http://www.sott.net/signs/list_by_category/4-Earth-Changes Signs of the Times: The World for People who Think. Featuring news and commentary on world events. en-us Original content Copyright 2012 by Signs of the Times/Sott.net. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:59:09 -0600 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241432-Japan-Priest-Fights-Invisible-Demon-Radiation On the snowy fringes of Japan's Fukushima city, now notorious as a byword for nuclear crisis, Zen monk Koyu Abe offers prayers for the souls of thousands left dead or missing after the earthquake and tsunami nearly one year ago. But away from the ceremonial drums and the incense swirling around the Joenji temple altar, Abe has undertaken another task, no less harrowing -- to search out radioactive "hot spots" and clean them up, storing irradiated earth on temple grounds. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, some 50 km (31 miles) away, suffered a series of explosions and meltdowns after the massive earthquake and tsunami last March 11, setting off the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 and forcing 80,000 people from their homes. Radiation, carried on winds and by snow, spread far beyond the 20 km (12 miles) evacuation zone around the plant, nestling in hot spots across the region and contaminating the ground in what remains a largely agricultural region. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241432-Japan-Priest-Fights-Invisible-Demon-Radiation Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:59:03 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241422-Believe-it-or-not-the-sky-is-falling-A-significant-measure-of-negative-feedback-to-global-warming- A new paper just published in Geophysical Research Letters by Roger Davies and Mathew Molloy of the University of Auckland finds that over the past decade the global average effective cloud height has declined and that "If sustained, such a decrease would indicate a significant measure of negative cloud feedback to global warming." Davies and Molloy are quick to point out that part of the decline from 2000 to 2010 in cloud height is due to the timing and variability of El Niño/La Niña events over the same period, however, there still seems to be evidence that at least part of the decline may remain even when El Niño/La Niña variability is accounted for. Figure 1 (below) shows the history of the effective cloud height, as determined by Davies and Molloy from satellite observations, from March 2000 through February 2010. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241422-Believe-it-or-not-the-sky-is-falling-A-significant-measure-of-negative-feedback-to-global-warming- Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:44:38 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241394-Smoke-From-Dump-Fire-Blankets-Jamaica-Capital Acrid smoke from a fire at a sprawling trash dump blanketed swaths of Jamaica's capital Thursday, and officials warned people to stay indoors to avoid exposure to potentially dangerous pollutants. Jamaica's emergency management office said it would likely take three more days to bring the fire under control and five days after that before the foul-smelling smoke stopped billowing from the Riverton City solid waste dump. Firefighters have struggled to extinguish the blaze at the seaside dump since it erupted Monday night. On Thursday, the waste management authority appealed for help to people with water trucks and heavy-duty equipment. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241394-Smoke-From-Dump-Fire-Blankets-Jamaica-Capital Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:02:15 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241390-Afghanistan-Hit-with-Heaviest-Snows-in-15-Years More than 20 children have recently died due to the cold weather in Kabul which the Afghan capital has been experiencing its worst cold-snap and heaviest snows in at least 15 years, the National Weather Center said Wednesday. According to an Afghan based TV channel, some of the internally displaced people of the country warn that cold weather may claim more lives. Lack of food and firewood is said to be their main problems in the winter. This year's severe cold weather has raised concerns among the Afghan population, especially the displaced families. "In this winter, eight children, three old men and women have so far lost their lives," one of the displaced people said. "We cannot pass the winter by burning plastic, paper and pieces of clothes. We really need help.""Living under these tents is very difficult," said another displaced person. "Life is difficult when you don't have anything to eat or burn."The families living under the tents in Kabul are badly in need of help and most of them may perish if not helped."We ask everyone to help these needy families, they can help one family and protect them from cold weather," Head of the Afghan Red Crescent, Fatima Gilani said. The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Returnees rejects reports about the death of 20 children due to severe cold in Kabul, a spokesman for the Ministry, Salamuddin Jurat said on Tuesday.The refugees living under the tents have not faced any kinds of losses so far, he added. "The reports are baseless and untrue," the spokesman said.Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health confirms the deaths due to the severe cold in Kabul."Because the cold weather was unprecedented and they were living under the tents, they died before arriving to our health facility during last month," Spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, Ghulam Sakhi Kargar told the channel. There are currently more than 30,000 poor families living under tents in Kabul. There reports of high level of maternity deaths in these camps with 144 out of 1,000 children under five years of age.This comes as the recent avalanches in Badakhshan province claimed lives of more than 40 people.Several houses have reportedly been destroyed in these avalanches. Several routes in Badakhshan, Ghor and Daikundi provinces have been closed due to heavy snow falls. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241390-Afghanistan-Hit-with-Heaviest-Snows-in-15-Years Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:21:58 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241387-Europe-s-Danube-Freezes-Over-Cold-Snap-Toll-at-460 Belgrade - Thick ice closed vast swathes of the Danube on Thursday, crippling shipping on Europe's busiest waterway, as the death toll from bitter cold across the continent rose to at least 460. As it has every day for nearly two weeks, the brutal cold claimed lives in several countries and killed dozens more in weather-related accidents. The 2,860-kilometre (1,780-mile) Danube, which flows through 10 countries and is vital for transport, power, irrigation, industry and fishing, was wholly or partially blocked from Austria to its mouth on the Black Sea. