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Death Knight plague hits 'World of Warcraft'

Megan Farokhmanesh
The Verge
Sat, 15 Sep 2012 02:51 UTC
Image
A bug allowing Death Knight players in World of Warcraft to cast plagues on friendly targets sparked an epidemic last night, reports WoW Insider. The bug has since been patched.

Unlike the infamous Corrupted Blood plague in 2005, which caused mass deaths server-wide, the bug was not contagious to other characters. Infected Death Knights could only plague characters voluntarily, and as WoW Insider reports, "decided global extinction was the path to success when presented with the ability to enact it."

The Death Knight plague occurred only a day after Corrupted Blood's 7th anniversary on September 13th. A screenshot gallery of the plague's carnage is available at WoW Insider.

Comment: Yes, it's only an online game, but could it be symbolic of reality to come?...

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Hourglass

Japan finds another gap in its disaster readiness - Mount Fuji

Sophie Knight
Reuters
Sat, 15 Sep 2012 23:27 UTC
Mt Fuji
© REUTERS/Toru Hanai/Files
Japan's Mount Fuji, covered with snow and surrounded by cloud, is seen from an airplane in this February 2, 2010 file photo.
When Toshitsugu Fujii became head of a Japanese task force on disaster response at Mount Fuji, he was confronted with a startling oversight. Japan had no plan in place to deal with a disaster in which an earthquake sparks a volcanic eruption at the country's most famous landmark.

Fujii said a tremor "greatly increases" the chance of an eruption in a country that has experienced nearly 12,000 earthquakes since the magnitude 9.0 tremor that led to disaster on March 11, 2011.

"They always forget about the volcanoes," he said. "The government has never included Mt. Fuji in its earthquake scenarios."
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Attention

Over two months later, Brooklyn sinkhole grows to 70 foot deep cavity, outgassing horrible smell that makes residents sick


CBS New York
Sun, 16 Sep 2012 05:12 UTC
Image
© CBS 2
Since June 28, residents have dealt with a deteriorating situation on 92nd Street in Bay Ridge. The smell now coming out of the 70-foot deep sinkhole is so bad that residents are becoming ill.
Since June 28 The Situation Has Deteriorated On 92nd Street; Residents Fume; Repair work not expected to finish until end of October

It's gone from bad to worse. A massive sinkhole has turned from traffic nightmare to sickening situation in Brooklyn. A sewer main broke more than two months ago in Bay Ridge, creating a huge hole in the street.

And as CBS 2's Dave Carlin reported Friday night, the stench has now become a major problem.

Misery is how 92nd Street residents describe the slow, tedious work on the enormous sinkhole, which first formed back on June 28 and is still not close to being repaired.

Workers have been going down more than 70 feet to fix a busted 110-year-old sewer pipe. The hole has unleashed a non-stop sickening smell.
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Bizarro Earth

Nicaragua volcanic activity: San Cristobal volcano acts up for the second time in a week


TheStar.com
Sat, 15 Sep 2012 20:20 UTC
Nicaragua boosted its responses to volcanic activity in the northwestern region Saturday, as the San Cristobal volcano acted up for the second time in a week. Authorities installed 43 radio communication stations along the Pacific coast to monitor San Cristobal and another volcano, Telica.

The radio posts aim to "ensure improved monitoring of seismic and volcanic behavior in the area," said civil defense chief Colonel Nestor Solis, enabling authorities to issue more accurate warnings sooner. A number of towns near San Cristobal, located some 135 kilometers (83 miles) northwest of the capital, were evacuated last week after the volcano began rumbling, sending a column of smoke and ash high into the sky, before subsiding.

On Saturday, the 1,745-meter (5,725-foot) tall volcano again spewed "abundant gas emissions moving toward the northeast" and increased seismic tremor and sulfur concentrations, according to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies, or INETER.
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Cassiopaea

Pilot photographs pronounced green airglow in atmosphere


SpaceWeather
Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:59 UTC
For the past week, solar wind has been buffeting Earth's magnetic field, turning skies around the Arctic Circle beautiful shades of green. But not every green sky is caused by the aurora borealis. Last night, for example, pilot Brian Whittaker was flying 34,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean when he witnessed verdant hues caused by a completely different phenomenon--airglow. Here is the picture he took from the cockpit window:
Airglow
© Brian Whittaker
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Igloo

The Ice Age Cometh! Arctic sea ice shrinks to smallest extent ever recorded


UK Guardian
Sat, 15 Sep 2012 04:31 UTC
Image
© NSIDC
Arctic sea ice extent on 12 September 2012, in white, compared with the 1979-2000 median, marked with a red line.
Sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to its smallest extent ever recorded, smashing the previous record minimum and prompting warnings of accelerated climate change.

