which ended up inconveniencing households and causing industrial damage across the country. In order to prevent recurrence of the disaster, the Seoul administration has pulled out all the stops to jack up its capacity of providing electricity while trying to deter rising energy demand. Currently, Korea operates 20 nuclear reactors out of total 23, which supply about 30 percent of its overall electricity consumption. But due to fears of a power shortage, the government considered resuming operation of reactors earlier than originally scheduled.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Deadly Ebola outbreak: Nine killed in DR Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo, KAMPUNGU : This picture released by the World Health organization 01 October 2007 taken 29 September 2007 at the Doctors without borders (MSF) isolation ward of Kampungu shows MSF nurse Isabel Grovas (L) and Dr Hilde Declerck (R) taking care of a 43 year old patient who has been laboratory confirmed to have Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF). (AFP Photo/WHO/Christofer Black)

Democratic Republic of the Congo, KAMPUNGU : This picture released by the World Health organization 01 October 2007 taken 29 September 2007 at the Doctors without borders (MSF) isolation ward of Kampungu shows MSF nurse Isabel Grovas (L) and Dr Hilde Declerck (R) taking care of a 43 year old patient who has been laboratory confirmed to have Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF). (AFP Photo/WHO/Christofer Black)

Nine people have died from an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, only weeks after the virulent disease was declared “under control” in neighboring Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.

The new cases of the Ebola virus were detected near the country’s northwestern town of Isiro, the Congolese health minister said.

A group of specialists from various international organizations – the WHO, Doctors Without Borders and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – are working in the country alongside local doctors. They are conducting a detailed epidemiological investigation, and are attempting to quarantine people who may have been in contact with those infected.

The new outbreak comes just weeks after another Ebola epidemic in neighboring Uganda – roughly 30 miles from its border with DR Congo – was declared to be over. The Ugandan outbreak killed 16 people in July. The two epidemics are not believed to be linked, since the strain found in DR Congo is different from the one identified in Uganda, Doctors Without Borders reported.

Ebola is a rare hemorrhagic virus, first discovered in 1976 in Zaire (now known as DR Congo). The disease was named after a small river in the country. Symptoms of Ebola infection include a sudden onset of fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting and kidney failure.

The virus is reportedly fatal in 50-90 percent of cases. In the most severe infections, victims bleed from bodily orifices before dying. There is no treatment and no vaccine for Ebola, which is transmitted by close personal contact. It can also be transmitted to humans through the handling of infected animal carcasses, including monkeys and birds.

Congo’s last major Ebola epidemic in 1995 killed 245 people. Recent Ebola outbreaks were recorded in Uganda, when 37 people were killed in the western part of the country in 2007, and when at least 170 died in the nation’s northern region in 2000.

19.08.2012 Epidemic Hazard Democratic Republic of the Congo Province of Orientale, [Haut Uele District] Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 03:03 (03:03 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Saturday, 18 August, 2012 at 10:49 UTC
Description
An outbreak of Ebola has killed one person and is believed to have infected three others over the last week in northeastern Congo, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said today. The outbreak is in Isiro, a busy town in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Oriental province, which shares a border with Uganda, but the strain of the deadly disease is different to the one that killed 16 there last month, MSF said. Ebola is transmitted to humans from monkeys and birds and causes massive bleeding in victims, with mortality rates as high as 90 per cent. Anja de Weggheleire, the medical coordinator for MSF in the area, said blood samples from one victim had confirmed Ebola in Isiro and there were at least three other suspected cases being treated in an MSF-supported local hospital. “We cannot speak of a direct link between the two epidemics, I think unfortunately it’s just pure coincidence,” Ms de Weggheleire told Reuters. MSF was helping track and isolate people who may have come in contact with the disease, she added. Authorities in Uganda said this week that the outbreak there was under control after they imposed strict measures to prevent Ebola from spreading in the west of the country. However, Congo’s health system is permanently stretched and MSF warned that preventing the spread of the disease from the town, a provincial transit point, could be a challenge. “(The situation) is quite serious already … Isiro is quite a busy place, quite well connected, that could make it quite complex to contain (the fever),” Ms de Weggheleire added.

Epidemic Hazard in Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 03:03 (03:03 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 04:21 UTC
Description
Just days ago, MSF reported the Uganda outbreak was under control with the last confirmed fatality 17 days ago. The GAR reports that a National Task Force convened by the Congolese Ministry of Health, is working with several partners including WHO, MSF and CDC. A joint MoH, WHO and MSF emergency response team are in the field to conduct a detailed epidemiological investigation and case management. Ebola hemorrhagic fever (HF) was first recognized in 1976 and was named after a river in the Congo. It received a lot of popular attention thanks to the best-seller, “The Hot Zone”. Infections with Ebola virus are acute. There is no carrier state. Because the natural reservoir of the virus is unknown, the manner in which the virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak has not been determined. People can be exposed to Ebola virus from direct contact with the blood and/or secretions of an infected person. Thus, the virus is often spread through families and friends because they come in close contact with such secretions when caring for infected persons. People can also be exposed to Ebola virus through contact with objects, such as needles, that have been contaminated with infected secretions. The incubation period for Ebola HF ranges from 2 to 21 days. The onset of illness is abrupt and is characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients. The death rate for Ebola HF can be up to 90%. There is no standard treatment for Ebola HF. The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to DRC.

Epidemic Hazard in Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 03:03 (03:03 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 14:58 UTC
Description
On 17 August 2012, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Democratic Republic of Congo, notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an outbreak of Ebola Haemorrhagic fever in the Isiro and Dungu Health Zones of Province Orientale in Eastern DRC. A total of 10 suspected cases (9 in Isiro and 1 in Dungu) and 6 deaths (5 deaths in Isiro and 1 in Dungu) have been reported. Laboratory investigations conducted at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe, Uganda, confirmed Ebola virus (Bundibugyo species). Three samples taken from two patients turned out positive for Ebola. A National Task Force convened by the Congolese Ministry of Health, is working with several partners including the WHO, MSF – Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), CDC – Center for Disease Control Prevention, etc… A joint Ministry of Health, WHO and MSF emergency response team are in the field to conduct a detailed epidemiological investigation and case management. New discoveries with drug treatments that may work against the Ebola virus may be making progress as scientists have recently discovered that a protein that moves cholesterol within cells could provide a scientific link that will help in the development of a vaccine to treat the disease. To date there is no known medical treatment or drug that will work to stop the disease, which is known to kill a high percent of those infected with it.

Recent outbreaks of Ebola have also recently been appearing in the Kabaale District of Western Uganda. On July 30 up to 16 persons were confirmed dead from the disease with 7 more cases diagnosed as medical teams from the International Federation of the Red Cross, the Uganda Red Cross and the National Emergency Taskforce from the Uganda Minsitry of Health went into the region to assist and survey the extent in the spread of the disease. On August 3 officials from the WHO stated that the outbreak in Uganada was under control. Spread of the disease was tempered as medical advocates noted that contagion for the disease was happening to those who were attending funerals. Proper disposal of the bodies of those who have died from the disease has helped to keep the spread of the disease down. The Ebola virus has been a disease that scientists and medical experts alike are still studying and researching. The disease is known to hibernate for years and then suddenly appear, then go into hibernation again. Animal hosts, especially bats, are suspected to be carriers. Contagion with the disease is made through blood and bodily fluids. Recent outbreaks in the African regions have been in areas where poverty levels are high and lack of proper sanitation is common.

WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health in the DRC areas for coordination; surveillance; epidemiology; laboratory; case management; logistics for outbreak; public information and social mobilization. An additional team of experts from Congo, DRC and IST/Gabon comprised of an epidemiologist, logistician, anthropologist and social mobilization officers are being mobilized for possible deployment in the field. Control activities that are being carried include active case finding and contact tracing, enhanced surveillance, case management, public information and social mobilization and reinforcing infection control practices. The last outbreak of Ebola, charted by the Washington, D.C. based CDC – Center for Disease Control and Prevention, outlined for the Congo region happened near the border of Zaire in the towns of Mweka and Luebo in the Province of Kasai Occidental between December 2008 – February 2009. During the outbreak 32 people contracted Ebola as 47 percent (15 people) died from conditions that were caused by the disease. Currently the WHO – World Health Organization does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Democratic Republic of Congo at this time.

Today Epidemic Dominican Republic Province of Santiago, [Province-wide] Damage level Details

Epidemic in Dominican Republic on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 17:12 (05:12 PM) UTC.

Description
The health authorities of the Dominican province of Santiago remained today the alert to the increasing number of people with symptoms of cholera in that territory, where more than 300 are reported affected. The outbreak of diarrhea in the last three days is caused by poor quality of drinking water consumed by residents of the territory, said the provincial director of Public Health, Ramon Martinez. An addition to diarrhea, patients treated at public and private hospitals, had vomiting and severe pain in the abdomen. Most of the patients were tested for diagnosis, and many of them confirmed the presence of bacterial infections without discarding cholera, said an epidemiologist quoted by local media. Cholera coming from Haiti, appeared in th Dominican Republic in November 2010, this disease caused so far more than 170 deaths, official figures indicate. Dominican former Minister of Health, Bautista Rojas, said last month that cholera has affected 0.22 percent of the Dominican population of about nine and a half million inhabitants, although concentrated in the areas of greatest social vulnerability. “We will maintain continuous monitoring the issue, including the strengthening of the various components of the strategy to combat the disease to reduce risk and achieve its elimination”, said Rojas.
Biohazard name: Cholera
Biohazard level: 2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed
Today Epidemic Hazard USA State of California, Los Angeles Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in USA on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 15:54 (03:54 PM) UTC.

Description
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department is investigating a possible cluster of syphilis among adult film industry performers, officials said Friday afternoon. The department has received reports of at least five possible cases in the past week, said Peter Kerndt, director of the county’s Sexually Transmitted Disease programs. The county plans to follow up with the affected individuals to ensure that they have been properly treated and to determine who else may have been infected. Public health workers are also attempting to find out the original source of the recent cluster. “Whenever there is a cluster like that it may be the tip of the iceberg,” Kerndt said. “It is a concern. It is a serious health risk to workers in this industry.” Kerndt added that it was “not a surprise that from time to time this would occur” in the industry. Between 2010 and 2011, there was an increase in syphilis cases throughout Los Angeles County, Kerndt said.
Biohazard name: Syphilis
Biohazard level: 2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

 

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Solar Activity

2MIN News August 18. 2012: Solar Flares & 6.6 Earthquake

Published on Aug 18, 2012 by

Earthquake/Solar Flare Watch: http://youtu.be/zd7Z6dmABf8 [August 12-18, 2012]
[EXPLANATION Video For Earthquake Watches] Last Quake Watch: http://youtu.be/SMiHsOYwdCs

TODAY’S LINKS
Drought getting worse: http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/image/2012/drought-reinforcing-drought-in-th…
Official Ice Melt Comments: http://cc.rsoe.hu/index.php?pageid=news_read&hirid=859
US Pollution falling? http://phys.org/news/2012-08-carbon-emissions.html