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241387-Europe-s-Danube-Freezes-Over-Cold-Snap-Toll-at-460 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:59:35 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241368-Over-200-Dolphins-Dead-in-Northern-Peru This week more than 200 dolphins were found dead along a 106-kilometer stretch at the beaches of Lambayeque. Authorities have not yet been able to determine the cause of the deaths. According to El Comercio, Edward Barriga, head of Peru's Ocean Institute (Imarpe) in Lambayeque, ordered samples be sent to Lima, for further analysis. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241368-Over-200-Dolphins-Dead-in-Northern-Peru Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:55:59 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241367-US-Cape-Cod-dolphin-beachings-rise-to-129-more-expected More strandings are expected after 129 dolphins beached themselves on Cape Cod in the last three weeks, with 92 dying in "the single largest stranding" of dolphins in the Northeast since at least 1999, the International Fund for Animal Welfare reported Monday. On Sunday, four dolphins were stranded along Cape Cod's hook-shaped peninsula and were quickly helped back to sea. The Massachusetts peninsula sees many dolphin strandings each year, but the 129 since Jan. 12 is typically about what rescuers see over an entire year, based on records that go back to 1999, IFAW marine mammal rescue manager Katie Moore told msnbc.com. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241367-US-Cape-Cod-dolphin-beachings-rise-to-129-more-expected Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:48:07 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241349-Venice-Freezes-As-Deadly-Chill-Grips-Europe More than 30 more deaths have been reported as a result of the bitterly freezing weather that has swept across Europe. A dam wall broke and flooded an entire village in southern Bulgaria when snow melted rapidly as a result of heavy rain. Four residents drowned and four others died when their cars were swept away by the torrent of water. "There are demolished houses and people in distress," the interior ministry said in a statement. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241349-Venice-Freezes-As-Deadly-Chill-Grips-Europe Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:14:58 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241341-The-Mysterious-Missing-Eruption-of-1258-A-D- Over the last few weeks, we've seen a number of high-profile studies come out looking at global climate that refer to a mystery. According to ice core and sediment core records from many places on the globe, there was a very large volcanic eruption in 1258 A.D. - so big that it injected somewhere between 190-270 megatonnes into the atmosphere (to put in another way, it produced between 300 and 600 megatonnes of sulfuric acid). This would make the 1258 eruption ~8 times larger than Krakatau in 1883 and two times larger than Tambora in 1815 (when comparing their sulfate injection mass; Emile-Geay et al., 2008). So, how does the geologic community (or historical community for that matter) not have any record of such an massive eruption that happened less than 800 years ago? First, I should discuss a little bit of the evidence for the 1258 A.D. eruption. As mentioned above, there is a record of increased sulfur and ash particles in ice cores from both the North and South Poles, along with other places such as sediment from Lake Malawi (Emile-Geay et al., 2008). Now, many of these ice cores and sediment records have been dated, so we can correlate them across the globe (within error). The combined data points towards an eruption that occurred in 1258 (or possibly 1259) - in fact, based on some of the weather records from Europe, the date could be constrained to between January and mid-May 1258 (Stothers 2000). http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241341-The-Mysterious-Missing-Eruption-of-1258-A-D- Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:25:32 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241332-US-Strange-wave-clouds-that-took-over-Florida-coastline At first glance, it may appear as though tsunami is poised to crash over the Florida coastline. But much to the relief of Panama City residents, this breath-taking series of photographs shows a natural phenomenon far less destructive - waves of clouds. Helicopter pilot JR Hott captured these breathtaking images, which show the low-lying haze swooping over high-rise buildings down the coast. KATU reports Mr Hott captured the images hovering over the Gulf of Mexico after one of his pilots came in from a flight on Sunday. Before his chopper could be engulfed by the heavy fog, Mr Hott flew up to capture the wave-like formations. 'We jumped into helicopter and took off,' he said. But he didn't have long to descend. 'Within a few minutes after we landed, it covered up the helipad,' the seasoned pilot said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241332-US-Strange-wave-clouds-that-took-over-Florida-coastline Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:36:18 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241324-Pakistan-Whale-Shark-s-Death-a-Mystery Video of a dead whale shark being pulled from the sea off of Pakistan raises more questions about the school-bus-size fish's demise than it answers, scientists say. Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune posted video on Tuesday (Feb. 7) of a crane hauling a whale shark carcass onto a pier in Karachi. According to the newspaper, the owner of the nearby Charai Fishery, spotted the animal floating "unconscious" 10 days earlier, 93 miles (150 kilometers) from the fishery. But sharks don't fall unconscious, said Bob Hueter, the director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. And if they stop swimming for any reason, they aren't likely to bob along with the currents. "If and when they die, they don't float, they sink," Hueter told LiveScience. "So to have one just kind of wash up is very rare. I can only think of a few cases over the years around the world where this is happened." It's impossible to tell from the video and news stories what really happened to the whale shark, said Jennifer Schmidt, a biologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago who studies whale sharks. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241324-Pakistan-Whale-Shark-s-Death-a-Mystery Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:57:36 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241323-The-Himalayas-and-Nearby-Peaks-Have-Lost-No-Ice-in-Past-10-Years-Study-Shows Meltwater from Asia's peaks is much less then previously estimated, but lead scientist says the loss of ice caps and glaciers around the world remains a serious concern The world's greatest snow-capped peaks, which run in a chain from the Himalayas to Tian Shan on the border of China and Kyrgyzstan, have lost no ice over the last decade, new research shows. The discovery has stunned scientists, who had believed that around 50bn tonnes of meltwater were being shed each year and not being replaced by new snowfall. The study is the first to survey all the world's icecaps and glaciers and was made possible by the use of satellite data. Overall, the contribution of melting ice outside the two largest caps - Greenland and Antarctica - is much less then previously estimated, with the lack of ice loss in the Himalayas and the other high peaks of Asia responsible for most of the discrepancy. Bristol University glaciologist Prof Jonathan Bamber, who was not part of the research team, said: "The very unexpected result was the negligible mass loss from high mountain Asia, which is not significantly different from zero." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241323-The-Himalayas-and-Nearby-Peaks-Have-Lost-No-Ice-in-Past-10-Years-Study-Shows Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:54:12 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241310-Cameroon-Residents-Tremble-as-Mt-Cameroon-Quakes Residents of various settlements straddling the foot of Mt Cameroon in the country's southwest are increasingly panic-stricken. Over the past one week, they have been witnessing and reporting mild tremors and explosions on the highest geographical peak in West Africa. The most palpable of the protracting volcanic activities was recorded Friday night. A group of Norwegian and Chinese sightseers heading to the mountain summit truncated their sleep and engaged a hasty retreat when loud explosions awoke them at close to midnight. "It was about 11:45 pm. We heard a heavy explosion followed by some earth vibrations. It lasted about 7 seconds. There were flames and sulphuric acid coming out of a spot where we found ash and we decided to go back down," Peter Linonge Buma, a guide accompanying the tourists recounted Saturday. Many residents of Buea, the administrative headquarters of the South West Region perched on the foot of the mountain, say they are on their toes. They are readying to vacate should the prolonging tremors and explosions gather intensity. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241310-Cameroon-Residents-Tremble-as-Mt-Cameroon-Quakes Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:18:48 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241304-US-More-Concerns-Over-San-Onofre-Nuclear-Plant-Safety Concerns about safety and the durability of components at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station are continuing to surface as the plant approaches a full week of complete shutdown. The plant's Unit 3 reactor was taken out of commission after a radioactive water leak was discovered on January 31, while Unit 2 was already down for scheduled maintenance. The Unit 1 reactor was taken offline permanently in 1992. In the immediate aftermath of the detection of a leak in the piping of a recently installed steam generator, officials downplayed any potential threat, noting that the amount of radiation leaked was so small that Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules did not call for a mandatory shutdown. Later it was disclosed that radioactive gas from the leak had been vented to an auxiliary building that did not have the same safety seals to prevent radiation from being released into the atmosphere as are found on the reactor. Once the Unit 2 reactor was shut down, it was discovered that hundreds of tubes on the generator, replaced in 2009 as part of a $670 million-plus overhaul using components supplied by Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, had suffered significant deterioration over their relatively short service lives. Aside from the one tube known to have failed at Unit 3, two tubes at Unit 2 were found to have more than a third of their thickness worn away, requiring them to be plugged and incrementally increasing the burden on the remainder of the 9,700 tubes in the system. While only these two were worn to the point of needing to be taken offline as a safety precaution, 69 other tubes showed deterioration of at least 20 percent, and more than 800 had thinned by 10 percent or more. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241304-US-More-Concerns-Over-San-Onofre-Nuclear-Plant-Safety Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:58:42 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241268-Japan-TEPCO-Struggles-to-Cool-Fukushima-Plant-s-No-2-Reactor Tokyo Electric Power Co. is taking steps to prevent a possible self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Readings from a thermometer at the bottom of the No. 2 reactor's pressure vessel rose from 50.8 degrees at 5 a.m. on Feb. 1 to 73.3 degrees at 7 a.m. on Feb. 6. Melted fuel is believed to have accumulated at the bottom of the reactor, but high radiation levels have prevented workers from checking the exact situation within the reactor. After the flow of cooling water was increased to 10.6 tons per hour on Feb. 6, up from 8.6 tons two days earlier, the temperature fell to 69.2 degrees at 5 p.m. on Feb. 6. That night, TEPCO injected boric acid into the reactor to prevent criticality, the point at which a nuclear fission reaction becomes self-sustaining. Boric acid absorbs neutrons, which induce nuclear fission. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) instructed the company to consider injecting boric acid earlier in the day. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241268-Japan-TEPCO-Struggles-to-Cool-Fukushima-Plant-s-No-2-Reactor Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:37:42 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241264-US-Strange-Clouds-Form-Over-Florida-Beach Throughout the year, amazing photos of natural occurrences make their way to the Internet and even sometimes, make the headlines. That's the case for a recent photo of low-lying clouds. A man flying a helicopter snapped the latest phenomenal photo making its rounds. The amazing shot shows low-lying clouds hugging buildings in a Panama City beach. Dr. Greg Forbes of Weather.com gave a detailed description of the clouds in a recent report, saying, "You see the clouds forming off shore, as the winds from south to north push them toward and then up over the high rises as the air rises and reaches its crest." "And then sinks back down and lowers the relative humidity and the clouds dissipate," Forbes of Weather.com explained. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241264-US-Strange-Clouds-Form-Over-Florida-Beach Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:44:22 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241256-Bizarre-White-Cobweb-Found-on-Nuclear-Waste Scientists are investigating a bizarre white cobweb found on nuclear waste - amid fears it could have been made by a 'mutant' spider. In a freakish echo of the Spider-Man comic strip, workers at a U.S nuclear waste facility discovered the growth on uranium last month. The white 'string-like' material - never seen before on nuclear waste - was found among thousands of spent fuel assemblies submerged in deep pools. Experts from Savannah River National Laboratory collected a small sample of the mystery material to run tests. A report filed by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board - a federal oversight panel - concluded: 'The growth, which resembles a spider web, has yet to be characterised, but may be biological in nature.' http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241256-Bizarre-White-Cobweb-Found-on-Nuclear-Waste Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:27:56 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241250-UF-report-2011-shark-attacks-remain-steady-deaths-highest-since-1993 Shark attacks in the U.S. declined in 2011, but worldwide fatalities reached a two-decade high, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File report released today. While the U.S. and Florida saw a five-year downturn in the number of reported unprovoked attacks, the 12 fatalities - which all occurred outside the U.S. - may show tourists are venturing to more remote places, said ichthyologist George Burgess, director of the file housed at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus. "We had a number of fatalities in essentially out-of the way places, where there's not the same quantity and quality of medical attention readily available," Burgess said. "They also don't have histories of shark attacks in these regions, so there are not contingency plans in effect like there are in places such as Florida." