Post by Michael James Stone on Aug 30, 2012 5:36:53 GMT -8
30 Aug 12
Tropics Watch: Isaac, Kirk, and Invest 98-L
Areas to Watch. In addition to Isaac we are also tracking Kirk and Invest 98-L in the Atlantic basin. We also have an active tropical system in the eastern Pacific.
Is DOJ 'Community Organizing' Occupy Activists at the RNC?
What are uniformed field representatives of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Community Relations Service (CRS) doing assisting Occupy/anarchist activists outside the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Tampa?
Khamenei: Time for new world order
The world, Khamenei said "Is in transition towards a new international order and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) can and should play a new role."
Thousands flee eastern Damascus after attacks: activists
Syrian air and ground bombardment killed at least 27 people in eastern neighborhoods of Damascus on Wednesday, prompting thousands of people to flee the area, opposition activists said.
California Heatwaves to Move Toward Coastal Areas: Researchers Reassess Heatwaves Against the Backdrop of Rising Temperatures
... relative to local warming, the mid-summer heatwaves are getting stronger in generally cooler coastal areas. This carries implications for the millions of Californians living near the ocean whose everyday lives are acclimated to moderate temperatures.
Mars Rover Curiosity Begins 1st Long Martian Drive
Curiosity headed off eastward Tuesday (Aug. 28) toward a spot called Glenelg, where three different types of terrain come together in one place. The 52-foot (16-meter) drive marks the rover's first big move away from "Bradbury Landing," where Curiosity touched down on the night of Aug. 5.
Yorba Linda earthquake a likely aftershock from earlier cluster
The jolted area included southeastern Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Inland Empire. The quake occurred in about the same location of an earthquake doublet, two 4.5 quakes that occurred on Aug. 7 at 11:23 p.m. and Aug. 8 at 9:33 a.m. The area was also hit by a 4.0 quake on June 14.
Southern California town declares emergency over quake swarm
The southern California town of Brawley has taken the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency after a swarm of earthquakes rattled nearly 20 mobile homes off their blocks and forced a slaughterhouse to close, the mayor said on Wednesday. It is uncommon for quake-hardy California cities to declare emergencies due to tremors, but Brawley mayor George Nava said the earthquake swarm is a unique case because it has lasted for days and caused millions of dollars in damage.
CDC Says Worst Nile Outbreak in US
According to the CDC, this is the worst West Nile virus outbreak ever in the United States, with 1,590 cases reported so far in 2012. Sixty-six deaths have been reported so far. Except for Alaska and Hawaii, every state has found evidence of the virus in mosquitoes, birds or people. More than 70 percent of the cases come from just six states - South Dakota, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan and Texas...
Eerie Bible coincidence for Hurricane Isaac?
The arrival of Hurricane Isaac exactly seven years after Hurricane Katrina blasted New Orleans has some people wondering if there’s more to it than random chance, and suggesting the popular homosexual festival Southern Decadence may be part of a judgment from God. “A hurricane hitting a celebration of decadence … twice in seven years. What are the odds?” Now seven years later, to the day, another hurricane is heading towards this city. The fact the events are seven years apart is very significant as this number is biblically important. It is the number of completion: God created the universe in seven days. The church, city and nation have not repented and the homosexual agenda is far worse than it was in 2005.
Iranian Leader: What called “paralyzing sanctions” makes Iran stronger
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his speech in inauguration of 16th summit of heads of Non-Aligned Movement said the western countries know very well that they lie about Iran's military-related nuclear program.
Iraq violence: Police general shot dead in Baghdad
Five security forces members, including two senior officers, have been killed in a series of shootings and bombings in Iraq, officials say. Police Brig-Gen Nadhim Tayeh was driving to work in the capital Baghdad when gunmen fire on his car. Later, an army colonel died in a bombing.
'Our Own Little Katrina': Tropical Storm Isaac Sends Louisiana Locals to Attics and Roofs Awaiting Rescue
Isaac continues to spin slowly through Louisiana, pushing huge amounts of sea water, dumping torrents of rain and leaving locals scrambling up to attics and onto roofs as floodwaters threaten to overtake them. "It's our own little Katrina," said Tania Trege, wife of St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Trege, describing the situation in Laplace, La.
West Nile Virus Cases Hit 1,590; Death Toll at 66
Reports of West Nile virus infection in the country now total 1,590, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday - an increase of more than 40 percent in one week alone. CDC officials also reported during a Wednesday afternoon teleconference that 66 people have died from the disease so far. Of all of the cases reported thus far, 889 - or 56 percent - are classified as neuroinvasive, meaning patients develop meningitis, encephalitis or paralysis.
Five Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Five Australian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in two separate incidents, defence officials say. Three soldiers were killed by a man in Afghan army uniform in Uruzgan province on Wednesday, the latest in a series of so-called "green-on-blue" attacks.
Non-Aligned Summit: Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has opened a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement by saying his country is not seeking nuclear weapons. Speaking as leaders and delegates of 50 countries gathered in Tehran, he also accused the US of "bullying" the world.
