tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post7066024309690148560..comments2024-03-20T06:07:07.676-06:00Comments on Jumping Jack Flash Hypothesis: It's A Gas Gas Gas: Event Update For 2020-01-10Jonny Mnemonichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06516458612879773986noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-11592449394247426332020-01-12T23:20:14.480-06:002020-01-12T23:20:14.480-06:00Chinese invented a clay mixture to remove algae an...Chinese invented a clay mixture to remove algae and red tide.<br />https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-01-11/-Magic-soil-a-green-solution-to-red-tide-N9VUVr0rPG/index.htmlPantherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11356392572878904398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-59770686302043736252020-01-12T18:01:56.558-06:002020-01-12T18:01:56.558-06:00[from our Sports Deaths desk]
Motorbike racer Paul...[from our Sports Deaths desk]<br />Motorbike racer Paulo Gonçalves dies during Dakar Rally<br />https://www.yahoo.com/sports/motorbike-racer-paulo-gon%C3%A7alves-dies-during-dakar-rally-171655181--spt.html<br /><br />Portuguese motorbike rider Paulo Gonçalves died on the Dakar Rally after crashing in the Saudi Arabia desert on Sunday. He was 40.<br /><br />Gonçalves fell and suffered cardiac arrest [?] about halfway through the 546-kilometer (339-mile) seventh stage, south of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Australian rider Toby Price then Argentina's Kevin Benavides stopped to help, and a medical helicopter arrived on the scene within eight minutes of being alerted, rally organizers said on their website.<br /><br />He was flown to nearby Layla hospital, where he was pronounced dead. [more; they probably got that backwards]<br /><br />[as Jonny stated in today's post]<br />West Antarctica Melts From Below by Geothermal Heat and From Above Via Changing Wind Patterns<br />https://strangesounds.org/2020/01/west-antarctica-ice-melting-geothermal-heat-wind-surface.html<br /><br />Two new research studies confirm that geothermal heat flow is the dominant cause of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS).<br />Meanwhile, another study says West Antarctic ice loss is influenced by internal climate variability. <br /><br />On the surface of the icy continent, ice seems to disappear due to changing wind patterns.<br /><br />But everything happening on the surface of the continent is more controversial. Heat from below will not melt ice on the surface… It’s too thick. They are not in any way mutually exclusive factors… [more]<br /><br />Biggest 'black swan' event for oil markets is disruption in the Strait of Hormuz - expert<br />https://www.sott.net/article/427274-Biggest-black-swan-event-for-oil-markets-is-disruption-in-the-Strait-of-Hormuz-expert<br /><br />The biggest black swan event in the oil market is a disruption to the most critical chokepoint in the Middle East, according to an analyst from S&P Global Platts.<br /><br />"The market is extremely exposed to any disruption to vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz," Dave Ernsberger, the firm's global head of commodities pricing, told CNBC's "Capital Connection" Thursday.<br /><br />The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial channel that oil producers use to transport crude from the Middle East to markets around the world. It is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point and, in 2018, around 21 million barrels were transported via the waterway daily, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<br /><br />"If we were to see the temperature change and somebody start to disrupt this traffic, that would be the kind of event that would send the markets into the kind of panic we haven't seen for 10 or 15 years," Ernsberger said. [more]<br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-48169380546788953582020-01-12T18:01:50.937-06:002020-01-12T18:01:50.937-06:00Accumulating snow likely for Seattle, Portland as ...Accumulating snow likely for Seattle, Portland as new storm clashes with bitterly cold air<br />https://www.yahoo.com/news/accumulating-snow-likely-seattle-portland-172028877.html<br /><br />The train of storms that has brought periods of heavy rain and mountain snow to the northwestern United States will continue through this week. But, this time, some of the major cities could get in on the snow. [more; see maps]<br /><br />Report: Feds to bill fire victims if utility doesn't pay $4B<br />https://www.yahoo.com/news/report-feds-bill-fire-victims-191046510.html<br /><br /> Federal officials are prepared to bill wildfire victims for a portion of the nearly $4 billion the government says it's owed by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., if the debt isn't resolved as part of the utility's bankruptcy case, according to a newspaper report Sunday.