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

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Space

  Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
(2012 EC) 20th August 2012 1 day(s) 0.0815 31.7 56 m – 130 m 5.57 km/s 20052 km/h
(2006 CV) 20th August 2012 1 day(s) 0.1744 67.9 290 m – 640 m 13.24 km/s 47664 km/h
162421 (2000 ET70) 21st August 2012 2 day(s) 0.1503 58.5 670 m – 1.5 km 12.92 km/s 46512 km/h
(2007 WU3) 21st August 2012 2 day(s) 0.1954 76.0 56 m – 120 m 5.25 km/s 18900 km/h
(2012 BB14) 24th August 2012 5 day(s) 0.1234 48.0 27 m – 60 m 2.58 km/s 9288 km/h
(2012 FM52) 25th August 2012 6 day(s) 0.0599 23.3 510 m – 1.1 km 17.17 km/s 61812 km/h
66146 (1998 TU3) 25th August 2012 6 day(s) 0.1265 49.2 3.0 km – 6.8 km 16.03 km/s 57708 km/h
(2009 AV) 26th August 2012 7 day(s) 0.1615 62.8 670 m – 1.5 km 22.51 km/s 81036 km/h
331769 (2003 BQ35) 28th August 2012 9 day(s) 0.1585 61.7 240 m – 530 m 4.64 km/s 16704 km/h
(2010 SC) 28th August 2012 9 day(s) 0.1679 65.3 16 m – 36 m 9.56 km/s 34416 km/h
4769 Castalia 28th August 2012 9 day(s) 0.1135 44.2 1.4 km 12.06 km/s 43416 km/h
(2012 LU7) 02nd September 2012 14 day(s) 0.1200 46.7 440 m – 990 m 8.16 km/s 29376 km/h
(2012 FS35) 02nd September 2012 14 day(s) 0.1545 60.1 2.3 m – 5.2 m 2.87 km/s 10332 km/h
(2012 HG31) 03rd September 2012 15 day(s) 0.0716 27.9 440 m – 990 m 10.33 km/s 37188 km/h
(2012 PX) 04th September 2012 16 day(s) 0.0452 17.6 61 m – 140 m 9.94 km/s 35784 km/h
(2012 EH5) 05th September 2012 17 day(s) 0.1613 62.8 38 m – 84 m 9.75 km/s 35100 km/h
(2011 EO11) 05th September 2012 17 day(s) 0.1034 40.2 9.0 m – 20 m 8.81 km/s 31716 km/h
(2007 PS25) 06th September 2012 18 day(s) 0.0497 19.3 23 m – 52 m 8.50 km/s 30600 km/h
329520 (2002 SV) 08th September 2012 20 day(s) 0.1076 41.9 300 m – 670 m 9.17 km/s 33012 km/h
(2011 ES4) 10th September 2012 22 day(s) 0.1792 69.8 20 m – 44 m 12.96 km/s 46656 km/h
(2008 CO) 11th September 2012 23 day(s) 0.1847 71.9 74 m – 160 m 4.10 km/s 14760 km/h
(2007 PB8) 14th September 2012 26 day(s) 0.1682 65.5 150 m – 340 m 14.51 km/s 52236 km/h
226514 (2003 UX34) 14th September 2012 26 day(s) 0.1882 73.2 260 m – 590 m 25.74 km/s 92664 km/h
(1998 QC1) 14th September 2012 26 day(s) 0.1642 63.9 310 m – 700 m 17.11 km/s 61596 km/h
(2002 EM6) 15th September 2012 27 day(s) 0.1833 71.3 270 m – 590 m 18.56 km/s 66816 km/h
(2002 RP137) 16th September 2012 28 day(s) 0.1624 63.2 67 m – 150 m 7.31 km/s 26316 km/h
(2009 RX4) 16th September 2012 28 day(s) 0.1701 66.2 15 m – 35 m 8.35 km/s 30060 km/h
(2005 UC) 17th September 2012 29 day(s) 0.1992 77.5 280 m – 640 m 7.55 km/s 27180 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

..Curiosity’s ChemCam Will “Zap” First Martian Rock On Saturday Night. Aug. 18 -
Target Area – Glenelg

 

MessageToEagle.com – The scientists and engineers of NASA’s Curiosity rover mission have selected the first driving destination for their one-ton, six-wheeled mobile Mars laboratory.

The target area, named Glenelg, is a natural intersection of three kinds of terrain. The choice was described by Curiosity Principal Investigator John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology during a media teleconference on Aug. 17.

“With such a great landing spot in Gale Crater, we literally had every degree of the compass to choose from for our first drive,” Grotzinger said. “We had a bunch of strong contenders.

It is the kind of dilemma planetary scientists dream of, but you can only go one place for the first drilling for a rock sample on Mars.

That first drilling will be a huge moment in the history of Mars exploration.”

The trek to Glenelg will send the rover 1,300 feet (400 meters) east-southeast of its landing site. One of the three types of terrain intersecting at Glenelg is layered bedrock, which is attractive as the first drilling target.

“We’re about ready to load our new destination into our GPS and head out onto the open road,” Grotzinger said.

“Our challenge is there is no GPS on Mars, so we have a roomful of rover-driver engineers providing our turn-by-turn navigation for us.”

Prior to the rover’s trip to Glenelg, the team in charge of Curiosity’s Chemistry and Camera instrument, or ChemCam, is planning to give their mast-mounted, rock-zapping laser and telescope combination a thorough checkout.

 

Curiosity Rover Report – Aug. 17, 2012. Credits: JPL/NASA

On Saturday night, Aug. 18, ChemCam is expected to “zap” its first rock in the name of planetary science. It will be the first time such a powerful laser has been used on the surface of another world.

“Rock N165 looks like your typical Mars rock, about three inches wide. It’s about 10 feet away,” said Roger Wiens, principal investigator of the ChemCam instrument from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. “We are going to hit it with 14 millijoules of energy 30 times in 10 seconds. It is not only going to be an excellent test of our system, it should be pretty cool too.”

 


Click on image to enlargeGlenelg Intrigue

This image shows a closer view of the landing site of NASA’s Curiosity rover and a destination nearby known as Glenelg. Curiosity landed inside Gale Crater on Mars on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT) at the blue dot. It is planning on driving to an area marked with a red dot that is nicknamed Glenelg. That area marks the intersection of three kinds of terrain.
Starting clockwise from the top of this image, scientists are interested in this brighter terrain because it may represent a kind of bedrock suitable for eventual drilling by Curiosity. The next terrain shows the marks of many small craters and intrigues scientists because it might represent an older or harder surface. The third, which is the kind of terrain Curiosity landed in, is interesting because scientists can try to determine if the same kind of rock texture at Goulburn, an area where blasts from the descent stage rocket engines scoured away some of the surface, also occurs at Glenelg.
The science team thought the name Glenelg was appropriate because, if Curiosity traveled there, it would visit the area twice — both coming and going — and the word Glenelg is a palindrome. After Glenelg, the rover will aim to drive to the base of Mount Sharp.
These annotations have been made on top of an image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Mission engineers are devoting more time to planning the first roll of Curiosity. In the coming days, the rover will exercise each of its four steerable (front and back) wheels, turning each of them side-to-side before ending up with each wheel pointing straight ahead. On a later day, the rover will drive forward about one rover-length (10 feet, or 3 meters), turn 90 degrees, and then kick into reverse for about 7 feet (2 meters).

“There will be a lot of important firsts that will be taking place for Curiosity over the next few weeks, but the first motion of its wheels, the first time our roving laboratory on Mars does some actual roving, that will be something special,” said Michael Watkins, mission manager for Curiosity from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft delivered Curiosity to its target area on Mars at 10:31:45 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (1:31:45 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6), which included the 13.8 minutes needed for confirmation of the touchdown to be radioed to Earth at the speed of light.

The audio and visuals of the teleconference are archived and available for viewing at: – here

 

© MessageToEagle.com

See also:
Curiosity’s First Week On Mars – Looking Through The Rover’s Eyes

Curiosity Delivers First Colored Image From Mars

 

 

 

A Lonely Galactic Island -
Nine Million Light-Years Away From Our Solar System
 


MessageToEagle.com – The Milky Way galaxy is part of a larger cosmic neighborhood, consisting of more than 35 galaxies known as the Local Group.

One of the most prominent members of the Local group and at the same time – our neighbor is M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. It has two small satellite galaxies, M32 and M110.

Also prominent in the local group is the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), Leo I, and NGC 6822. There are over 30 galaxies that are considered to be in the local group, and they are spread over a diameter of nearly 10 million light years, with the center of them being somewhere between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.

 

Both M31 and the Milky Way have dwarf galaxies associated with them.

Numerous, less glamorous dwarf galaxies, keep the Milky Way company.

Many other galaxies, however, are comparatively isolated, and have no close neighbors. One of them is a lonely galactic island – a dwarf irregular galaxy called DDO 190.

Recently, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope with its advanced Camera for Surveys, captured a new image of this lonely galactic island.

DDO 190 is relatively small and lacks clear structure.

 

Older, reddish stars mostly populate DDO 190’s outskirts, while some younger, bluish stars gleam in DDO 190’s more crowded interior.

Some pockets of ionised gas heated up by stars appear here and there, with the most noticeable one shining towards the bottom of DDO 190 in this picture.

 

Click on image to enlarge

DDO 190 lies around 9 million light years away from our solar system.
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Meanwhile, a great number of distant galaxies with evident spiral, elliptical and less-defined shapes glow in the background.

DDO 190 lies around nine million light-years away from our Solar System. It is considered part of the loosely associated Messier 94 group of galaxies, not far from the Local Group of galaxies that includes the Milky Way.

Canadian astronomer Sidney van der Bergh was the first to record DDO 190 in 1959 as part of the DDO catalogue of dwarf galaxies. (“DDO” stands for the David Dunlap Observatory, now managed by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, where the catalogue was created).

Although within the Messier 94 group, DDO 190 is on its own. The galaxy’s nearest dwarf galaxy neighbour, DDO 187, is thought to be no closer than three million light-years away. In contrast, many of the Milky Way’s companion galaxies, such as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, reside within a fifth or so of that distance, and even the giant spiral of the Andromeda Galaxy is closer to the Milky Way than DDO 190 is to its nearest neighbour.

Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys captured this image in visible and infrared light. The field of view is around 3.3 by 3.3 arcminutes

MessageToEagle.com

See also:
Extraordinary Phoenix Galaxy Cluster – One Of The Largest Objects In The Universe With Record-Breaking Star Formation

 

 

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife / Hazmat

‘Crazy’: Dozens of dead birds fall from the sky in New Jersey

By Dan Stamm, NBC10.com

Residents in a Cumberland County, N.J., community were left wondering what caused dozens of birds to drop dead from the sky earlier this week.

Residents along Peach Drive in Millville found at least 80 dead birds — mostly red-winged blackbirds — on the ground, having fallen from trees and the sky.

“Crazy — something out of a movie,” said resident Michelle Cavalieri, who saw the birds fall.

The birds caused a bloody mess on roadways in the residential neighborhood.

“They’d get up and try and fly and they were out of control so they’d crash and fall again,” said resident Jim Sinclair. ”It was just strange.”

Animal control, public health officials and other emergency crews were on the scene Tuesday morning collecting dead birds to try and figure out exactly what caused so many of them to die.

Cumberland County Public Information Officer Troy Ferus said the birds’ death likely was caused by something they ate — a granular pesticide put down legally by nearby Ingraldi Farms.

One of dozens of birds that was found dead on the ground in Millville, N.J.

“Preliminary investigation gives us the impression that.. he had problems with birds,” said Ferus. ”He applied for and got a permit for a product that kills birds and that’s what it seems to have been effective at doing.”