Satellite images show that the rapid summer melt has reduced the area of frozen sea to less than 3.5 million square kilometres this week - less than half the area typically occupied four decades ago.

Arctic sea ice cover has been shrinking since the 1970s when it averaged around 8m sq km a year, but such a dramatic collapse in ice cover in one year is highly unusual.

A record low in 2007 of 4.17m sq km was broken on 27 August 2012; further melting has since amounted to more than 500,000 sq km.
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Bug

Caterpillars plague Mumbai


Daily News and Analysis
Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:23 UTC
Image

File photo
After reports of black caterpillars in Jogeshwari, the insects have made their way to Juhu Koliwada and Anushakti Nagar in Chembur.

However, the civic authorities are still wondering how to tackle the menace. "The caterpillars are creeping all over the place," said Kinberly D'souza, a class 10 student living in Juhu koliwada (Santa Cruz west).

In Chembur, Sena workers stuffed the caterpillars in a bag and showed it to Narendra Barde, assistant commissioner of M-west ward. "He has assured us that the insects would be cleared within 15 days," said Bhau Korgaonkar, Shiv Sena vibhag pramukh of the area.

Rahul Khot, entomologist and in charge of collection department of Bombay Natural History Society, said that it was a natural phenomenon and usually caterpillars breed towards end of monsoon. "The sudden outbreak must have baffled the residents," said Khot.
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Bug

Plague of giant Spanish super-slugs invade Britain

Dominic Gilchrist
The Independent
Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:14 UTC
Image
A plague of "super-slugs" has arrived in the UK from Spain, travelling on imported salads and flowers.

The Spanish invaders are mating with species already found in Britain to create a "mutant" species which threatens to eat its way through our crops and native slug species.

The giant Spanish slug, which can grow up to 15cm long, has already travelled as far as Wales. They produce hundreds more eggs than native slugs meaning they are capable of overrunning British species. They could also spread parasites and diseases that could wipe out native slugs.
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Cow Skull

Palomar Mountain Squirrels Test Positive for Plague

Monica Garske
NBC San Diego
Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:02 UTC
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Two ground squirrels tested positive for plague at the Cedar Grove Campground on Palomar Mountain, County Vector Control officials announced Thursday.

The squirrels were trapped during routine monitoring and represent a low-risk of transmission because their exposure to plague was not recent, officials said.

Still, officials are posting plague-warning signs at Cedar Grove and the nearby Doane campground as a precaution for campers and hikers in the area.

They're also conducting flea-control measures on the squirrels since plague is a bacterial disease that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected fleas on wild rodents.

County Vector Control officials said campers should set up tents away from squirrel burrows and avoid feeding or playing with squirrels.

If you become ill within one week of visiting a known plague area, you should immediately contact a doctor. Symptoms include sudden fever, chills and tender, swollen lymph nodes.
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Health

Rabbit In El Paso County Tests Positive For Plague


kktv.com
Sat, 15 Sep 2012 03:55 UTC

On September 14, the El Paso County Public Health's lab tested a wild rabbit found on the northeast side of Colorado Springs and confirmed the animal had plague.

Investigators say the area where the rabbit was found is East of Powers Boulevard near the St. Francis Medical Center/Hospital.

According to a statement released Friday, Public Health infectious disease experts conducted an investigation to determine potential human exposures and to assess the general area for additional plague concerns. The people exposed have been identified and have been given antibiotics to prevent plague from developing. "Plague health alert" flyers will be provided to residents and signs will be posted in the general area to raise the level of awareness and ask people to take precautions to prevent plague. Public Health will continue to monitor plague activity in the area and maintain the signage as appropriate.
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