<br /><br />The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked for reimbursement from PG&E to cover costs from the government’s response to destructive fires in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Under PG&E’s current plan to resolve its bankruptcy, any payment to FEMA would have to come from the $13.5 billion the utility intends to reserve primarily to settle claims from wildfire victims, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.<br /><br />Victims’ lawyers are fighting FEMA’s claim, which would take up nearly 30% of the settlement. But FEMA told the Chronicle it is compelled to seek compensation from PG&E. Otherwise, individual victims would be responsible if they get settlement funds that duplicate money already paid by the federal government, according to Bob Fenton, the agency’s regional administrator. [more]<br /><br />Puerto Ricans Unable to Reach Earthquake Shelters Say They’re Getting ‘No Help from Government’<br />https://www.yahoo.com/news/puerto-ricans-unable-reach-earthquake-192719426.html<br /><br />[from our Giant Waste of Time segment]<br />Climate at mercy of politics in 2020, experts warn<br />https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-mercy-politics-2020-experts-warn-031449088.html<br /><br />- 2020 is the most crucial year yet for humanity's plan to dodge the bullet of catastrophic global warming, experts said Saturday, warning that the narrow path to safety was riddled with pitfalls, from the US election to Brexit.<br /><br />When nations struck the 2015 Paris agreement, which aims to limit temperature rises under 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), they agreed on five-year periods in which climate action could be implemented, assessed and boosted.<br /><br />2020 is the year the landmark deal goes into effect, yet almost three decades of diplomatic wrangling has fallen far short of what science says is needed to avert disastrous climate change. [more; the usual "nothing" will happen]<br /><br />[more below]<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-84320091561421844222020-01-12T12:10:47.369-06:002020-01-12T12:10:47.369-06:00[more evidence of wavy jet stream]
Snowfall hits S...[more evidence of wavy jet stream]<br />Snowfall hits South Sinai, Egypt<br />https://www.sott.net/article/427236-Snowfall-hits-South-Sinai-Egypt<br /><br />The head of the municipality council of the city, Talaat al-Anani, said that all roads are open and that this snow has brought great exhilaration to the city. <br /><br />The city of Saint Catherine is located in the Sinai peninsula at an elevation of about 1600 meters from sea level, at the foot of the Sinai High Mountains.<br /><br />It is a popular tourist attraction, as it features the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the world built on a site revered by followers of the three Abrahamic faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. [more]<br /><br />[reprint of an old article - a good short read]<br />The story of the camel, the lion, and the child: Nietzsche's three steps to a meaningful life<br />https://www.sott.net/article/427237-The-story-of-the-camel-the-lion-and-the-child-Nietzsches-three-steps-to-a-meaningful-life<br /><br /> Nietzsche developed his own doctrines that serve as a toolkit for people who seek to become what the philosopher called the "Übermensch" - "overman" - those who have mastery over their emotions, who take joy in simply existing and who create above all else. [more]<br /><br />Coconut oil improves brain function in Alzheimer's patients<br />https://www.sott.net/article/427241-Coconut-oil-improves-brain-function-in-Alzheimers-patients<br /><br />I Tried a Chinese Deepfake A.I. App<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h_bj3uVlmU [~ 13.5 min.]<br /><br />'Worst Flooding I've Ever Seen': Waves Topping 20 Feet Slam Chicago's Lakefront<br />https://www.yahoo.com/news/worst-flooding-ive-ever-seen-212847514.html<br /><br />Winds brought on by a winter storm caused severe lakeshore flooding in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, January 11. A lakeshore flood warning was in effect through 6 am Sunday.<br /><br />According to the flood warning, wind gusts up to 50 mph built waves to 14 to 18 feet, with some waves reaching 23 feet high.