Here is the county’s press release on the incident:

The Department of Health reports that Monday evening Ingraldi Farms applied a granular pesticide intended and approved to cull birds, causing an unusually high volume of dead birds in the area of Ingraldi Farms and Whitemarsh Estates in Millville.

The material used; Avitrol Double Strength Corn Chops (EPA reg. # 11649-5) is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and intended to be used for bird control for Blackbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Cowbirds, Grackles, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbird, Starlings and Yellow-Headed Blackbirds.

In the past, Ingraldi Farms has also used Avian Control (EPA reg. # 33162-1) a ready to use liquid repellent intended to be used for bird control for Geese, Gull, Pigeon, Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Grackles and House Finches.

Ingraldi Farms is licensed through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to apply pesticides on their farms and has been working with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife to alleviate the crop damage done by large flocks of birds. Remedies include auditory shock, hunting and pesticides. Ingraldi Farms has estimated a crop loss of $15,000 so far, due to the birds eating their crops.

Bird specimens have been collected and are being sent to the NJ-Department of Environmental Protection Laboratory for testing.

No one at Ingraldi Farms would talk to NBC10′s Ted Greenberg when he went there for comment.

Officials say the dead birds are not toxic, but that any member of the public that encounters a dead bird should use gloves when picking it up and wash their hands thoroughly after handling and disposing of it in the trash.

But they put out a call to residents Tuesday afternoon that urged residents to remain inside “due to an odor and the death of several birds in the area.”

Recently, bird kills have happened in various locations around the world — possibly none more famous than the New Year’s Eve death of hundreds of blackbirds in Arkansas.

Today Biological Hazard Panama Peovince of Herrera , Monagrillo Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in Panama on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 17:05 (05:05 PM) UTC.

Description
One possible case of [a] hantavirus [infection] was reported in Herrera province after a 32 year old patient, resident of the Monagrillo neighborhood, presented with symptoms of the disease [probably hantavirus pulmonary syndrome]. Francisco Rios, regional health director of the province, stated that tests on the patient to determine if he had this disease were negative. Despite these results, the man was moved to the capital city where the tests are being done again by the Gorgas Memorial Center. It is worth noting that 2 family members of this man are currently in hospital, having presented with the same symptoms. Because of this, authorities of the Ministry of Health have carried out an inspection of the house of the patient, where they determined that there were various risk factors for the disease within the home.
Biohazard name: Hantavirus
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.
Symptoms:
Status: suspected
Today Biological Hazard Japan Province of Hokkaido, Sapporo Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in Japan on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 13:50 (01:50 PM) UTC.

Description
Seven people, most of them elderly women, died after eating pickles contaminated with E. coli in northern Japan, officials said Sunday, in the country’s deadliest mass food poisoning in 10 years. A total of 103 others have been made ill after eating the same lightly pickled Chinese cabbage produced in late July by a company in the city of Sapporo, according to health bulletins issued by the local government. Of the dead, six were elderly women who ate the pickles at nursing homes in Sapporo and in another city on Hokkaido island. A four-year-old girl died on August 11 in Sapporo. In the city of Ebetsu, a woman centenarian died early Sunday from multiple-organ failure, nine days after she was hospitalised, a Hokkaido regional health official said. “She ate the pickles served at breakfast at her nursing home on August 1,” the official, Narihiko Kawamura, told AFP by telephone. The Sapporo girl died five days after developing symptoms of E. coli poisoning, according to an official at the city’s public health centre. “She and her family used to eat the company’s cabbage pickles, which they often bought at a local supermarket. But it is not certain when she ate the contaminated product,” the official, Seiichi Miyahara, said by telephone. Two other women in their 90s died on Thursday in Ebetsu after eating the pickles at nursing homes.
Biohazard name: E Coli Outbreak (contaminated pickles)
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:
19.08.2012 Biological Hazard Vietnam Province of Thanh Hoa, Quang Ngu Village [Sam Son District] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in Vietnam on Saturday, 18 August, 2012 at 11:12 (11:12 AM) UTC.

Description
Bird flu has broken out in three districts of Thanh Hoa province and thousand of birds have been culled. The disease was discovered in Quang Ngu village, Sam Son town, said Pham Van Can, head of the communal Veterinary Centre, on August 18. Can said that after it was detected on July 24, the authorities sent blood samples for testing, which came back positive for the H5N1virus. Quang Ngu has since destroyed more than 300 birds. Bird flu outbreaks have also been reported in three villages in Hau Loc district over the period of a week and more than 13,000 birds have been culled. These localities have strengthened supervision and sent working groups to be on duty around the clock to prevent sick birds from being transported outside the area.
Biohazard name: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1)
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.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed
19.08.2012 Biological Hazard USA State of California, [Yosemite National Park] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in USA on Saturday, 18 August, 2012 at 10:43 (10:43 AM) UTC.

Description
A man died and a woman became seriously ill after contracting a rare rodent-borne disease that might have been linked to their stay at a popular lodging area in Yosemite National Park, officials said Thursday. The man was the first person to die from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome contracted in the park, though two others were stricken in a more remote area in 2000 and 2010, officials said. Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and the California Department of Public Health showed the virus was present in fecal matter from deer mice trapped near Curry Village, an historic, family friendly area of cabins. “There’s no way to tell for sure, but state health officials feel they may have contracted it here in Curry Village,” park spokesman Scott Gediman said. The woman was expected to survive. Their names weren’t released. Hantavirus develops from breathing in particles transmitted by rodent droppings, urine or saliva. Early symptoms of hantavirus can include fever and muscle aches, chills, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and coughing. Symptoms can show up within one to six weeks after exposure. There is no specific treatment for the virus, and about one-third of people who contract it will die. Curry Village is the most popular and economical lodging area in the park, a picturesque assemblage of rustic cabins at the base of the 3,000-foot promontory Glacier Point. Earlier this summer park officials placed some of the area off limits when a geologist’s report revealed it is a rock fall hazard zone. Both victims stayed at the park on overlapping days in June in canvas tent cabins located about 100 feet apart from each other, park officials said. Tent cabins are built on wooden platforms and are impossible to completely seal.

“It’s a wilderness setting and the inspections have shown that the park concessionaire has done an excellent job at keeping them clean,” Gediman said. “But there are rodents in the wilderness and some of them are infected and that’s what happens.” There have been 60 cases in California and 587 nationally since hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was first identified in 1993. These two new cases bring to four the number of people stricken in California this year. Most cases are in the eastern Sierra at higher elevations. The park’s two previous cases were contracted in Tuolumne Meadows at 8,600 feet. Yosemite Valley is 4,000 feet. Health officials say people should avoid contact with mice and other rodents. People should wear gloves and spray areas contaminated with rodent droppings and urine with a 10 percent bleach solution then wait 15 minutes before cleaning the area. State health officials said their investigation showed that park concessionaire Delaware North Co. used good cleaning practices. Company officials are telling visitors when they call to make reservations that the outbreak has occurred, said spokeswoman Lisa Cesaro. She said the company is working with the park service to come up with a plan to educate visitors about the potential danger.

Biohazard name: Hantavirus
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.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed
Today HAZMAT USA State of California, San Francisco [Treasure Island] Damage level Details

HAZMAT in USA on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 at 03:42 (03:42 AM) UTC.

Description
The city of San Francisco plans to convert former Naval base ‘Treasure Island’ into a residential neighborhood, but new reports by the US Navy and public health officials suggest the island may be more radioactive than previously believed. Construction is set to begin on a planned 20,000-person high-rise community in 2013, right in the middle of scenic San Francisco Bay. Treasure Island, whose former facilities included a training center for radioactive decontamination, is already the site of multiple recreation centers and home to 2,500. But recent reports have put the city’s lofty plans for the manmade island on hold. While the past use of the island as a naval site is public knowledge, new reports compiled by civilian investigators hired by the Navy have revealed that radioactive exercises at the base were more extensive than previously revealed. The new Navy report and several emails cite numerous concerns from public health officials over the actual levels of leftover radioactivity, San Francisco-based nonprofit news publication The Bay Citizen reported. New investigations have revealed that gun sights on Navy ships containing radioactive material were routinely repaired there. Several ships from the Pacific fleet that may have been contaminated by radiation from US nuclear bomb tests also underwent refits at the island.

The report showed that the Navy was so concerned about radioactive contamination on the island at one point that it built a ‘counting room,’ which would measure whether personnel had been overexposed to radiation. The Navy previously revealed that the island was home to training programs on how to decontaminate radioactive ships. A mock-up ship, the USS Pandemonium, was repeatedly doused with radioactive material and cleaned by Navy trainees. The Navy claimed that the material used on the ship was not highly radioactive, and dissipated within weeks. But a classroom spill in 1950 prompted a cleanup, and 200 barrels of contaminated material were dumped into the ocean. When the Navy cleaned up the island in 1997, they disposed of the remains of the USS Pandemonium at an undisclosed location, and declared the former training sites clear without testing them for radiation. The Navy has yet to reveal the location of the scrapped USS Pandemonium. The Navy is selling the island to the city of San Francisco for $105 million, prompting health inspectors to press the Navy for more details after discovering contaminated soil areas that had previously been declared clean. In December 2010, Navy contractors excavated and removed 16,000 yards of contaminated dirt, some with levels of radioactivity up to 400 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s limit for human exposure. In another incident in August 2011, the Health Department raised concerns that a contracted Navy cleanup crew may have accidentally exposed children on the island to radioactive dust at a Boys & Girls Club and a child development center.

The Department of Toxic Substances Control, a separate agency also monitoring the cleanup, maintains that the children were never exposed to radiation. It echoed the Navy’s claim that much of the island is safe for final transfer to the city of San Francisco, citing the Navy’s 2006 report, ‘Final Treasure Island Naval Station Historical Radiological Assessment.’ Overall radiation levels on the island are only slightly higher than the exposure one would receive in a typical backyard, and do not pose a threat to the planned community, nor to the residents already living there, the Navy and the Department of Toxic Substances Control said. But health officials and activists argue that those assessments are premature, as the contractors hired to remove waste based their efforts on the 2006 report, which health officials consider erroneous in light of recent developments. Stephen Woods, an environmental cleanup manager for the public health department, wrote in a 2011 memo that “the large volume of radiological contaminated material, high number of radioactive commodities, (individual items or sources,) and high levels of radioactive contamination … have raised concerns with the CDPH (California Department of Public Health) regarding the nature and extent of the radiological contamination present at Treasure Island.” By May of that year, over 1,000 truckloads of radioactive waste had been removed from the island, with more to go, Woods wrote, concluding that such a massive cleanup operation would certainly undermine the Navy’s 2006 report. The island is therefore much more radioactive than the Navy had previously acknowledged, he said. “That amount of radium found to date cannot be explained by gauges, deck markers and decontamination activities,” he wrote.