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241250-UF-report-2011-shark-attacks-remain-steady-deaths-highest-since-1993 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:21:45 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241249-Snow-to-return-as-freezing-temperatures-split-Britain Snow is set to return to much of southern Britain by Thursday as the country battles with freezing weather and transport chaos. On Thursday much of the south, including Heathrow airport, which was ground to a halt at the weekend, will be hit by a mixture of potentially treacherous snow, sleet and rain. Temperatures throughout southern areas expected to remain close to freezing. The north will remain significantly warmer with temperatures as high as 8C. The Met Office said overnight temperatures in some areas could fall to as low as -13C. It remains unclear how much snow will fall, as an Atlantic weather system pushes across the country from the west. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241249-Snow-to-return-as-freezing-temperatures-split-Britain Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:15:19 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241245-Cold-Spell-Affects-40-000-in-North-China A month-long cold front has persisted in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region and caused havoc for more than 40,000 people, said local authorities Tuesday. Over 1,600 heads of livestock were killed and cracks appeared on walls in over 8,000 homes due to the freezing weather in the city of Hulunbuir, located in the region's northeast, according to a spokesman with the regional civil affairs department. The extreme weather has inflicted direct economic losses and apartment renovation costs of 13 million yuan (2.1 million U.S. dollars), said the spokesman, adding that no casualties have been reported. The cold front began to plague Hulunbuir in late December last year and has tightened its grip on the area since the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in late January. Chenbaerhu Banner, administered by Hulunbuir, registered the lowest temperature to date this winter in Inner Mongolia, 51.9 minus degrees Celsius, said the spokesman. In addition, five banners and cities administered by Hulunbuir have seen their new record low temperatures during the past month and a half, compared with the same period of previous years, he said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241245-Cold-Spell-Affects-40-000-in-North-China Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:10:36 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241243-Australia-Flooded-NSW-towns-face-weeks-of-isolation Thousands of people in northern New South Wales are facing weeks of isolation, as record floodwaters from Queensland cross the border into already swollen waterways. The State Emergency Services says about 7,000 people are currently isolated around the state, including 2,000 at Wee Waa. Around 1,700 people in Walgett could be stranded for up to a fortnight, while several hundred people living in Goodooga may be cut off for as long as eight weeks. The towns of Lightning Ridge, Mundindi, Collarenebri and Bourke are also likely to be affected, along with many farms. SES spokesman Phil Campbell says communities are stocking up and there will be helicopter support to fly in more supplies to the thousands who are stranded. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241243-Australia-Flooded-NSW-towns-face-weeks-of-isolation Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:46:19 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241237-Deadly-Floods-Follow-in-Iced-Over-Europe 'Next two weeks will be very difficult' due to snow melt, European official says Sofia, Bulgaria - Much of Europe is still covered in snow and ice, but some areas are already seeing deadly flooding amid concerns that it will get worse before it gets better. Swollen rivers in Greece and Bulgaria burst their banks Tuesday, leaving dozens of homes underwater, as Bulgarian officials declared a day of mourning for eight people confirmed killed after a dam collapse nearly washed away their village. Bulgaria's civil defense agency warned that two other, bigger dams were also on the brink of spilling over and residents were urged to prepare for an evacuation. Authorities have started a controlled release of water from the dams to prevent overflow. Europeans across the continent have been battling more than a week of extreme weather. Thousands are still trapped by snow in remote, mountain villages in the Balkans. Hundreds - most of them homeless - have died after temperatures hit as low as minus 33 Fahrenheit; and authorities now face flooding caused by melting snow. A day after the dam burst, the Bulgarian government declared a day of mourning, and streets in the village of Bisser were covered with sticky mud as people returned to their water-logged homes. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241237-Deadly-Floods-Follow-in-Iced-Over-Europe Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:06:16 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241206-Europe-s-weather-brings-continent-to-a-halt The frigid temperatures and snowfall that began in Eastern Europe last week have reached Western Europe, snarling airport traffic in Britain and turning Rome white. It finally got really cold in Europe. Rome and the Netherlands recorded the lowest temperatures in 27 years and kids were making snowmen outside the Vatican. But the sudden arctic freezing last week in Ukraine, Hungary, and the Balkan states that steadily crept up the continent also took a toll, with 131 reported dead in Ukraine alone. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241206-Europe-s-weather-brings-continent-to-a-halt Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:37:58 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/227366-Connecting-the-Dots-Earth-Changes-Are-Upon-Us For those who are paying strict attention left and right, 2010 will be remembered as the year in which a major threshold was crossed and the door closed behind it. It is the humble opinion of the editors that the dice have been thrown and the destiny of the planet sealed. The signs were there: The absolute disregard of governments for the rights of air travelers and citizens and the open arrogance of the imposition of Orwellian measures The continuation of ever more absurd fake-terror tricks to scare the people into compliance The increasingly violent anger of the masses on the streets as a result of the economic pressure and other forms of abuse from the top The great ease with which the global media took over, diluted and distorted the aspirations of political truth seekers via the Wikileaks show, and the obvious omission of Israel from such 'leaks' The all too timid opposition of the world to such crimes against humanity as the genocide aboard the Mavi Marmara And the ongoing imperial campaigns of western powers in the Middle East and Asia Particularly disastrous was the chain reaction ignited by BP's ecocide in the Gulf of Mexico - courtesy of corporate psychopathy and the complicity of our governments - this festering wound might yet contribute significantly to tipping the global climate into an Ice Age by disrupting ocean currents and, in turn, wind currents. The Gulf Loop current is reportedly already broken, disrupting the northern Jet Stream and bringing yet another harsh winter to most of the northern hemisphere. It is admittedly speculative to blame the meters of snowfall in the US and Europe this winter on the Gulf oil spill, but if you're looking for concrete in-your-face evidence of the unprecedented scale of the disaster, just ask the thousands of local residents and oil spill workers living along the coast of the Gulf from Texas to Florida. But the oil in the Gulf of Mexico is only one factor. We believe we are witnessing the beginning of a dramatic episode of human history linked to climate change within the solar system. We see it in signs ignored by most: comets, fireballs and changes in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, somewhat symbolically, the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean is trembling violently, setting off so many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that we've lost count. The potential for disaster is horrific, as events in Japan have recently shown. Human infrastructure is fragile and a direct hit on a key facility - like the Fukushima nuclear power plant - can effectively erase all prospects of normal human life across whole areas. Indeed, Fukushima is turning out to be 2011's 'oil spill', one which at this point looks even darker than the one in the Gulf of Mexico. But as we ponder the present and what remains of our future, let's back up and recapitulate 2010... Connecting the Dots has been dormant for a while and there's much to catch up on! http://www.sott.net/articles/show/227366-Connecting-the-Dots-Earth-Changes-Are-Upon-Us Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:44:58 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/230218-Climate-Change-Food-Shortages-and-Economic-Crisis-Coming-to-a-Town-Near-You In February 2004, The UK Observer reported that a study commissioned by the Pentagon predicted that food riots would result from abrupt climate change. The grim document described how the planet would reach the edge of anarchy and countries would threaten each other with nuclear weapons to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. "Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life," the analysis concluded. "Once again, warfare would define human life." The Pentagon paper is remarkable for several reasons. Through it we see how the United States establishment understands that the real threat we are facing is climate change, not the manufactured threat of 'terrorism'. But a more frank admission is that 'climate change' is an abrupt phenomenon - not relatively gradual as most proponents of man-made global warming insist when they refer to computer models that chart rises in temperatures over a time-frame of several decades. The report specifically states that Britain will plunge into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. The real threat of a sudden transition to an ice age took on new urgency last summer when a study published by the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics suggested that BP's greed in the Gulf of Mexico may have caused the Gulf Loop current's complete separation from the Gulf Stream in mid-June 2010. This critical oceanic artery is a significant factor holding back a thick layer of snow and ice from descending upon the northern hemisphere. Should the Gulf Stream significantly weaken or cease to flow northwards altogether, Britain - along with whole swathes of northern America and Europe - would indeed be plunged into a 'Siberian' winter. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/230218-Climate-Change-Food-Shortages-and-Economic-Crisis-Coming-to-a-Town-Near-You Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:44:06 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/219151-Life-on-this-Earth-Just-Changed-The-North-Atlantic-Current-is-Gone The latest satellite data establishes that the North Atlantic Current (also called the North Atlantic Drift) no longer exists and along with it the Norway Current. These two warm water currents are actually part of the same system that has several names depending on where in the Atlantic Ocean it is. The entire system is a key part of the planet's heat regulatory system; it is what keeps Ireland and the United Kingdom mostly ice free and the Scandinavia countries from being too cold; it is what keeps the entire world from another Ice Age. This Thermohaline Circulation System is now dead in places and dying in others. This 'river' of warm water that moves through the Atlantic Ocean is called, in various places, the South Atlantic Current, the North Brazil Current, the Caribbean Current, the Yucatan Current, the Loop Current, the Florida Current, the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current (or North Atlantic Drift) and the Norway Current. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/219151-Life-on-this-Earth-Just-Changed-The-North-Atlantic-Current-is-Gone Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:43:11 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/220580-Scientist-Gulf-Loop-Current-is-Broken-Mini-Ice-Age-Predicted-for-Europe According to a study produced in July 2010 by high-level scientists in both Italy & the United States, the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico has been broken, blocking the normal flow of warm water to the Atlantic Ocean and towards Western Europe. Since the end of the last Ice Age, these warm water currents have produced a relatively mild climate in that area, despite the region's high latitude (distance from the Equator). http://www.sott.net/articles/show/220580-Scientist-Gulf-Loop-Current-is-Broken-Mini-Ice-Age-Predicted-for-Europe Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:42:30 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241196-Philippines-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-0 Date-Time: Monday, February 06, 2012 at 10:10:24 UTC Monday, February 06, 2012 at 06:10:24 