<br />[more; see 3 min. weather report]<br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-88245850197763585582020-01-12T12:10:41.546-06:002020-01-12T12:10:41.546-06:00Yeah, it's not as if they disappeared when the...Yeah, it's not as if they disappeared when they were first spotted - they've expanded their footprint, according to the article!<br /><br />Firefighter killed on bushfire in Victoria, Australia<br />https://wildfiretoday.com/2020/01/11/firefighter-killed-on-bushfire-in-victoria-australia/<br /><br />The bushfires in Australia have claimed the life of a fifth firefighter. It occurred Saturday January 11 while a firefighter was working on a fire in the Omeo area of Victoria, Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp has confirmed.<br /><br />Forest Fire Management Victoria Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman said, “Bill Slade was working as a member of a task force at the Anglers Rest area and he was struck by a tree.”<br /><br />[more]<br /><br />Arizona firefighters are staffing engines and hand crews in Australia<br />https://wildfiretoday.com/2020/01/10/arizona-firefighters-are-staffing-engines-and-hand-crews-in-australia/<br /><br />In Australia's Burning Forests, Signs We've Passed a Global Warming Tipping Point<br />https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08012020/australia-wildfires-forest-tipping-points-climate-change-impact-wildlife-survival<br /><br />'Nobody saw it coming this soon,' one scientist said. 'It’s likely the forests won’t be coming back as we know them.'<br /><br />As extreme wildfires burn across large swaths of Australia, scientists say we're witnessing how global warming can push forest ecosystems past a point of no return.<br /><br />Some of those forests won't recover in today's warmer climate, scientists say. They expect the same in other regions scarred by flames in recent years; in semi-arid areas like parts of the American West, the Mediterranean Basin and Australia, some post-fire forest landscapes will shift to brush or grassland.<br />[more]<br /><br />At least 17 killed as extreme cold sweeps across Afghanistan<br />https://www.sott.net/article/427239-At-least-17-killed-as-extreme-cold-sweeps-across-Afghanistan<br /><br />Afghanistan is no stranger to extreme winter weather, during which various warring groups in the country have historically ceased hostilities, but this year has been particularly harsh, according to the country's metrological department.<br /><br />The officials said the death toll could rise further, with Afghanistan's Natural Disaster Management Authority still trying to compile a total figure.<br /><br />"We were not expecting such a bad cold wave in the country," Tamim Azimi, a spokesman for the Natural Disaster Management team told Reuters. <br /><br />Saturday's deaths bring the number of casualties from this year's cold snap to at least 24, as temperatures in parts of the country dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 Fahrenheit). [more]<br /><br />[continued below]<br /><br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-9923068864290119162020-01-12T07:55:19.309-06:002020-01-12T07:55:19.309-06:00That fleet of mystery drones is pretty wild. If th...That fleet of mystery drones is pretty wild. If that was 30 cars driving around Denver without license plates, they'd be pulled over, the driver asked for license and registration and asked where the hell their license plates are. But because they're flying, apparently there is no mechanism in place at all to find out who's 'driving' them, or deploying them, or what their purpose is - nothing. We seem to have no airspace security at all. Seems to me that that is a serious flaw. All drones should automatically respond to some kind of radio frequency ping, to provide some basic information, like owner, contact information, license information (if we're gonna go that route like we do with cars), elevation, speed, direction, mass. And anything that DOESN'T respond to the ping request should be shot down.Jonny Mnemonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06516458612879773986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-48700975425496644272020-01-12T07:46:09.475-06:002020-01-12T07:46:09.475-06:00[ah-HAH!]