 

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Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC) Magnitude Area Country State/Prov./Gov. Location Risk Source Details
17.08.2012 22:25:29 2.1 North America United States California Cobb There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 22:55:35 5.0 Asia Taiwan Taitung City VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 21:45:31 2.5 North America United States California Potter Valley There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 21:50:25 4.2 Middle America Mexico Oaxaca San Miguel Quetzaltepec VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 22:15:20 4.2 Middle-America Mexico Oaxaca San Miguel Quetzaltepec VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 21:05:34 2.0 North America United States California Mountain Gate There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 21:15:24 3.1 South-America Bolivia Potosí Villa Alota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 20:10:25 3.1 South-America Bolivia Potosí Villa Alota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 21:00:52 4.3 Pacific Ocean New Zealand Te Kaha VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 GEONET Details
17.08.2012 19:10:35 2.4 North America United States Alaska Port Alsworth There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 20:10:43 2.0 Europe Italy The Marches Monte Vidon Combatte VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 18:50:31 2.1 North America United States California Cobb There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 19:05:25 4.6 Indonesian Archipelago Indonesia Komodo There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 19:05:48 4.9 Indonesian Archipelago Papua New Guinea Bougainville Panguna VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 18:40:36 4.9 Indonesian archipelago Papua New Guinea Bougainville Panguna VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 19:06:08 2.7 Asia Turkey Mu?la OEluedeniz VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 17:55:33 3.0 North America United States California Big Bear Lake There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 19:06:28 4.1 Europe Iceland Southern Peninsula Grindavik VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 18:10:48 4.8 Asia Japan Chiba Hasaki VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 19:06:48 4.6 Asia Japan Chiba Hasaki VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 18:05:24 3.6 Asia Taiwan Taiwan Daxi There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 18:05:46 3.0 Asia Turkey Adana Kadirli VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 18:06:05 2.2 Asia Turkey Mu?la Yatagan VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 19:07:09 3.9 Indonesian Archipelago Indonesia North Sumatra Sibolga VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 20:40:32 2.9 North America United States Alaska King Cove VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 17:05:19 2.3 Asia Turkey Bursa Yenice VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 16:01:22 3.2 South-America Chile Valparaíso Los Andes VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 16:02:09 2.5 Europe Italy Abruzzo Balsorano Vecchio There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 16:02:34 2.1 Europe Italy Latium Terracino VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 20:35:29 2.6 North America United States Alaska Adak VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 15:10:31 2.8 Caribbean Puerto Rico Lajas Palmarejo VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 14:15:36 2.9 Middle America Mexico Baja California Puebla There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 17:06:05 3.8 Europe Russia Tyva Saryg-Sep VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 14:55:25 2.7 Europe Italy Sicily Rodi There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 14:30:38 2.1 Caribbean Puerto Rico Cabo Rojo Betances VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 14:55:46 4.4 Asia Japan Ibaraki Kitaibaraki VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. EMSC Details
17.08.2012 14:00:26 4.4 Asia Japan Ibaraki Kitaibaraki VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 13:45:52 2.2 North America United States California Tres Pinos VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 13:50:25 3.1 Europe Spain Catalonia Vielha VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 16:25:23 2.5 North America United States Montana Sedan VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 13:50:50 2.0 Europe Italy The Marches Monte Vidon Combatte VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 13:51:11 3.4 Middle-East Iran ?z??rb?yj?n-e Gharb? Qarah Zia’ od Din There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 12:50:51 2.8 Asia Turkey Karabük Gozyeri VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 11:45:27 2.7 Europe Italy Sicily Portopalo VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 11:45:48 3.9 Middle-East Iran East Azarbaijan Ahar There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 11:46:09 2.1 Asia Turkey Elaz?? Kovancilar VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 11:46:30 2.1 Asia Turkey Kütahya Tavsanli VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
17.08.2012 10:55:28 2.2 North America United States California Yucaipa VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 11:10:58 5.0 Indonesian archipelago Papua New Guinea Bougainville Panguna VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
17.08.2012 11:46:52 5.0 Indonesian Archipelago Papua New Guinea Bougainville Panguna VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details

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Volcanic Activity

Sulphur smell across lower North Island, New Zealand

Paloma Migone
stuff.co.nz

The smell of sulphur from Mt Tongariro has crept back to the lower North Island, with some residents complaining about irritation to their skin and eyes.

The smell has become common since the volcano erupted at 11.50pm on August 6 with residents as far as Blenheim noticing it.

The Horizon Regional Council today received “multiple complaints” about the smell being back and some residents said the sulphur had become an irritant.

Council emergency manager Shane Bayley said the smell was the result of wind drift from the mountain and was not a cause for concern.

“Our air quality monitoring sites in Taumarunui and Taihape are not showing any elevated presence of fine air particles.

“However, our team will be keeping an eye on the situation and will alert the public if this situation changes.”

If the sulphur was affecting people’s respiratory system, eyes or skin, MidCentral Health recommended people stay indoors with all the doors and windows closed, a council spokeswoman said.

Mt Tongariro has kept quiet in the past week, and seismic activity was low overnight.

But GNS vulcanologist Brad Scott said the volcano was degassing, producing a lot of gas and steam.

“It’s putting out about 2000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and 4000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day. That’s what people are detecting and smelling.”

Scott said there were three possible scenarios for the volcano, with the most likely being no further eruptions in the next week.

The second most-likely scenario was that there may be a similar eruption to what occurred on August 6.

Scott said the least-likely scenario was that a larger eruption would occur.

Emergency services, DOC, Civil Defence, New Zealand Transport Agency and district health boards met on Friday to discuss an evacuation plan should the volcano erupt again.

Families living closest to Mt Tongariro have an action plan to refer to.

Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson and Taupo MP Louise Upton met with iwi, the community and tourism industry leaders at Tongariro National Park today.

Ivan the Terrible Erupts on Kurils

Island of Iturup (Archives)

Island of Iturup (Archives)

© RIA Novosti. Fred Greenberg

11:58 16/08/2012
MOSCOW, 16 August (RIA Novosti)

The Ivan Groznyy (“Ivan the Terrible”) volcano erupted early on Thursday morning on the island of Iturup, part of the Kuril group in Russia’s Far East.

The volcano spewed a column of ash onto the surrounding area. Local people in the nearest towns, Goryachiye Klyuchi (9 kilometers away) and the city of Kurilsk (25 kilometers), noticed a faint smell of hydrogen sulfide gas, which disappeared later.

The eruption poses no threat to nearby human settlements.

Scientists recorded signs of the impending eruption on Wednesday, when gas emissions on the volcano’s northeast slope increased, a Sakhalin region Emergency Ministry representative told RIA Novosti. Observation of the volcano continues.

© RIA Novosti.

Inside a volcanic eruption

Scientists say the eruption was started by recent torrential rain, causing a huge increase in the volume of water in underground channels around the volcano. Ivan Groznyy also erupted in 1968, 1973, and 1989, but none of the eruptions threatened life nearby.

Related News

Multimedia

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

WATER WORLD

Are Methane Hydrates Dissolving?

by Staff Writers
Kiel, Germany (SPX)


An approved team for ocean research: the German research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN and the submersible JAGO. Photo: JAGO-Team, GEOMAR.

West of Spitsbergen methane gas is effervescing out of the seabed. Is this an indication that methane hydrates in the seabed are dissolving due to rising temperatures? And what would the effects be? An expedition with the German research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN and the submersible JAGO lead by GEOMAR | Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel hopes to help answer these questions. The expedition began this week in Reykjavik.

The average temperatures of the atmosphere are rising; the average temperatures of the oceans, too. Not only living organisms react sensititvely to these changes. The transitional zones between shallow shelf seas and the deep sea at continental slopes store a huge amount of methane hydrates in the sea bed.

These specific, ice-like compounds only forms at low temperatures and under high pressure. When the water temperature directly above the sea bed rises, some of the methane hydrates could dissolve and release the previously bound methane.

“This scenario incorporates two fears: Firstly that enormous amounts of this very powerful greenhouse gas will be released into the atmosphere, and secondly that the continental slopes may become unstable” explains the geophysicist Professor Christian Berndt from GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

He is leading an expedition starting today on the German research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN which will analyse the sea off the western shore of Spitsbergen in order to find out whether the first methane hydrates in the sea bed are dissolving and what the consequences might be.

The expedition builds on research conducted by marine scientists from Kiel who worked in this area of the sea in 2008. Back then they found over 250 places where gas was escaping the sea bed. “These spots lie directly on the border of the area of stable hydrates” explains Professor Berndt. “Therefore we presume that the hydrates are dissolving from the rim inwards.”

During the upcoming expedition, the scientists from Kiel will be working together with colleagues from Bremen, Switzerland, Great Britain and Norway to discover whether the gas emanation shows signs of dissolved hydrates and whether this is due to warmer sea beds.

With the help of echo sounders, researchers will seek out new gas sources in order to determine the total amount of escaping gas. With Germany’s only submersible JAGO, they will closely investigate the gas outlets in up to 400 metres depth.

“It is interesting for us, for example, to find out whether special microorganisms that can break down the methane before it is released in the atmosphere have settled around the outlets” explains Professor Tina Treude from GEOMAR, who will be running the microbiological work during the expedition.

Parallel to this, geophysicists, lead by Professor Sebastian Krastel from GEOMAR, will investigate the slopes under the gas outlet spots for signs of instability using acoustic and seismic methods.

“The methane hydrates act like binding cement on these slopes. If they dissolve, chances are that parts of the slopes will slide”, explains Professor Krastel, who focuses on marine hazards at GEOMAR.

“Overall the program on this trip is very extensive. Now let us hope that the weather will play along so that we can conduct all planned tests”, says the head of the expedition Christian Berndt shortly before the departure to Iceland.

Related Links
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Water News – Science, Technology and Politics

Today Forest / Wild Fire France Prefecture of Bordeaux, [Lacanau] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in France on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 14:20 (02:20 PM) UTC.

Description
A forest fire that has devastated 550 hectares of coastal pine forest close to one of France’s best surfing beaches continued to rage today. The start of a heatwave that was set to send temperatures in the area soaring to 40 degrees Celsius this weekend was complicating the task of 200 firefighters battling to bring the blaze under control. The fire started on Thursday afternoon in the area between the inland town of Lacanau and the spectacular Atlantic beaches that are this week hosting the Lacanau Surf Pro event featuring some of the world’s top surfers. Four Canadair waterbombers were deployed from dawn in an attempt to stop the fire spreading further. To date only five residences have had to be evacuated but local authorities have taken the preventative step of temporarily banning the public from all wooded areas in the Gironde department. A cigarette butt dropped from a car on Thursday is thought to have started the blaze. The Landes forest, which spreads across the Gironde and the neighboring departments of Landes and Lot and Garonne, is the largest maritime pine forest in Europe. French authorities have issued a health alert for several regions this weekend after forecasters predicted unusually high temperatures in the southwest and centre of the country. An unexpected and sustained heatwave in the first two weeks of August 2003 left an estimated 15,000 mostly elderly people dead.
Today Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Idaho, [Enclosure Gulch area] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 09:04 (09:04 AM) UTC.

Description
U.S. Forest Service officials are reporting a 250-acre wildfire in the Enclosure Gulch area west of Ketchum, just seven-tenths of a mile from where the Castle Rock Fire started five years ago. Ketchum District Ranger Kurt Nelson said that in less than two hours the fire had grown rapidly from the one acre first reported at 3 p.m. this afternoon. The cause of the fire is yet unknown. Nelson said that winds from the southwest are pushing the fire into the area burned by the Castle Rock Fire in 2007. If it follows that path, the fire will burn slower and less hot, giving crews a chance to fight it. However, he said, if winds shift to the northwest, the fire could be pushed into the Deer Creek and Greenhorn Gulch drainage. “It is a concern,” Nelson said.

