Atlantic storm Danielle to become hurricane

By Joshuah | Published: August 23, 2010

Source: Yahoo! News

Tropical Storm Danielle in the central Atlantic Ocean was expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the next 24 hours as it moved west-northwest toward Bermuda, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an early Monday advisory.

Danielle, the fourth named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, was located about 850 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands with winds of about 60 miles per hour.

All of the computer weather models showed the system heading northwest toward Bermuda and not toward Florida or the key oil and gas producing areas in the Gulf of Mexico.

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California Overdue for ‘the Big One,’ Geologists Say

By Joshuah | Published: August 22, 2010

Source: FOXNews.com

USGS

The effects of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake striking the San Andreas fault, modeled here, could cause 1,800 deaths and $213 billion of economic losses, the USGS said. Warmer colors representing areas of greater damage.

Gigantic, devastating earthquakes have happened more frequently at the San Andreas fault than previously thought — and we’re overdue for the next one, according to a new study.

Geologists from the University of California Irvine and Arizona State University concluded that the largest quakes strike San Andreas every 45 to 144 years — and the last big one was in 1857, over 150 years ago. While it’s possible the fault is experiencing a natural lull, the scientists think it’s more likely a major quake could happen soon.

“If you’re waiting for somebody to tell you when we’re close to the next San Andreas earthquake, just look at the data,” said UCI seismologist Lisa Grant Ludwig, principal investigator on the study.

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High temperatures forecast to continue to the weekend

By Joshuah | Published: August 10, 2010

Large portions of the United States were expected to continue to experience temperatures at or near the triple digits Tuesday, with no relief in sight until at least the weekend.

“Much of the southern Plains into the Lower Ohio Valley down to the Lower Mississippi Valley is covered by heat advisories and excessive heat warnings, where it’s going to feel like 100 to almost 110 degrees this afternoon,” said Mike Eckert, senior branch forecaster at the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Maryland.

Source:  http://bit.ly/b3Zhzm

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The Perfect Swarm: Locusts Threaten Eastern Australia

By Joshuah | Published: August 9, 2010

As early as mid-August, eastern Australia may be hit with the biggest locust plague in more than 30 years. Without intervention, there could be more than $1.8 billion worth of damage to pastures, cereal crops and forage crops. Chris Adriaansen, the director of the Australian Plague Locust Commission, said that 5 million hectares of land could be affected. But he also said that Australian farmers are as prepared as they can be: aircraft contractors are organized for surveillance and insecticide aerial sprays, and farmers have been alerted to the risks. In Victoria, where the government has allocated $39.9 million to combat the plague, government authorities will have the power to enter farms and spray locusts without farmer consent.

http://bit.ly/9LIsmN

Posted in Drought, Famine, Pestilence | Leave a comment

Hundreds dead from heat, smog, wildfires in Moscow

By Joshuah | Published: August 9, 2010
Deaths in Moscow have doubled to an average of 700 people a day as the Russian capital is engulfed by poisonous smog from wildfires and a sweltering heat wave, a top health official said Monday.
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Houston and Winona counties are hotbeds for triseriatus in Minnesota

By Joshuah | Published: August 5, 2010

A 6-year-old Caledonia, Minn., boy has become the year’s first confirmed case of La Crosse encephalitis in the region.

The onset of the mosquito-borne disease was reported July 11, and the boy was hospitalized in Rochester, Minn., until last week, said Dave Geske, La Crosse County Health Department mosquito control officer.

Triseriatus, the mosquito that carries La Crosse encephalitis, was found in water on a tarp and in open bins close to the boy’s home, Geske said. The boy’s home also is near a woodland area within 50 yards of traps set up by Geske’s staff to catch mosquitoes, he said.

“Houston and Winona counties are hotbeds for triseriatus in Minnesota,” Geske said.

Source: lacrossetribune.com

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UK: Red alert for brassica pests and disease

By Joshuah | Published: August 3, 2010

Source: farminguk.com

Brassica growers are facing high risks of pest and disease pressure this season. The Brassica Alert disease and pest forecasting system for brassica crop growers has already hit red warning high risk for the key diseases Alternaria, Ringspot and White Blister by mid-July, along with high risk for Silver Y and thrips.

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Certain Pepperoni Products From Cowichan Valley Meat Market May Contain Dangerous Bacteria

By Joshuah | Published: July 30, 2010

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency

OTTAWA, July 28, 2010 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Cowichan Valley Meat Market are warning the public not to consume the pepperoni products described below because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Toxins produced by these bacteria may cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.

The following pepperoni products, bearing PKGD. ON (packaged on) dates up to and including JL 28 (July 28), are affected by this alert:

Pub Style Pepperoni
Mild Pepperoni
Hot Pepperoni
X-Hot Pepperoni
Teriyaki Beef Sticks

These products were sold at Cowichan Valley Meat Market, located at 5191 Koksilah Frontage Road, Duncan, BC.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with the toxin may cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, headache, double vision, dry throat, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

The manufacturer, Cowichan Valley Meat Market, Duncan, BC, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

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Bear attack in Montana leaves 1 dead, 2 injured

By Joshuah | Published: July 29, 2010

Source: The Associated Press

"We don’t know if it was one bear, two bears, a black bear or grizzly bear," Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said. "Obviously, the bear’s gone now. Will it come back tonight? That’s the question."

Authorities were collecting bear hair and saliva and measuring the bite wounds of victims to determine the type and number of bears involved.

If a bear is caught and tied to the attack by DNA or other evidence, it will be killed.

Cooke City Montana
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4 feared dead in Alaskan C-17 crash

By Joshuah | Published: July 29, 2010

Source: Press-Telegram

A plume of smoke is seen after a plane crashes on the Elmendorf Air Force in Anchorage, Alaska, Weds., July 28, 2010. The Alaska National Guard says a military cargo plane has crashed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes confirmed the Wednesday evening crash of a C-17. (AP Photo/Roger Herrera) (Roger Herrera)

Four Air Force crewmembers are feared dead following the crash of a Boeing C-17 cargo jet into a wooded area just outside Anchorage, Alaska.

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