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location: 9.874°N, 123.070°E Depth: 15 km (9.3 miles) Region: NEGROS - CEBU REGION, PHILIPPINES Distances: 60 km (37 miles) NNW of Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines 82 km (50 miles) WNW of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines 94 km (58 miles) SSE of Bacolod, Negros, Philippines 578 km (359 miles) SSE of MANILA, Philippines http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241196-Philippines-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-0 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:35 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241195-Deadly-cold-snap-grips-Europe-what-s-causing-the-extreme-cold- In stark contrast to the mild winter conditions across much of North America, Europe is currently in the grips of its worst cold snap in at least six years. Arctic air has been spilling out of Siberia into Eastern Europe, bringing more than a foot of snow to Istanbul and temperatures as low as -30ºC (-22ºF) in several neighboring countries. The brutal cold has killed at least 163 people in central and eastern Europe, many of them homeless. In Ukraine, where the death toll now stands at 101, nearly one thousand people have been hospitalized due to frostbite and hypothermia. Temperatures in some parts of the country dropped as low as -33ºC (-27ºF) on Thursday. In the mountains of Serbia and Bosnia, some 11,000 villagers remain stranded in their homes after several weeks of heavy snow made roads all but impassable. With over 2 meters (6.5 ft) of snow on the ground, emergency helicopters have begun to airlift food supplies and evacuate villagers in need of medical care. The BBC reports that snow fell across the region almost daily since early January, with more expected over the weekend. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241195-Deadly-cold-snap-grips-Europe-what-s-causing-the-extreme-cold- Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:11:43 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241190-Stunning-Representation-Of-Data-Japan-Earthquakes-2011-Visualization-Map http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241190-Stunning-Representation-Of-Data-Japan-Earthquakes-2011-Visualization-Map Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:07:23 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241189-Mass-evacuation-in-Australia-as-flood-waters-rise Flood waters rose Monday in parts of Queensland but residents of a threatened town in the Australian state were thrown a lifeline with news that the levee on a swollen river might hold. Thousands of Australians have been forced to abandon their homes as a record deluge sweeps through areas still reeling from last year's devastating flooding, with St George, in Queensland's south, under most threat Monday. Many of its residents fled Sunday evening to evacuation centres in nearby Dalby or the state capital Brisbane, although some 400 stayed to help limit the damage despite a mandatory evacuation order. Local mayor Donna Stewart said the Balonne River in St George, flooding for the third time in less than two years, had reached 13.48 metres (44 feet) and was expected to keep rising until at least Tuesday night. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241189-Mass-evacuation-in-Australia-as-flood-waters-rise Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:57:42 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241188-Misery-as-Italy-cold-snap-death-toll-rises-to-17 Snow and treacherous black ice caked the streets of the normally mild-weathered Italian capital Sunday, as snowed-in residents warned of food shortages and the cold snap's death toll rose to 17. Following what was Rome's heaviest snowfall in 27 years, more than 400 members of the armed forces were called in to help clear the ancient city and surrounding areas. Snow also fell in Milan and areas of northern Italy, and the bitter cold's toll rose to 17 after three homeless people were found dead, including one at Rome's main train station. The bitter cold that has gripped Europe for more than a week has claimed over 300 lives across the continent in total. Fierce winds knocked over and killed an elderly woman who was walking to mass in Trieste in northern Italy, three men died shovelling snow and a 19-year-old man was killed in Florence when his car skidded off an icy road and into a river. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241188-Misery-as-Italy-cold-snap-death-toll-rises-to-17 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:47:28 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241187-Deadly-cold-front-continues-as-dam-bursts-in-Bulgaria The toll from Europe's killer cold snap kept climbing Monday with nine new victims found in Poland, most of them homeless, and at least three people died after a Bulgarian dam burst. Torrential rains and snowstorms lashing southern Bulgaria broke through the dam early Monday, submerging the small village of Biser under 2.5 metres (eight feet) of water, emergency services said. Biser mayor Zlatka Valkova told state news agency BTA three elderly men had drowned in their homes and a massive rescue effort was under way in the village of about 800 people. "People are in panic," regional mayor Mihail Liskov said on national radio. "Ninety percent of the village is under water." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241187-Deadly-cold-front-continues-as-dam-bursts-in-Bulgaria Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:44:06 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241186-Death-toll-from-Europe-cold-snap-passes-300 The deadly cold snap that has gripped Europe for more than a week wrought more havoc across the continent Sunday, straining emergency services, grounding flights and pushing the death toll past 300. The homeless population has borne the brunt of the suffering, with dozens of transients freezing to death in unheated apartments, fire escapes or in makeshift street shelters. French authorities on Sunday found the body of a homeless man who had frozen to death, bringing to at least 306 the number of cold-related deaths reported across Europe. With night-time temperatures plunging as low as minus 40 Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) in Finland, the grim winter toll also rose in other countries. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241186-Death-toll-from-Europe-cold-snap-passes-300 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:38:33 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241182-6-8-quake-in-Philippines-kills-43-buries-homes A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the central Philippines on Monday, killing at least 43 people and causing widespread panic, officials said. The powerful quake hit in a narrow strait between the heavily populated island provinces of Negros and Cebu, causing buildings to collapse, cracking roads and bridges, and shutting down the power supply. In Cebu city, a popular tourist destination and city of 2.3 million, hotel guests scrambled to higher floors as unfounded rumours that a huge tsunami was bearing down spread by text message. At least 29 were killed by landslides while 10 others were crushed by collapsing buildings in the mountainous town of of Guihulngan in Negros, said regional military official Colonel Francisco Patrimonio. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241182-6-8-quake-in-Philippines-kills-43-buries-homes Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:49:51 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241180-The-Littlest-Ice-Age-Europeans-Beg-for-the-Return-of-Global-Warming- How cold is the Winter of 2010-2011 in Great Britain and Ireland? Well, it has been "referred to as The Big Freeze by national media. In the UK it was the coldest December ever, since Met Office records began in 1910, with a mean temperature of -1°C. It broke the previous record of 0.1°C in December 1981." And it obviously broke records for cold set before the "Met Office records began in 1910" as indicated in this souvenir: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241180-The-Littlest-Ice-Age-Europeans-Beg-for-the-Return-of-Global-Warming- Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:34:33 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241177-Philippines-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-7 Date-Time: Monday, February 06, 2012 at 03:49:16 UTC Monday, February 06, 2012 at 11:49:16 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location: 9.964°N, 123.246°E Depth: 46.6 km (29.0 miles) Region: NEGROS - CEBU REGION, PHILIPPINES Distances: 72 km (44 miles) N of Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines 74 km (45 miles) WNW of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines 80 km (49 miles) WSW of Cebu, Cebu, Philippines 569 km (353 miles) SSE of MANILA, Philippines http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241177-Philippines-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-7 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:39:53 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241165-Japan-Record-lows-recorded-at-38-locations Well below zero from Kyushu to Hokkaido and more cold looms The country experienced severe cold weather Friday and morning temperatures dropped to record lows at 38 locations nationwide, the Meteorological Agency said. From Tohoku to Kyushu, 16 prefectures recorded their lowest temperatures ever, including the town of Kusu in Oita Prefecture, where the mercury fell to minus 14.7 degrees, and Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, where the temperature plunged to minus 8.4. Temperatures were below zero early Friday at more than 90 percent of 927 observation points across Japan, the agency said. The lowest figure was minus 32.6 in Esashi, Hokkaido. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241165-Japan-Record-lows-recorded-at-38-locations Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:45:45 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241157-UK-Snow-Forces-Heathrow-to-Cancel-Half-its-Flights Heathrow Airport has cut around half of the 1,300 flights scheduled for Sunday after snow and freezing temperatures hit much of England on Saturday. "Heathrow is open. Our runways, taxiways and stands have been cleared of snow. Our snow plan has worked far better than in previous years, and the airport is getting back to normal. However, there will still be disruption for passengers, as indicated Saturday," Heathrow owner BAA said in a statement. Around 10 centimetres of snow fell over Britain in 24 hours. BAA was criticised in December 2010 after heavy snowfall led to the virtual shutdown of Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241157-UK-Snow-Forces-Heathrow-to-Cancel-Half-its-Flights Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:03:08 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241156-Snow-Traps-Thousands-in-Bosnian-Villages Bosnia used helicopters on Sunday to evacuate the sick and deliver food to thousands of people left stranded by its heaviest snowfall ever, while Pope Benedict XVI donned an overcoat to bless the few pilgrims who braved Rome's unusually cold weather to visit St. Peter's Square. "The snow is beautiful, but let's hope spring comes soon," the pope told the pilgrims, looking out over remnants of Rome's biggest snowstorm since 1986. Across Eastern Europe, thousands of people continued to dig out from heavy snow that has fallen during a cold snap that struck more than a week ago and has killed hundreds of people. In Ukraine, the hardest hit area, temperatures have fallen as low as minus 33 Fahrenheit (minus 36 Celsius). The government said Sunday the country's death toll now stands at 131, including many homeless people. About 2,300 other Ukrainians have sought treatment for frostbite or hypothermia. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241156-Snow-Traps-Thousands-in-Bosnian-Villages Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:58:16 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241154-Vanuatu-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-0-5th-Feb-12 Date-Time: Sunday, February 05, 2012 at 16:40:38 UTC Monday, February 06, 2012 at 03:40:38 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location: 17.950°S, 167.170°E Depth: 4.3 km (2.7 miles) (poorly constrained) Region: VANUATU Distances: 123 km (76 miles) WSW of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu 267 km (165 miles) S of Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu 283 km (175 miles) NW of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu 1795 km (1115 miles) ENE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241154-Vanuatu-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-0-5th-Feb-12 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:44:27 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241123-Europe-s-cold-snap-kills-hundreds-affects-transport-tourism A weeklong cold snap has now claimed more than 220 lives across Europe, with forecasters warning that the big freeze - which has even blanketed Rome in snow - would tighten its grip over the weekend. A weeklong cold snap has now claimed more than 220 lives across Europe, with forecasters warning that the big freeze - which has even blanketed Rome in snow - would tighten its grip over the weekend. A total of 223 people have died from the cold weather in the past seven days, according to Agence France-Presse, in what has become the harshest European winter in decades. Ukraine suffering the highest toll - with 101 deaths recorded since the cold snap began. Temperatures plummeted as low to -16.6 degrees in the capital Kiev. Poland, Bulgaria and Romania also recorded high death tolls. According to AFP, the dead included hundreds of homeless people who have frozen to death. The cold has extended as far south as Serbia, where thousands were trapped under heavy snow and blizzards in the country's mountain villages. In Italy, up to three inches of snow fell in some districts of the Italian capital, and the Colosseum was closed to prevent visitors slipping on ice or damaging the structure. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241123-Europe-s-cold-snap-kills-hundreds-affects-transport-tourism Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:26:03 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241112-Vanuatu-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-1 Date-Time: Sunday, February 05, 2012 at 00:15:40 UTC Sunday, February 05, 2012 at 11:15:40 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location: 18.935°S, 168.923°E Depth: 163.4 km (101.5 miles) Region: VANUATU Distances: 77 km (47 miles) NNW of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu 147 km (91 miles) SSE of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu 309 km (192 miles) NNE of Tadine, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia 1882 km (1169 miles) ENE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241112-Vanuatu-Earthquake-Magnitude-6-1 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:25:03 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241110-Canada-Earthquake-Magnitude-5-7-Vancouver-Island Date-Time: Saturday, February 04, 2012 at 20:05:32 UTC Saturday, February 04, 2012 at 12:05:32 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location: 48.867°N, 127.876°W Depth: 12.8 km (8.0 miles) Region: VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION Distances: 170 km (105 miles) W of Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada 206 km (128 miles) S of Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada 229 km (142 miles) WSW of Campbell River, British Columbia http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241110-Canada-Earthquake-Magnitude-5-7-Vancouver-Island Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:46:53 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241108-Fukushima-New-Radioactive-Water-Leaks-Found Leaks of radioactive water have become more frequent at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant less than two months after it was declared basically stable. The problem underlines the continuing challenges facing Tokyo Electric Power Co. as it attempts to keep the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant under control. A massive earthquake and tsunami badly damaged the plant last March, resulting in the melting of three reactor cores. Workers spotted a leak Friday at a water reprocessing unit which released enough beta rays to cause radiation sickness, TEPCO spokesman Junichi Matsumoto said. He said no one was injured and the leak stopped after bolts were tightened on a tank. Matsumoto said TEPCO also found that 8.5 tons of radioactive water had leaked earlier in the week after a pipe became detached at Unit 4, one of the plant's six reactors. The company earlier had estimated that only a few gallons (liters) had leaked. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241108-Fukushima-New-Radioactive-Water-Leaks-Found Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:46:20 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241092-Rare-Photographs-of-the-Black-Sea-Frozen http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241092-Rare-Photographs-of-the-Black-Sea-Frozen Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:49:10 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241086-Australia-Attention-turns-Downstream-as-NSW-Floodwaters-Peak More than 17,000 people remain isolated across New South Wales as towns downstream from flooded areas in the state's north-west brace themselves for floodwater headed their way. There is now major flooding at Gunnedah, where the Namoi River is more than eight metres high and rising. Floodwaters have peaked at Moree and Wee Waa, but more than 2,000 people have spent another night away from their homes. Thousands of people remain cut off across the state's north, especially around Gunnedah and Wee Waa. Authorities are now warning that flood peaks are moving downstream towards towns like Mungindi and Walgett. Several homes and rural properties in Gunnedah have been inundated. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241086-Australia-Attention-turns-Downstream-as-NSW-Floodwaters-Peak Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:13:47 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241076-Europe-tries-to-shield-homeless-from-deep-freeze Russia and Ukraine took extra precautions on Friday to protect homeless people during a brutal cold snap, ordering new facilities and medical care after scores of people have frozen to death on the streets of Europe. As the death toll from the past week rose to at least 175 on Friday, Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the creation of facilities nationwide to feed and provide medical assistance to the homeless. The week-long freeze - Eastern Europe's worst in decades - is causing power outages, frozen water pipes and widespread closure of schools, nurseries, airports and bus routes. Other parts of Europe experienced frigid temperatures unseen in years. A roundup: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241076-Europe-tries-to-shield-homeless-from-deep-freeze Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:45 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241071-US-Fearsome-Friday-Forecast-Colorado-Blizzard-Tornado-Threats Six more weeks of winter, eh? The bizarre weather outside is more like spring, with a blizzard in Denver and tornado warnings and watches elsewhere all in the same day. One day after the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil "forecasted" six more weeks of winter, a potentially record-breaking blizzard is socking Denver today (Feb. 3). By the time the storm passes on Sunday, it could set a February snowfall record in the city. This storm is odd because big snowstorms in Denver are actually more common in spring than winter. And more springlike weather is sweeping across the southern United States as well, with tornado watches and warnings under way from Oklahoma to Louisiana. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241071-US-Fearsome-Friday-Forecast-Colorado-Blizzard-Tornado-Threats Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:29:24 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241069-Italy-Rare-Snow-Falls-In-Rome On Friday, thick snowflakes fell in Rome on Friday, a rare occurrence for a capital usually blessed by a temperate climate, and other parts of the country experienced frigid temperatures unseen in years. The snowfall prompted authorities to stop visitors from entering the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, the former home of Rome's ancient emperors. The director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, said the sites were closed out of fears that visitors could slip on ice. The last substantial snowfalls in Rome were in 1985 and 1986, though there have been other cases of lighter snow since then, including in 2010. Snow began falling in the late morning on Friday, leaving a light dusting on trees and cars and forming slush on the roads. It wasn't clear if there would be any significant accumulation on the ground. The north of the country has also been gripped by snow and ice that is disrupting train travel. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/241069-Italy-Rare-Snow-Falls-In-Rome Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:45:26 -0600