“The growth potential, the rate of speed … it’s doubled in size every half hour.” The fire is still five miles from any houses. Nelson said that air resources and smokejumpers have been called, but were unable to land because of smoke both from the fire, called the Enclosure Fire, and the Halstead Fire, an 80,000-acre blaze north of Stanley. Currently, Nelson said there are Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service helitack teams fighting the fire, as well as volunteers from local fire departments in the area for structure protection. Hand crews, engines and tankers are on scene along with approximately 25 personnel. “We’re getting attention,” Nelson said. “We are a priority.” Travis Wyatt, meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Pocatello, said that winds were set to die down overnight as a high-pressure ridge moves into the area. There is no red-flag fire warning in place, and Wyatt said there likely won’t be one until Saturday as winds pick up and thunderstorms are ready to sweep in. Initial concerns that winds might push the fire towards homes in the Frenchman’s Bend subdivision about 2.5 miles to the east prompted a call to Ketchum and Sun Valley fire departments, already stretched thin due to sending aid to the Halstead fire near Stanley.

A “Structure Protection Task Force,” or, firefighters and equipment, was rallied around 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of River Run and were advised that though there were no evacuations at this time, residents should be told to be prepared to leave if they have to. By 7 p.m., crews were also being sent to speak to residents of the Greenhorn subdivision to alert them to the situation. “The smoke’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Ketchum Fire Chief Mike Elle told the Idaho Mountain Express. Elle requests that Wood River Valley residents and concerned citizens not call the Fire Department for information, but to instead refer to the Idaho Mountain Express and Blaine County websites for updates on the situation. Phone calls to the department have clogged the phone lines and disrupted communication with his staff, he said.

17.08.2012 Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Washington, [East of Cle Elum] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Tuesday, 14 August, 2012 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 10:03 UTC
Description
Washington’s lieutenant governor has declared a state of emergency in central Washington because of a still-growing wildfire. The emergency declaration allows the National Guard to lend helicopters to the firefighting effort. The blaze has chased hundreds of people from their homes between Cle Elum and Ellensburg. Tuesday State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark called the wildfire “one of the most dangerous” Washington state has experienced “in the last number of years.” “One testament to the degree to which the fire is so dangerous is the fact that it is able to jump the nearby river,” he said. “It jumps highways … a burning ember under the force of the wind and the hot embers that are released through burning fuels. So it’s an explosive, dangerous situation.” Goldmark toured the fire lines Tuesday afternoon before visiting the command center in Cle Elum. There, the incident commander says the blaze has destroyed more than 70 homes at this point. Neither official would estimate when the growing blaze could be contained. They say they need the gusty winds to die down first.

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Storms / Tornadoes / Flooding

 Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system Location Formed Last update Last category Course Wind Speed Gust Wave Source Details
Hector (EP08) Pacific Ocean – East 11.08.2012 17.08.2012 Tropical Depression 335 ° 46 km/h 65 km/h 3.66 m NOAA NHC Details

Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Hector (EP08)
Area: Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location: N 17° 30.000, W 106° 0.000
Start up: 11th August 2012
Status: 12th August 2012
Track long: 715.64 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
11th Aug 2012 19:00:40 N 17° 30.000, W 106° 0.000 11 56 74 Tropical Depression 270 10 1002 MB NOAA NHC
12th Aug 2012 05:40:34 N 18° 30.000, W 108° 6.000 20 65 83 Tropical Storm 290 11 999 MB NOAA NHC
12th Aug 2012 16:49:25 N 18° 18.000, W 110° 0.000 17 74 93 Tropical Storm 270 15 997 MB NOAA NHC
13th Aug 2012 04:46:16 N 18° 6.000, W 110° 42.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 270 10 993 MB NOAA NHC
13th Aug 2012 10:38:02 N 18° 6.000, W 111° 24.000 11 65 83 Tropical Storm 270 16 994 MB NOAA NHC
13th Aug 2012 16:43:16 N 18° 6.000, W 112° 12.000 11 65 83 Tropical Storm 270 16 994 MB NOAA NHC
14th Aug 2012 04:58:09 N 18° 0.000, W 113° 12.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 270 10 993 MB NOAA NHC
14th Aug 2012 10:50:22 N 17° 54.000, W 114° 0.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 265 10 997 MB NOAA NHC
14th Aug 2012 16:39:58 N 18° 6.000, W 114° 24.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 280 10 997 MB NOAA NHC
15th Aug 2012 05:01:39 N 17° 12.000, W 115° 6.000 4 65 83 Tropical Storm 260 10 999 MB NOAA NHC
15th Aug 2012 11:18:06 N 17° 12.000, W 115° 12.000 4 65 83 Tropical Storm 20 9 1002 MB NOAA NHC
15th Aug 2012 16:40:23 N 17° 48.000, W 115° 12.000 7 65 83 Tropical Storm 360 9 1002 MB NOAA NHC
16th Aug 2012 04:54:11 N 18° 48.000, W 115° 24.000 9 46 65 Tropical Depression 355 12 1004 MB NOAA NHC
16th Aug 2012 10:53:47 N 19° 0.000, W 115° 48.000 7 46 65 Tropical Depression 335 9 1004 MB NOAA NHC
16th Aug 2012 16:46:49 N 19° 42.000, W 115° 54.000 7 46 65 Tropical Depression 335 9 1004 MB NOAA NHC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
17th Aug 2012 10:55:19 N 20° 48.000, W 116° 24.000 11 46 65 Tropical Depression 335 ° 12 1005 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
18th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 22° 24.000, W 117° 12.000 Tropical Depression 28 37 NOAA NHC
19th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 23° 0.000, W 117° 30.000 Tropical Depression 28 37 NOAA NHC
Kai-tak (14W) Pacific Ocean 12.08.2012 17.08.2012 Typhoon I 280 ° 111 km/h 139 km/h 5.18 m JTWC Details

Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Kai-tak (14W)
Area: Pacific Ocean
Start up location: N 16° 36.000, E 128° 30.000
Start up: 12th August 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 1,385.72 km
Top category.:
Report by: JTWC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
17th Aug 2012 16:35:22 N 21° 30.000, E 107° 54.000 31 111 139 Typhoon I 280 ° 17 JTWC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
Gordon (AL08) Atlantic Ocean 16.08.2012 17.08.2012 Hurricane I 95 ° 102 km/h 120 km/h 5.79 m NOAA NHC Details

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name: Gordon (AL08)
Area: Atlantic Ocean
Start up location: N 29° 54.000, W 55° 6.000
Start up: 16th August 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 428.80 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
17th Aug 2012 16:39:57 N 34° 30.000, W 46° 18.000 30 102 120 Hurricane I 95 ° 19 997 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
19th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 35° 0.000, W 34° 30.000 Hurricane I 120 148 NOAA NHC
20th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 36° 48.000, W 27° 0.000 Hurricane I 102 120 NOAA NHC
21st Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 39° 30.000, W 20° 30.000 Tropical Depression 83 102 NOAA NHC

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Duluth, Minnesota tornado might not have been a first

TwinCities.com

After initially reporting that last week’s waterspout was also Duluth’s first tornado, the National Weather Service says it has found record of another Duluth tornado more than 50 years ago.

The waterspout on Thursday, Aug. 9, churned across Sky Harbor Airport in Duluth and Barker’s Island in Superior. For the few seconds it was on land, the waterspout was classified as a weak tornado.

First checks with the Weather Service office in Duluth turned up no previous Twin Ports tornadoes. But meteorologists there kept digging through the records.

“After doing more research, it was discovered that there was a tornado in Duluth on May 26, 1958,” meteorologist Carol Christenson wrote in a memo on Monday to Duluth weather reporters.

The Duluth News-Tribune at the time called the 1958 storm a “miniature tornado” that collapsed a garage and damaged two Duluth-area lake cabins.

“A witness said the violent winds picked up the garage ‘like a child’s toy’ and smashed it back to earth,” the paper reported in the May 27, 1958, edition. “The small twister pulled off the doors of a garage owned by Irving West, 6611 Greene St. They bounced off the nearby Ing Stockland garage and landed about 30 to 40 yards away.”

Greene Street is in West Duluth. The “wind storm” started about 4:35 p.m. and lasted about five minutes, the Stocklands told the News Tribune.

“Stockland, who lives at 6617 Greene, said the wind was pulling up rocks and mud. He and his wife were at the rear of theirhouse when the funnel, following the ravine along Highway 61, struck West’s garage,” the newspaper reported.

A city-regional track meet was going on at Public Schools Stadium about a mile to the east. Witnesses there reported seeing that the distant funnel “tossed out pieces of paper,” but the track meet was not long disrupted.

“Team members and spectators dashed for cover while the hail fell,” according to the News-Tribune report. “Ditches were dug to drain the track and allow the meet to resume.”

Christenson pointed out that the News-Tribune also reported on a possible twister on July 11, 1935, but that one was never confirmed.

“Swirling into the city on the wings of a torrential rain, a miniature tornado struck in the heart of the Gary-New Duluth district shortly before 8 a.m. yesterday, flattening a row of coal sheds (and) a frame garage and causing general damage to trees in the vicinity,” the News-Tribune reported on July 12, 1935. “The United States weather bureau had no means of officially recording the twister, the high wind having limited itself to the Gary-New Duluth district.”

Source: Associated Press

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Radiation / Nuclear

Today Nuclear Event Belgium Province of East Flanders, [Doel and the Tihange Nuclear Power Plant] Damage level Details

Nuclear Event in Belgium on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 08:30 (08:30 AM) UTC.

Description
Belgium’s nuclear regulator has questioned the safety of the Electrabel-operated Doel 3 reactor due to cracks in the pressure vessels that have already forced the shutdown of a similar unit at the Tihange nuclear plant. Belgium has halted the 1,006-megawatt Doel 3 reactor until at least the end of August after the discovery of suspected cracks in the pressure vessel. But it is possible that the reactor could be shut down for good. Willy De Roovere, who heads the FANC regulator agency, said it was always hard for a company to meet a requirement to prove a nuclear plant is safe. He told a news conference that Electrabel, the Belgian unit of France’s GDF Suez, would have to show that “in a period of the remaining lifetime there is no single risk, there is no risk at all that cracks can go [on to produce leaks].” A spokeswoman for Electrabel said, as quoted by Reuters: “Is it safe or not to continue the production of Doel 3? That’s what we will have to prove to the FANC.”

The vessel in question was built by now-defunct Dutch company Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij, which also constructed the pressure vessel for another Belgian unit, Tihange 2, as well as parts for nuclear plants throughout Europe and in the Americas. The Belgian agency BELGA reported that Tihange 2 was halted yesterday, as it has the same pressure vessel as Doel. “I would like to remind that Doel 3 and Tihange 2 have been halted and do not represent any danger for the population, the workers and the environment,” De Roovere was quoted as saying. Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij was also responsible for two units in Germany that are no longer operating, two in the Netherlands, two in Spain, one in Sweden, two in Switzerland, 10 in the United States and one in Argentina, said the Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency, an agency within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Nuclear specialists from the countries where the Dutch vessels are in use are due to meet in Brussels today (17 August). De Roovere said it was doubtful the Doel operations would resume before the end of September and that regulators would meet again in October to discuss the issue.