U.S. Alcohol-Related Deaths Have Doubled...[ah-HAH!]<br />U.S. Alcohol-Related Deaths Have Doubled, Study Says <br />https://www.npr.org/2020/01/08/794772148/alcohol-related-deaths-have-doubled-study-says<br /><br />More Americans are ordering more rounds, and that's leading to more funerals, according to a new study on alcohol-related deaths.<br /><br />Looking at data from the National Center for Health Statistics, researchers estimate deaths from alcohol-related problems have more than doubled over the past nearly 20 years.<br /><br />Death certificates spanning 2017 indicate nearly 73,000 people died in the U.S because of liver disease and other alcohol-related illnesses. That is up from just under 36,000 deaths in 1999. [more; compare that with vaping deaths!]<br /><br />Missing 411? Woman mysteriously leaves hotel room in middle of night, body found in lake days later<br />https://www.sott.net/article/427232-Missing-411-Woman-mysteriously-leaves-hotel-room-in-middle-of-night-body-found-in-lake-days-later<br /><br />A woman visiting South Florida from Salt Lake City, Utah, was found dead near the hotel where she was staying.<br /><br />Police were seen early Saturday afternoon removing a body from a large lake that is adjacent to the Fort Lauderdale Westin, located at 400 Corporate Drive.<br /><br />Authorities later confirmed that the deceased woman was Kelly Glover, who was in South Florida on business and staying at the Westin.<br /><br />Glover's husband, Adam Bremer, told Local 10 News on Friday that her disappearance was very bizarre.<br /><br />"Her friend went to bed early (Wednesday)," Bremer said. "My wife was still up. Her friend woke up around 4 a.m. (Thursday), and my wife was nowhere to be found, and the door was left open."<br /><br />Hotel surveillance footage shows Glover was barefoot, going down a stairwell at 2 a.m. on Thursday. Bremer said Glover doesn't have a history of sleepwalking.<br /><br /> the exact cause of death has not yet been determined by medical examiners. An investigation is ongoing. [more]<br /><br />Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Drift Lower<br />https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/crude-oil-price-forecast-crude-175637284.html<br /><br />The WTI Crude Oil market dropped a bit during the trading session on Friday, testing the 50 day EMA again. It is currently hanging around the $59 level, but what’s even more important in my estimation is that the Thursday candlestick was in fact a hammer. That’s a very bullish sign and if we can break above the top of that hammer, the market is likely to bounce towards the $62.52 level. However, if we break down below the bottom the hammer from the Thursday session, it’s likely that we could go down to the 200 day EMA underneath, which is currently at the $57.82 level. However, you should wait on a daily close one way or the other before putting money to work. [more; place your bets, place your bets!]<br /><br />Sunday, 12 January 2020<br />The erratic jet stream is causing chaos on both sides of the Atlantic and the Pacific Northwest: UK and Ireland expect another violent windstorm: Massive storm in the Gulf kills 11 <br />http://www.thebigwobble.org/2020/01/the-erratic-jet-stream-is-causing-chaos.html<br /><br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-26980186067910729382020-01-12T07:39:34.240-06:002020-01-12T07:39:34.240-06:00Surveillance Plane Joins Intensifying Hunt For Mys...Surveillance Plane Joins Intensifying Hunt For Mystery Drones Over Colorado And Nebraska (Updated)<br />https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31773/surveillance-plane-joins-intensifying-hunt-for-mystery-drones-over-colorado-and-nebraska<br /><br />Initial eyewitness reports from just before Christmas last year suggested that the drones appeared to be roughly between three and six feet across and featured bright and strobing lights in various colors. Estimates suggested the drones flew only a few hundred feet in the air at speeds between 30 and 40 miles per hour. Some witnesses even claimed that some of the drones appeared to hover in place for long periods of time. <br /><br />The drone sightings have continued and grown remarkably throughout Colorado and Nebraska, recently being spotted in several more counties in southwest Nebraska and on the outskirts of the metro Denver area. There is no mystery as to if the drones are actually being seen. Law enforcement and other officials have seen them and, apparently, they are almost laughably easy to see yourself. Case in point: on Jan. 7, local NBC affiliate WOWT in Omaha went out looking for the drones and readily caught them - or some sort of plane they misconstrued as one - on camera outside Mead, Nebraska, flying low with their engines easily heard. Make sure to watch WOWT's video report by clicking here. <br /><br />Onlookers on the ground