Earth Changes

Hundreds of baby penguins found dead in Brazil

Michael Astor
Associated Press
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:10 UTC

Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches, rescuers and penguin experts said Friday.

More than 400 penguins, most of them young, have been found dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state over the past two months, according to Eduardo Pimenta, superintendent for the state coastal protection and environment agency in the resort city of Cabo Frio.

While it is common here to find some penguins - both dead and alive - swept by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, Pimenta said there have been more this year than at any time in recent memory.

©AP Photo/Ricardo Moraes

Penguins rescued off the coast of Rio de Janeiro by the Brazilian Coast Guard are seen at the Niteroi Zoo in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, July 18, 2008. According to officials, over 400 baby penguins have been found dead on the state's shores over the past two months. While large numbers of penguins arrive on Rio de Janeiro's beaches every year, swept to sea by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, this year is seeing higher numbers and more dead penguins than usual.

US: Quakes on Wasbah, New Madrid Faults

Trina Bell
Daily Dunklin Democrat
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:49 UTC

Kennett, MO -- Parts of the region were shaken overnight as another earthquake rumbled along the Wasbah fault zone. The minor earthquake measured 3.1 on the Richter scale according to the U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center.

The quake occurred at 9:58 p.m. Thursday and was centered five miles northwest of Mount Carmel, Illinois at a depth of six miles.

Earlier this month, areas along the New Madrid Fault line have had a few minor rumbles, recorded by the New Madrid Fault Seismic Network.

Though there haven't been any earthquakes recently that should send residents and officials into panic mode, there have been several minor quakes that most people do not even know about.

A preliminary report from the Southeast Seismic Network indicates that a small 1.6 earthquake was recorded on July, 11, 2008, near New Madrid, Mo. Shortly after, a quake registering 1.5 on the Richter scale was reported to have occurred near Vonore, Tenn., which appears to be a pretty active area, according to the network report on recent earthquakes.

Just six days prior, Saturday, July 5, 2008, a small 2.0 quake occurred four miles east of Madisonville, Tenn. This quake reached areas including, Vonore, Tellico Plains and Knoxville, Tenn. as well.

Two More Quakes Reported Off Oregon Coast

Fox 12 Oregon
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:46 UTC

Yachats -- Two more earthquakes have been reported in a seismically active area 250 miles off the Oregon coast.

The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck at 3:47 p.m. and it was soon followed by a 5.6.

The quakes struck at a depth of 10 miles in the ocean west of Yachats.

Magnitude 7.0 - Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan

US Geological Survey
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:38 UTC

Magnitude 7.0
Date-Time

* Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 02:39:30 UTC
* Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 11:39:30 AM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 37.615°N, 142.115°E
Depth 27 km (16.8 miles) set by location program
Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 125 km (75 miles) ENE of Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
130 km (80 miles) ESE of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
145 km (90 miles) E of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan
300 km (190 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan

Reasons to Oppose Drilling in ANWR Found in Alaska's North Slope

Jason Leopold
Dissidentvoice.org
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:36 UTC

Last November, the oil company British Petroleum (BP) plead guilty to a misdemeanor and paid a $20 million fine for violating the Clean Water Act related to a massive oil spill that occurred at BP's Prudhoe Bay operations in Alaska's North Slope two years earlier.

A federal judge also placed the company on probation for three years and said the 201,000 gallon oil spill was a "serious crime" that could have been prevented if BP had spent more time and funds investing in pipeline upgrades and a "little less emphasis on profit."

Typhoon Kalmaegi kills at least six in Taiwan

RIA Novosti
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:36 UTC

A typhoon has killed at least six people in Taiwan, the Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

According to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi destroyed homes, roads, and cut electricity and water supplies to thousands of people on the island late on Thursday.

Bear fatally mauls two geologists in Russia's Far East

RIA Novosti
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:35 UTC

A brown bear killed two geologists in the northeast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia's Far East, a local emergencies spokesman said on Friday.

The incident occurred in the Olyutor Range, in Kamchatka's Koryak Autonomous Area.

"According to preliminary information, both victims were specialists based with a geological field party working for [local mining company] KoryakGeolDobycha," the spokesman said

UK: Trapped cow airlifted to safety in repeat £5,000 rescue

Richard Savill
The Telegraph
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:33 UTC

A cow trapped on a cliff ledge has been airlifted to safety by a military helicopter two weeks after a bullock owned by the same farmer had to be rescued in a similar operation.

The Hereford-cross heifer was believed to have slipped while trying to escape dogs and ended up 150 feet below the cliff top at Gwennap Head, near Lands End, Cornwall.

It was winched to safety by the crew of a Sea King helicopter from the Royal Naval air station at Culdrose. Two weeks ago a Charolais steer belonging to the same farmer Andrew Flower was rescued from a spot only feet away.

On that occasion the mission was delayed for three days due to a dispute between Ministry of Defence and RSPCA officials over who would pay the £5,000 rescue bill. The MoD eventually agreed to waive the fee, saying it was treating the rescue as part of an exercise.

©AFP

Colorado, US: Dog or lion? Beast loose in El Paso County

Kieran Nicholson and Christopher Sanchez
The Denver Post
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:16 UTC

Irene LoBaido has never hunted and has never shot an animal, but today, she packed a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum in a holster on her left hip.

LoBaido was among local residents alarmed by a reports of an African lion on the loose.

"I feel I'm going to be carrying this until it's (found)," LoBaido said. "I hope I never have to use it, but I care about my horses and dogs."

LoBaido, 49, said she loaded her gun with hollow-point bullets to make certain she could take down a lion if needed.

The creature was large and shaggy, but only photographed at a distance.

Israel: Mysterious lake foam baffles scientists

Eli Ashkenazi
Haaretz
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00 UTC

"These kinds of changes in the Kinneret are not an encouraging sign," said a Kinneret expert about an unidentified weed that appeared in the lake. Signs of this worrisome phenomenon appeared about a week ago. It took the form of greenish patches with a foamy train. All those who saw this strange apparition were convinced it was some kind of sewage. What else would one think if one saw a greenish liquid with foam on it? The green patches were sighted on the Kinneret's western shores, from the Tiberias hot springs to the Sapir site.