The Doel 3 reactor had been scheduled to close in 10 years’ time, according to a nuclear exit plan the Belgian government adopted in July. GDF Suez is expected to trim significantly its 47-year-old nuclear business now that Belgium, the only nation where it operates nuclear plants, is phasing out its reliance on atomic power. Belgium has long considered a complete exit from nuclear energy (see background), but that will depend on its having enough alternative sources of energy in place. EU member states are each responsible for determining policy on nuclear power and on the energy mix in general. However, the European Commission has initiated a series of voluntary stress tests as part of efforts to ensure safety following Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster. They were meant to be completed before the Commission’s August summer break, but governments have been given extra time for further assessments. Speaking in Essen, Germany, EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said he expected the stress tests to be completed in October and that they would include the assessment from regulators about risks associated with the possible cracks in the Belgian unit. “In the coming weeks, we expect clear results from the Belgium regulators about possible risks,” he said.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Today Epidemic Hazard Democratic Republic of the Congo Province of Orientale, [Haut Uele District] Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 03:03 (03:03 AM) UTC.

Description
Ebola virus disease has killed 4 people among 7 cases in the Haut Uele District of Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a statement on 14 Aug 2012 by Jean-Marc Madindi, provincial medical inspector of Orientale Province. According to Dr Madindi, 3 deaths among 6 cases occurred in the district of Haut Uele, and a angle death in Dungu district. Samples from these cases have been sent to a diagnostic Laboratory in Uganda for confirmation by laboratory techniques, and the results are awaited. The provincial health authorities are being supported by the Belgian branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres. The chief medical officer of health of the Butembo District Health District, Dr Mundama Witende, has advised the urban populations of Beni and Butembo, which are located along the border with Uganda, to adopt strict procedures to prevent cross-border movements without good reason. The population have also been instructed to avoid consumption of meat derived from primates. Likewise, the population has been advised to avoid contact with the blood or secretions of patients suspected to have contracted [Ebola virus disease]. The bodies of those thought to have died as a result of ebolavirus infection should not be touched or washed. An outbreak of [Ebola virus disease] was reported at the beginning of July in Uganda at a place located 200 kilometres [124 mi] from the capital Kampala and about 50 kilometres from the border with the Orientale and Nord-Kivu provinces of the DRC.
Biohazard name: Ebola Fever
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.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed
Today Epidemic Hazard Bhutan Trashiyangtse District, Jamkhar Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Bhutan on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 16:52 (04:52 PM) UTC.

Description
About 20 people, including gewog [village block] livestock agents and villagers in Jamkhar, Trashiyangtse, are taking anti-rabies vaccine, after they handled the carcass of a jersey cow that was suspected to have died from rabies on Sun 12 Aug 2012. Some of them had also consumed milk from the same cow. Regional livestock development centre in Khangma, Trashigang, through a rapid test of the brain sample, confirmed “mild positive rabies” as the cause of the cow’s death. “The samples will also be sent to the National Centre for Animal Health in Serbithang for polymerised chain reaction tests to further confirm the positivity of the tests,” the centre’s programme director, Dr Tshering Dorji, said. Trashiyangtse’s dzongkhag [district] livestock officer, Toula Dukpa, said the disease has been contained with the carcass buried safely, after treating it with phenol, lime, and bleaching powder. “Surrounding areas and bedding used for the carcass were also burnt to contain the spread of the disease to both animals and humans,” he said. Dogs in the neighbourhood were also given post exposure treatment as control measure. He said that there was no outbreak of rabies in Jamkhar. “It’s suspected that the cow was bought from Dewathang and carried the disease to Jamkhar,” he said. People have been alerted to report to the nearest renewable natural resources centre on the death of cattle from similar symptoms. No transmission to human or new cases of rabies have been reported in the gewog after the incident.
Biohazard name: Rabies
Biohazard level: 3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

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Climate Change

Warming causes more extreme shifts of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest rain band

Phys.org
  South Pacific countries will experience more extreme floods and droughts, in response to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a paper out today in the journal Nature. Ads by Google Texas Smelly Well Water – Smelly and Rotten Egg Smell Removal Smelly Water Cleaned W/O Chemicals – http://www.NationsPure.com The changes will result from the South Pacific rain band responding to greenhouse warming. The South Pacific rain band is largest and most persistent of the Southern Hemisphere spanning the Pacific from south of the Equator, south-eastward to French Polynesia. Occasionally, the rain band moves northwards towards the Equator by 1000 kilometres, inducing extreme climate events. The international study, led by CSIRO oceanographer Dr Wenju Cai, focuses on how the frequency of such movement may change in the future. The study finds the frequency will almost double in the next 100 years, with a corresponding intensification of the rain band. Dr Wenju and colleagues turned to the extensive archives of general circulation models submitted for the fourth and fifth IPCC Assessments and found that increases in greenhouse gases are projected to enhance equatorial Pacific warming. In turn, and in spite of disagreement about the future of El Niño events, this warming leads to the increased frequency of extreme excursions of the rain band. During moderate El Niño events with warming in the equatorial eastern Pacific, the rain band moves north-eastward by 300 kilometres. Countries located within the bands’ normal position such as Vanuatu, Samoa, and the southern Cook Islands experience forest fires and droughts as well as increased frequency of tropical cyclones, whereas countries to which the rain band moves experience extreme floods. “During extreme El Niño events, such as 1982/83 and 1997/98, the band moved northward by up to 1000 kilometres. The shift brings more severe extremes, including cyclones to regions such as French Polynesia that are not accustomed to such events,” said Dr Cai, a scientist at the Wealth from Oceans Flagship. A central issue for community adaptation in Australia and across the Pacific is understanding how the warming atmosphere and oceans will influence the intensity and frequency of extreme events. The impact associated with the observed extreme excursions includes massive droughts, severe food shortage, and coral reef mortality through thermally-induced coral bleaching across the South Pacific. “Understanding changes in the frequency of these events as the climate changes proceed is therefore of broad scientific and socio-economic interest.” More information: More extreme swings of the South Pacific Convergence Zone due to greenhouse warming, Nature, 2012. Journal reference: Nature search and more info website Provided by CSIRO search and more info website

1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep

Terra Daily

1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep

The study successfully reconstructed temperature from the deep sea to reveal how global ice volume has varied over the glacial-interglacial cycles of the past 1.5 million years of Tabular icebergs. The production of tabular icebergs is a major mechanism of mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Icebergs are calved during both rapid ice-shelf collapse and as part of the normal transfer of mass through the ice sheet to the surrounding ocean.

Scientists have announced a major breakthrough in understanding the Earth’s climate machine by reconstructing highly accurate records of changes in ice volume and deep-ocean temperatures over the last 1.5 million years. The study, which is reported in the journal Science, offers new insights into a decades-long debate about how the shifts in the Earth’s orbit relative to the sun have taken the Earth into and out of an ice-age climate.

Being able to reconstruct ancient climate change is a critical part of understanding why the climate behaves the way it does. It also helps us to predict how the planet might respond to man-made changes, such as the injection of large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, in the future.

Unfortunately, scientists trying to construct an accurate picture of how such changes caused past climatic shifts have been thwarted by the fact that the most readily available marine geological record of ice-ages – changes in the ratio of oxygen isotopes (Oxygen 18 to Oxygen 16) preserved in tiny calcareous deep sea fossils called foraminifera – is compromised.

This is because the isotope record shows the combined effects of both deep sea temperature changes, and changes in the amount of ice volume. Separating these has in the past proven difficult or impossible, so researchers have been unable to tell whether changes in the Earth’s orbit were affecting the temperature of the ocean more than the amount of ice at the Poles, or vice-versa.

The new study, which was carried out by researchers in the University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences, appears to have resolved this problem by introducing a new set of temperature-sensitive data. This allowed them to identify changes in ocean temperatures alone, subtract that from the original isotopic data set, and then build what they describe as an unprecedented picture of climatic change over the last 1.5 million years – a record of changes in both oceanic temperature and global ice volume.

Included in this is a much fuller representation of what happened during the “Mid-Pleistocene Transition” (MPT) – a major change in the Earth’s climate system which took place sometime between 1.25 million and 600 thousand years ago. Before the MPT, the alternation between glacial periods of extreme cold, and warmer interglacials, happened at intervals of approximately 41,000 years. After the MPT, the major cycles became much longer, regularly taking 100,000 years. The second pattern of climate cycles is the one we are in now. Interestingly, this change occurred with little or no orbital forcing.

“Previously, we didn’t really know what happened during this transition, or on either side of it,” Professor Harry Elderfield, who led the research team, said. “Before you separate the ice volume and temperature signals, you don’t know whether you’re seeing a climate record in which ice volume changed dramatically, the oceans warmed or cooled substantially, or both.”

“Now, for the first time, we have been able to separate these two components, which means that we stand a much better chance of understanding the mechanisms involved. One of the reasons why that is important, is because we are making changes to the factors that influence the climate now. The only way we can work out what the likely effects of that will be in detail is by finding analogues in the geological past, but that depends on having an accurate picture of the past behaviour of the climate system.”

Researchers have developed more than 30 different models for how these features of the climate might have changed in the past, in the course of a debate which has endured for more than 60 years since pioneering work by Nobel Laureate Harold Urey in 1946. The new study helps resolve these problems by introducing a new dataset to the picture – the ratio of magnesium (Mg) to calcium (Ca) in foraminifera. Because it is easier for magnesium to be incorporated at higher temperatures, larger quantities of magnesium in the tiny marine fossils imply that the deep sea temperature was higher at that point in geological time.

The Mg/Ca dataset was taken from the fossil record contained in cores drilled on the Chatham Rise, an area of ocean east of New Zealand. It allowed the Cambridge team to map ocean temperature change over time. Once this had been done, they were able to subtract that information from the oxygen isotopic record. “The calculation tells us the difference between what water temperature was doing and what the ice sheets were doing across a 1.5 million year period,” Professor Elderfield explained.

The resulting picture shows that ice volume has changed much more dramatically than ocean temperatures in response to changes in orbital geometry. Glacial periods during the 100,000-year cycles have been characterised by a very slow build-up of ice which took thousands of years, the result of ice volume responding to orbital change far more slowly than the ocean temperatures reacted. Ocean temperature change, however, reached a lower limit, probably because the freezing point of sea water put a restriction on how cold the deep ocean could get.

In addition, the record shows that the transition from 41,000-year cycles to 100,000-year cycles, the characteristic changeover of the MPT, was not as gradual as previously thought. In fact, the build-up of larger ice sheets, associated with longer glacials, appears to have begun quite suddenly, around 900,000 years ago. The pattern of the Earth’s response to orbital forcing changed dramatically during this “900,000 year event”, as the paper puts it.

The research team now plan to apply their method to the study of deep-sea temperatures elsewhere to investigate how orbital changes affected the climate in different parts of the world.

“Any uncertainty about the Earth’s climate system fuels the sense that we don’t really know how the climate is behaving, either in response to natural effects or those which are man-made,” Professor Elderfield added. “If we can understand how earlier changes were initiated and what the impacts were, we stand a much better chance of being able to predict and prepare for changes in the future.”