Tim Pawlenty calls Obama ‘the tattoo president’
I've come to realize that Barack Obama is the tattoo president. Like a big tattoo, it seemed cool when you were young. But later on, that decision doesn't look so good, and you wonder: what was I thinking? But the worst part is you're still going to have to explain it to your kids.
29 Aug 12
PM: NAM summit in Tehran is a disgrace to humanity
PM Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening strongly condemned the Non-Aligned Movement summit taking place in Tehran, calling it a disgrace. "Today, over 120 countries are meeting in Tehran, while the regime there denies the Holocaust, and works to destroy the Zionist state - this is a disgrace to humanity," the PM said.-- "the presence of these 120 states in Iran is a sign that the world's pledge "never again" after the Holocaust, is hollow.'
UN chief to see Iran leaders ahead of summit
UN chief Ban Ki-moon to meet Iran's top leaders in Tehran on Wednesday on a visit hailed by the Islamic republic as a diplomatic coup over arch-foes the United States and Israel.-The US State Department said such a visit "sends a very strange signal with regard to support for the international order," stressing that Iran was "in violation of so many of its international obligations and posing a threat to neighbours." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month told Ban he would be making "a big mistake" if he attended.
Italy hosts international talks on Syria future
Italy hosted international talks in Rome on Wednesday on the future of Syria after President Bashar al-Assad leaves power, the foreign ministry said AFP reeported The ministry's press office confirmed the talks were taking place but said they were being held behind closed doors with no access for journalists.-Contacted by AFP, the foreign ministry said the meeting would be "at a level of senior officials from like-minded countries."
Apophis Asteroid Strike Practically Nil – Scientist
Scientists with the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences have recalculated the path of a large asteroid, Apophis; the refined data indicates a significantly low likelihood of a hazardous encounter with Earth, the institute’s leading research fellow Viktor Shor said on Wednesday.
Russia, China 'weakening' UN over Syria: France's Hollande
The opposition of Russia and China to action against the Syrian regime is weakening the United Nations, French President Francois Hollande said on Monday. "I am saying to Russia and to China that their attitude in the Syria crisis is weakening our capacity to fulfill the mandate given us by the United Nations charter," Hollande told a meeting of French ambassadors.
French minister says Syria buffer zone would require no-fly zone
French FM Laurent Fabius admitted Wednesday that setting up a Western-imposed buffer zone inside Syria would be "very complicated" and would require the implementation of a no-fly zone. France, which has the rotating chair of the UN Security Council, is working on a Turkish proposal for the establishment of a safe area for people fleeing the fighting. Fabius told France Inter radio that if refugees assembled in areas controlled by Syria‘s rebels, "it will be necessary to protect them. That‘s called a buffer zone."
Syria needs more time to win ‘regional and global battle,’ says Assad
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Wednesday that his gov't forces need time to win the country’s civil war, which he says has drawn in regional and international powers. The remarks were a sign Assad’s regime may be hunkering down for a drawn out struggle against rebels on a multitude of fronts, including Damascus, the capital and Assad’s seat of power, Aleppo, the nation’s largest city, and a string of cities and towns across the Arab nation.
Syrian Rebels Claim to Take Over Chemical Weapons
The Supreme Military Council of the Syrian rebels released on a statement on Tuesday which said that the rebel forces took control of an army missile base in Damascus, in which ten ready-to-launch missiles were found. Some of the missiles, according to the statement, were converted to carry non-conventional warheads.-The Council warned that these facts indicate that the Assad regime is getting ready to bomb cities in Syria using these missiles, and the possibility that he will use missiles with unconventional warheads cannot be ruled out.
Syrian army drops leaflets over Damascus, urging rebels to surrender or face 'inevitable death'
Syrian military helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets over Damascus and its suburbs Tuesday, urging rebels to hand over their weapons or face 'inevitable death.' The leaflets appear to be part of the regime's psychological warfare against the rebels, but are highly unlikely to have any effect on fighters intent on toppling President Bashar Assad's regime.
Isaac thrashes New Orleans, overtops levee
Authorities say a storm surge driven by Hurricane Isaac is overtopping a levee in a thinly populated part of mostly rural Plaquemines Parish, south of New Orleans. Parish spokeswoman Caitlin Campbell said water was running over an 18-mile stretch of the levee early Wednesday and some homes had been flooded.
Peru’s El Misti Volcano is active, says IGP
Engineer Orlando Macedo told El Comercio that 224 earthquakes were registered at El Misti - an event known as an earthquake swarm - and which signaled that the volcano was no longer dormant. El Misti, he said, experienced 143 volcano tectonic earthquakes, which were caused by the fracture of rock inside the volcano, due to sudden changes in pressure and temperature.
Unusual earthquake swarm shakes Southern California
An unusual swarm of hundreds of mostly small earthquakes has struck Southern California over the last three days and shaken the nerves of quake-hardy residents...
Carrier strike group rushes to PersianGulf
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is being rushed to the Persian Gulf as tensions between Israel and Iran edge closer to the boiling point. The Nimitz class carrier, with an air wing of about 90 aircraft, sets sail Monday on an eight-month deployment to the region -- four months ahead of schedule.