also told WOWT that when they pulled out their cameras to photograph the aircraft, the drones turned off their lights and maneuvered away from onlookers below. Many witnesses have described the craft as shaped somewhat like a conventional fixed-wing aircraft, while others like Carlton Britton, Sheriff of Sedgwick County in Kansas, bizarrely described one of the drones as a rectangular "black box" with lights on its sides. <br /><br />Both Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican from Colorado, and the state's Governor Jared Polis have publicly called for an investigation into the sightings. The drone mystery has gotten serious enough that the FAA and sheriffs from several Colorado counties recently held a closed-door meeting to discuss the incidents with other government officials and form a task force to begin formally investigating these unexplained aircraft. [more]<br /><br />[last part next]<br /><br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388504906915444063.post-83064148103767057732020-01-12T07:39:03.563-06:002020-01-12T07:39:03.563-06:00Mornin' Jonny, everyone. Windy and warm here,...Mornin' Jonny, everyone. Windy and warm here, a little rain.<br /><br />There's another one of those 'unsuspicious' [twin] deaths in separate places at the same address, not to mention the couple dead in the water at a golf course. <br /><br />It's nice to see that the Australians are beginning to look at the fact that a significant number of people are having medical incidents in the water and dying NOT by drowning.<br /><br />That's the FIRST rickshaw to go up in flames in 2020!<br /><br />Powerful eruption at Taal volcano, volcanic ash to 16.7 km (55 000 feet) a.s.l., Philippines<br />https://watchers.news/2020/01/12/powerful-eruption-taal-volcano-philippines-january-2020/<br /><br />Taal volcano in the Philippines started erupting at 06:04 UTC on January 12, 2020, for the first time since 1977. The volcanic ash cloud is reaching up to 16.7 km (55 000 feet) above sea level, according to data provided by the Tokyo VAAC.<br /><br /> PHIVOLCS said it strongly recommends Taal Volcano Island and high-risk barangays of Agoncillo and Laurel, Batangas be evacuated due to the possible hazards of pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami. <br /> Tall has produced some of the Philippines' most powerful eruptions. Powerful pyroclastic flows and surges from historical eruptions have caused many fatalities. Its last eruption took place in 1977 (VEI2). [more]<br /><br />Tropical cyclones causing billions in losses dominated the natural catastrophe picture of 2019 – “Cyclones are becoming more frequently associated with extreme precipitation”<br />https://desdemonadespair.net/2020/01/tropical-cyclones-causing-billions-in-losses-dominated-the-natural-catastrophe-picture-of-2019-cyclones-are-becoming-more-frequently-associated-with-extreme-precipitation.html<br /><br /> 820 natural catastrophes caused overall losses of US$ 150bn, which is broadly in line with the inflation-adjusted average of the past 30 years. A smaller portion of losses was insured compared with 2018: about US$ 52bn. This was due, among other things, to the high share of flood losses, which are often not insured to the same extent as wind damage in most industrial countries. [more]<br /><br />Kansas state steps in as farmers die by suicide – “The increase in suicide rates among farmers and ranchers is alarming”<br />https://desdemonadespair.net/2020/01/kansas-state-steps-in-as-farmers-die-by-suicide-the-increase-in-suicide-rates-among-farmers-and-ranchers-is-alarming.html<br /><br />The tendency among farmers, he said, is “you just don’t like to talk about your difficulty. You put your head down and go to work and deal with it.” [more; yeah, until you can't . .]<br /><br />Sunday, 12 January 2020<br />The Australian bushfires: one of the worst or largest animal disasters in history since the ice age<br /><br />"To give it some context, the Australian fires [are] probably one of the worst or largest animal disasters in history since the ice age,"<br /><br />Kiwi volunteers jump the ditch to help fire-affected Australian animals<br />http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-australian-bushfires-one-of-worst.html<br /><br />"Look, it's absolutely devastating, this is an absolutely catastrophic event and the fires are still going and they'll continue to go for days if not longer." [more]<br /><br />[next part below]<br /><br /><br /><br /> Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02819564675299071481noreply@blogger.com