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Solar Activity

3MIN News August 16, 2012: Ocean Health Index

Published on Aug 16, 2012 by

Earthquake/Solar Flare Watch: http://youtu.be/zd7Z6dmABf8 [August 12-18, 2012]
[EXPLANATION Video For Earthquake Watches] Last Quake Watch: http://youtu.be/SMiHsOYwdCs

Starwater did this in a VERY short amount of time: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/04/12/11160993-4-feet-of-hail-in-texas-r…

TODAY’S LINKS
Ocean Health Index: http://www.oceanhealthindex.org/
NY Floods: http://gothamist.com/2012/08/15/photos_brooklyn_queens_is_flooding.php#photo-9
PA Iodide Givaway: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-06/potassium-iodide-tablets-being-dist…

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPiral: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

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Space

 Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
(2008 TC4) 18th August 2012 1 day(s) 0.1937 75.4 140 m – 300 m 17.34 km/s 62424 km/h
(2012 OP4) 18th August 2012 1 day(s) 0.1039 40.4 300 m – 670 m 22.54 km/s 81144 km/h
(2012 EC) 20th August 2012 3 day(s) 0.0815 31.7 56 m – 130 m 5.57 km/s 20052 km/h
(2006 CV) 20th August 2012 3 day(s) 0.1744 67.9 290 m – 640 m 13.24 km/s 47664 km/h
162421 (2000 ET70) 21st August 2012 4 day(s) 0.1503 58.5 670 m – 1.5 km 12.92 km/s 46512 km/h
(2007 WU3) 21st August 2012 4 day(s) 0.1954 76.0 56 m – 120 m 5.25 km/s 18900 km/h
(2012 BB14) 24th August 2012 7 day(s) 0.1234 48.0 27 m – 60 m 2.58 km/s 9288 km/h
(2012 FM52) 25th August 2012 8 day(s) 0.0599 23.3 510 m – 1.1 km 17.17 km/s 61812 km/h
66146 (1998 TU3) 25th August 2012 8 day(s) 0.1265 49.2 3.0 km – 6.8 km 16.03 km/s 57708 km/h
(2009 AV) 26th August 2012 9 day(s) 0.1615 62.8 670 m – 1.5 km 22.51 km/s 81036 km/h
331769 (2003 BQ35) 28th August 2012 11 day(s) 0.1585 61.7 240 m – 530 m 4.64 km/s 16704 km/h
(2010 SC) 28th August 2012 11 day(s) 0.1679 65.3 16 m – 36 m 9.56 km/s 34416 km/h
4769 Castalia 28th August 2012 11 day(s) 0.1135 44.2 1.4 km 12.06 km/s 43416 km/h
(2012 LU7) 02nd September 2012 16 day(s) 0.1200 46.7 440 m – 990 m 8.16 km/s 29376 km/h
(2012 FS35) 02nd September 2012 16 day(s) 0.1545 60.1 2.3 m – 5.2 m 2.87 km/s 10332 km/h
(2012 HG31) 03rd September 2012 17 day(s) 0.0716 27.9 440 m – 990 m 10.33 km/s 37188 km/h
(2012 PX) 04th September 2012 18 day(s) 0.0452 17.6 61 m – 140 m 9.94 km/s 35784 km/h
(2012 EH5) 05th September 2012 19 day(s) 0.1613 62.8 38 m – 84 m 9.75 km/s 35100 km/h
(2011 EO11) 05th September 2012 19 day(s) 0.1034 40.2 9.0 m – 20 m 8.81 km/s 31716 km/h
(2007 PS25) 06th September 2012 20 day(s) 0.0497 19.3 23 m – 52 m 8.50 km/s 30600 km/h
329520 (2002 SV) 08th September 2012 22 day(s) 0.1076 41.9 300 m – 670 m 9.17 km/s 33012 km/h
(2011 ES4) 10th September 2012 24 day(s) 0.1792 69.8 20 m – 44 m 12.96 km/s 46656 km/h
(2008 CO) 11th September 2012 25 day(s) 0.1847 71.9 74 m – 160 m 4.10 km/s 14760 km/h
(2007 PB8) 14th September 2012 28 day(s) 0.1682 65.5 150 m – 340 m 14.51 km/s 52236 km/h
226514 (2003 UX34) 14th September 2012 28 day(s) 0.1882 73.2 260 m – 590 m 25.74 km/s 92664 km/h
(1998 QC1) 14th September 2012 28 day(s) 0.1642 63.9 310 m – 700 m 17.11 km/s 61596 km/h
(2002 EM6) 15th September 2012 29 day(s) 0.1833 71.3 270 m – 590 m 18.56 km/s 66816 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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Hubble watches star clusters on a collision course

Phys.org
Hubble watches star clusters on a collision course Enlarge This is a Hubble Space Telescope image of a pair of star clusters that are believed to be in the early stages of merging. The clusters lie in the gigantic 30 Doradus nebula, which is 170,000 light-years from Earth. The Hubble observations, made with the Wide Field Camera 3, were taken Oct. 20-27, 2009. The blue color is light from the hottest, most massive stars; the green from the glow of oxygen; and the red from fluorescing hydrogen. Credit: NASA, ESA, R. O’Connell (University of Virginia), and the Wide Field Camera 3 Science Oversight Committee (Phys.org) — Astronomers using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have caught two clusters full of massive stars that may be in the early stages of merging. The clusters are 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy to our Milky Way. Ads by Google 2012 Photographer Classes – Find 2012 Photography Schools. Local & Online Classes – Get Info! – AllColleges.org/Photographer What at first was thought to be only one cluster in the core of the massive star-forming region 30 Doradus (also known as the Tarantula Nebula) has been found to be a composite of two clusters that differ in age by about one million years. The entire 30 Doradus complex has been an active star-forming region for 25 million years, and it is currently unknown how much longer this region can continue creating new stars. Smaller systems that merge into larger ones could help to explain the origin of some of the largest known star clusters. Lead scientist Elena Sabbi of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., and her team began looking at the area while searching for runaway stars, fast-moving stars that have been kicked out of their stellar nurseries where they first formed. “Stars are supposed to form in clusters, but there are many young stars outside 30 Doradus that could not have formed where they are; they may have been ejected at very high velocity from 30 Doradus itself,” Sabbi said. She then noticed something unusual about the cluster when looking at the distribution of the low-mass stars detected by Hubble. It is not spherical, as was expected, but has features somewhat similar to the shape of two merging galaxies where their shapes are elongated by the tidal pull of gravity. Hubble’s circumstantial evidence for the impending merger comes from seeing an elongated structure in one of the clusters, and from measuring a different age between the two clusters. According to some models, the giant gas clouds out of which star clusters form may fragment into smaller pieces. Once these small pieces precipitate stars, they might then interact and merge to become a bigger system. This interaction is what Sabbi and her team think they are observing in 30 Doradus. Also, there are an unusually large number of high-velocity stars around 30 Doradus. Astronomers believe that these stars, often called “runaway stars” were expelled from the core of 30 Doradus as the result of dynamical interactions. These interactions are very common during a process called core collapse, in which more-massive stars sink to the center of a cluster by dynamical interactions with lower-mass stars. When many massive stars have reached the core, the core becomes unstable and these massive stars start ejecting each other from the cluster. The big cluster R136 in the center of the 30 Doradus region is too young to have already experienced a core collapse. However, since in smaller systems the core collapse is much faster, the large number of runaway stars that has been found in the 30 Doradus region can be better explained if a small cluster has merged into R136. Follow-up studies will look at the area in more detail and on a larger scale to see if any more clusters might be interacting with the ones observed. In particular, the infrared sensitivity of NASA’s planned James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will allow astronomers to look deep into the regions of the Tarantula Nebula that are obscured in visible-light photographs. In these areas cooler and dimmer stars are hidden from view inside cocoons of dust. Webb will better reveal the underlying population of stars in the nebula. The 30 Doradus Nebula is particularly interesting to astronomers because it is a good example of how star-forming regions in the young universe may have looked. This discovery could help scientists understand the details of cluster formation and how stars formed in the early universe. Provided by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center search and more info website

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife / Hazmat

Today Biological Hazard United Kingdom England, Blackpool Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in United Kingdom on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 13:58 (01:58 PM) UTC.

Description
A drug user has died after being infected with anthrax, health experts said. The Health Protection Agency said that a person who injected drugs died in hospital in Blackpool. The name of the person or the hospital has not been disclosed. The HPA said the source of the infection is presumed to be contaminated heroin. The news comes after a spate of cases in Europe since early June. The HPA said it is ‘unclear’ whether the case in Blackpool and another case in Scotland – which was confirmed at the end of July – are linked to the European outbreak. Anthrax is a rare bacterial infection and is primarily a disease of herbivorous mammals, though other animals and some birds can also contract it. Bacillus anthracis spores can survive in the environment for years or decades. Dependent on the dose and route of exposure, the symptoms may develop within a week of taking heroin. An HPA spokesperson said: ‘The patient comes from the north west of England and was taken to hospital earlier this week and died shortly afterwards. ‘The infection was cultured in the laboratory and the results came back last night that it was anthrax. ‘It is very difficult to identify the source of the anthrax because the spores are miniscule. We do not know where it may have originated. ‘We are telling people on the ground who work with drugs users to be aware of the danger and look out for gashes that develop around injection sites.

‘You can treat anthrax with antibiotics if caught early, otherwise it can be fatal. That is the vital message we are trying to get out.’ Since June there have been seven confirmed cases of the infection – one in Scotland, three in Germany, two in Denmark, and one in France. These are the first cases of anthrax among drug users in Europe since the outbreak during 2009 and 2010. That outbreak saw 119 cases in Scotland, five cases in England and two cases in Germany. Among them was heroin user Shane Brown, 24, from Blackpool, who died after testing positive for anthrax at the town’s Victoria Hospital in 2010. Signs of infection include redness or excessive swelling at the injection site, or a high temperature, chills or a severe headache or breathing difficulties. Dr Dilys Morgan, an expert in zoonotic infections at the HPA, said: ‘It’s likely that further cases among PWID (people who inject drugs) will be identified as part of the ongoing outbreak in EU countries. ‘The Department of Health has alerted the NHS of the possibility of PWID presenting to emergency departments and walk-in clinics, with symptoms suggestive of anthrax. ‘Anthrax can be cured with antibiotics, if treatment is started early. It is therefore important for medical professionals to know the signs and symptoms to look for, so that there are no delays in providing the necessary treatment.’ European health experts say that the recent cases could have come from the same batch of contaminated heroin in the 2009 to 2010 outbreak. Dr Morgan added: ‘As part of the response to the 2009/10 outbreak, the HPA developed an algorithm for the clinical evaluation and management of PWID with possible anthrax. ‘This algorithm specifies the kinds of presentations where anthrax should be considered, and outlines the actions to take.’

Anthrax in drug users was considered to be very rare. Prior to the 2009-2010 outbreak in Scotland, just one previous case had been reported in Norway in 2000. The risk to the general population is negligible. It is extremely rare for anthrax to be spread from person to person.

Biohazard name: Anthrax contained heroin (fatal)
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.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

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New deadly, highly contagious Ebola family virus found in snakes

Jonathan Ball
BBC News

There was a good correlation between the arenaviruses and the presence of disease

The cause of a fatal illness that affects captive snakes has been identified, a study has shown. The condition – called Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) – affects constrictor snakes including boas and pythons. There is no treatment and symptoms include “stargazing” – a fixed upward stare – as well as breathing problems and general muscular paralysis.

It was long suspected that the disease was caused by a virus, but until recently its identity remained elusive. The research is published in the open-access journal mBio.

In this breakthrough study, researchers from the University of California San Francisco analysed samples obtained from snakes diagnosed with IBD, using sensitive DNA sequencing techniques.

In amongst some of the snake DNA was foreign genetic material – nucleic acid – that closely resembled that present in viruses belonging to a family called arenaviruses. This family includes Lassa Fever virus, which is associated with haemorrhagic fever in humans. However, there is no evidence that the newly discovered virus can pass from snakes to humans.

The scientists were also able to grow the virus from samples taken from one of the snakes.

Dr Mark Stenglein, who co-led the current study, said “we don’t yet have formal evidence that these viruses cause the disease… although there is a good correlation [between disease and the presence of virus] … there’s definitely a possibility that other things cause this”.

Arenaviruses can be divided into two main groups based on the location of the species they naturally infect – New World viruses originate from the Americas, whilst Old World viruses are found in Africa and Asia. Genetically, the newly discovered virus is distinct from these two groups.

Commenting on the finding, the editor of the paper Michael Buchmeier, professor of infectious diseases at University of California Irvine, suggests that these snake viruses “may be representative of a predecessor of the Old World and New World branches of the [arenavirus] family”.

The genetic analyses also revealed that one of the genes in the newly isolated virus group was more like that present in viruses belonging to a totally different family of haemorrhagic viruses called filoviruses. Ebolavirus belongs to this family.

The new discovery follows similar research published online in April 2012 in the journal Infection, Genetics and Evolution, which describes isolation of a novel virus from snakes – this time in Australia – that showed symptoms very similar to IBD. However, the virus isolated in this study belonged to a very different virus family known as paramyxoviruses.

Professor Jim Wellehan from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, who authored the paramyxovirus study, said: “The epidemiology of the paramyxoviruses is different [to IBD]. These are hot agents that snakes die quickly from, and it works fast. You have a room full of dead snakes in a week.”

It is uncertain how the highly contagious IBD virus is spread. One possibility is that transmission occurs through inhalation – either directly from another infected snake or indirectly from contaminated bedding or following handling. Alternatively, mites – often found in colonies suffering from an IBD outbreak – might be implicated.

So far the disease seems to be restricted to captive snakes but some scientists are worried that the release of captive bred or rehabilitated snakes might unwittingly unleash this devastating virus into the wild.

Today HAZMAT Australia State of New South Wales, Newcastle Damage level Details

HAZMAT in Australia on Friday, 17 August, 2012 at 03:06 (03:06 AM) UTC.

Description
One hundred litres of a highly toxic and potentially explosive chemical that spilled at an industrial site near Newcastle have been mopped up without incident, authorities say. Police established a 300-metre exclusion zone and evacuated 100 people after a 1000-litre drum of methyl ethyl ketone cracked at a warehouse in Tomago about 1.45pm (AEST) on Thursday. Power was switched off in the neighbouring area, streets were closed and all ignition sources were removed as hazmat officers in fully encapsulated suits inspected the site and began the cleanup job. Six Fire and Rescue NSW crews worked to contain the spill and the area was deemed safe by Thursday evening, Superintendent Paul Bailey said. “Everything is either back open or in the process of being reopened,” he said. “We’ve had no run-off into waterways.” A spokesman earlier described the chemical as “highly flammable, very explosive, very toxic”. It’s believed the tank containing the liquid had rolled from a forklift.

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Articles of Interest

Chevron’s refinery, Richmond’s peril

Antonia Juhasz
Los Angeles Times

Chevron Richmond

© Lance Iversen / San Francisco Chronicle / Associated Press
People view the fire at the Chevron Richmond Refinery. The fire burned out of control for more than five hours, sending a giant black cloud of toxic chemicals, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, thousands of feet into the air and out across the bay.

The facility that caught fire violates pollution rules and is a daily threat to workers and neighbors.

Stay inside, close your windows and doors, and turn off air conditioning and heating units. Pets and all children in sporting activities should be brought inside, and have duct tape ready should you need to further seal windows and doors.

These are among the “shelter in place” warnings made to Bay Area residents last week in response to a massive fire at theChevron Corp.refinery in Richmond. The fire burned out of control for more than five hours, sending a giant black cloud of toxic chemicals, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, thousands of feet into the air and out across the bay. While automated calls went to more than 18,000 people, some 160,000 residents live in the areas directly affected by the warning. More than 5,700 people have sought medical treatment.

Chevron is the world’s eighth-largest corporation and hands-down the largest in California. The Richmond refinery is also the state’s single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, having released 4.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2010 alone.

Built in 1902, the refinery shows its age. Rather than use its $27 billion in 2011 profits to run the cleanest, safest and most transparent refinery possible, Chevron operates a refinery that is in constant violation of federal and state law and a daily threat to the health and safety of its workers and neighbors.

More than 25,000 people, including those in two public housing projects, live within just three miles of the refinery. Nearly 85% of the residents live below the federal poverty line; the same percentage is listed as “minorities” according to the U.S. Census. Within one mile of or abutting the refinery are businesses, houses, an elementary school and playgrounds.

Since at least April 2009, the refinery has been in noncompliance of the Clean Water Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System in every quarter but one. Until July 2010, the refinery had been in “high-priority violation” of Clean Air Act compliance standards, the most serious level of violation noted by the EPA, since at least 2006. Under constant pressure from community organizations, Chevron has been assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties for repeated Clean Air Act violations – nearly 100 citations in just the last five years, including 23 in 2011 alone.A 2008 study by UC Berkeley and Brown University researchers concluded that the air inside some Richmond homes was more toxic than that outside because of harmful pollutants from the refinery being trapped indoors.

The Contra Costa County Health Services Department lists the residents of Richmond as one of the “most at-risk groups” in the county: They are hospitalized for chronic diseases at significantly higher rates than the county average, including for female reproductive cancers, which are more than double the county rate. Chevron is one of four refineries in Contra Costa County where nearby incidence of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers are the second highest in California, and where nearby residents suffer higher rates of asthma, childhood asthma and asthma-related deaths.

The Aug. 6 fire is the third major disaster at the refinery in 12 years, each caused by an old leaking pipe. In January 2007, an explosion rocked the refinery, leading to a five-alarm fire. A leaking corroded pipe “that should have been detached two decades ago,” according to investigators, was to blame. In 1999, an 18,000-pound plume of sulfur dioxide smoke was released after an explosion caused by a leak in a pipe that was more than 30 years old.

But neither Richmond nor Chevron is alone. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency that investigates major incidents at oil refineries, concluded last month that nationwide safety at U.S. refineries has not improved, despite scores of fatalities, over the last decade, and won’t until companies develop better safety systems.

In a 2007 report about BP‘s 2005 Texas City oil refinery disaster, which killed 15 workers, the board warned of a pervasive “complacency toward serious safety risks” across the leading oil companies’ refinery operations. It called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to “require these corporations to evaluate the safety impact of mergers, reorganizations, downsizing and budget cuts.”

This year so far, serious oil refinery fires have broken out at a ConocoPhillips refinery in Los Angeles, twice at one BP refinery in Indiana, and in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington and at other locations. Using industry-reported data, the United Steelworkers estimates that at least one fire occurs every week at a U.S. oil refinery. Operating in noncompliance with federal and state regulations, moreover, appears to be all-but-standard operating procedure across the industry.

Oil industry operations are not clean, safe or healthful. But they can certainly be far cleaner, safer, more healthful and more transparent than current industry practice.

Big Oil is the wealthiest industry the world has known. The companies can and must be forced through stricter federal and state regulation, aggressive enforcement and direct community and worker oversight to be held to the highest possible standard, including current law.

Richmond has always been a company town. But in 2006 its residents rebelled, rejecting Chevron’s handpicked political candidates and electing as mayor the Green Party’s Gayle McLaughlin. State and federal officials who serve as the industry’s handmaidens should anticipate an even broader rebellion as the outcome of this latest tragic, yet painfully predictable, oil company disaster.

Antonia Juhasz is the author of several books on the oil industry, including “The Tyranny of Oil.” She is also the editor and lead author of three Alternative Annual Reports on Chevron and the former director of the Chevron Program at San Francisco-based Global Exchange.

Crystals from chaos: Physicists observe new form of carbon

Crystals from chaos: Physicists observe new form of carbon Enlarge Simulated structures showing the starting material (left) of carbon-60 “buckyballs” (magenta) and m-xylene solvent (blue) and its superhard form (right) after being compressed by more than 400,000 atmospheres of pressure inside a diamond anvil cell. Although the crushed buckyballs are amorphous, the solvent preserved the material’s long-range crystalline order. Image by Lin Wang, Carnegie Institution of Washington (Phys.org) — A team of scientists led by Carnegie’s Lin Wang has observed a new form of very hard carbon clusters, which are unusual in their mix of crystalline and disordered structure. The material is capable of indenting diamond. This finding has potential applications for a range of mechanical, electronic, and electrochemical uses. The work is published in Science on Aug. 17. Ads by Google Texas Smelly Well Water – Smelly and Rotten Egg Smell Removal Smelly Water Cleaned W/O Chemicals – http://www.NationsPure.com Carbon is the fourth-most-abundant element in the universe and takes on a wide variety of forms—the honeycomb-like graphene, the pencil “lead” graphite, diamond, cylindrically structured nanotubes, and hollow spheres called fullerenes. Some forms of carbon are crystalline, meaning that the structure is organized in repeating atomic units. Other forms are amorphous, meaning that the structure lacks the long-range order of crystals. Hybrid products that combine both crystalline and amorphous elements had not previously been observed, although scientists believed they could be created. Wang’s team—including Carnegie’s Wenge Yang, Zhenxian Liu, Stanislav Sinogeikin, and Yue Meng—started with a substance called carbon-60 cages, made of highly organized balls of carbon constructed of pentagon and hexagon rings bonded together to form a round, hollow shape. An organic xylene solvent was put into the spaces between the balls and formed a new structure. They then applied pressure to this combination of carbon cages and solvent, to see how it changed under different stresses. Crystals from chaos: Physicists observe new form of carbon Enlarge An optical photomicrograph of a diamond anvil surface shows two “ring crack” dents (magenta arrows) after it was used to compress a buckeyball/xylene material with nearly 330,000 atmospheres of pressure. The cracks indicate that the crushed material is “superhard”., that is, nearly as hard as diamond, the world’s hardest bulk material. Image by Lin Wang, Carnegie Institution of Washington At relatively low pressure, the carbon-60′s cage structure remained. But as the pressure increased, the cage structures started to collapse into more amorphous carbon clusters. However, the amorphous clusters still occupy their original sites, forming a lattice structure. The team discovered that there is a narrow window of pressure, about 320,000 times the normal atmosphere, under which this new structured carbon is created and does not bounce back to the cage structure when pressure is removed. This is crucial for finding practical applications for the new material going forward. This material was capable of indenting the diamond anvil used in creating the high-pressure conditions. This means that the material is superhard. If the solvent used to prepare the new form of carbon is removed by heat treatment, the material loses its lattice periodicity, indicating that that the solvent is crucial for maintaining the chemical transition that underlies the new structure. Because there are many similar solvents, it is theoretically possible that an array of similar, but slightly different, carbon lattices could be created using this pressure method. “We created a new type of carbon material, one that is comparable to diamond in its inability to be compressed,” Wang said. “Once created under extreme pressures, this material can exist at normal conditions, meaning it could be used for a wide array of practical applications.” More information: “Long-Range Ordered Carbon Clusters: A Crystalline Material with Amorphous Building Blocks,” by L. Wang et al, Science, 2012. Scientists create new form of matter that can dent diamonds Journal reference: Science search and more info website Provided by Carnegie Institution for Science search and more info website

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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

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