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Question

Best of the Web: Rogen stunned by Lucas' 2012 theory

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George Lucas
Funnyman Seth Rogen was left stunned by a recent encounter with his moviemaking hero George Lucas - because the Star Wars director spent 20 minutes telling him the world would end in 2012.

Rogen was left speechless when Lucas and Steven Spielberg joined a movie meeting he was a part of - but the encounter has left him worried his life will be over next year.

He recalls, "George Lucas sits down and seriously proceeds to talk for around 25 minutes about how he thinks the world is gonna end in the year 2012, like, for real. He thinks it.

"He's going on about the tectonic plates and all the time Spielberg is, like, rolling his eyes, like, 'My nerdy friend won't shut up, I'm sorry...'

"I first thought he (Lucas) was joking... and then I totally realized he was serious and then I started thinking, 'If you're George Lucas and you actually think the world is gonna end in a year, there's no way you haven't built a spaceship for yourself... So I asked him... 'Can I have a seat on it?'

"He claimed he didn't have a spaceship, but there's no doubt there's a Millennium Falcon in a garage somewhere with a pilot just waiting to go... It's gonna be him and Steven Spielberg and I'll be blown up like the rest of us."

Wolf

Yakutia: Russians hunt down rumoured 400-strong wolf pack

wolf pack
© Unknown
A rumoured 400-strong pack of wolves that has slain 30 horses and is said to pose a threat to human life has sparked fear in the northeastern Russian region of Yakutia.

Hunters have been dispatched to deal with the beasts, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported, and a single pelt would be met with a reward of 10,000 roubles ($335).

"We have gathered 24 hunting parties to patrol the neighbourhood on snowmobiles. We also set traps. Using poison against wolves is forbidden though. When daytime becomes long enough, the hunters will shoot the predators from helicopters," said a spokesman for the administration of the Verhnoyarsky region, where the wolf pack lives, as cited by Interfax news agency.

Cow Skull

Preliminary Results Show Pneumonia As Cause Of Mass Cattle Death

Amherst, Wisconsn -- Preliminary results show acute interstitial pneumonia is to blame for a mass death of cattle outside of Wausau.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab is studying tissue samples from two of the 200 dead Amherst steers.

The steers all came from one farm, and while the lead veterinarian said the preliminary results pointed to pneumonia as the cause of death, associate lab director Peter Vanderloo said nothing is being ruled out until the final tests are completed.

"We can approach the problem both from looking at what's going on microscopically in the animal, to identifying a pathogen, viral or bacterial, or looking for a toxin that might be causing deaths," Vanderloo said.

Cloud Lightning

Brazil: Rains Put Sao Paulo on Alert, Rio Deaths Rise to 727

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© The Associated Press / Felipe DanaPeople salvage items from their homes after a landslide in the Alto Floresta neighborhood of Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Wednesday Jan. 19, 2011. Mudslides have destroyed entire communities, killed at least 700 people since Jan. 11 and left nearly 14,000 homeless.
Brazilian officials have put Sao Paulo on alert as heavy rains hit the metropolis.

In Rio state, meanwhile, deaths from last week's mudslides have risen to 727.

As rain fell on Sao Paulo, water rose above car windows in some points in the South America's largest city, blocking major highways.

The mayor's office issued flood alerts for much of the city Wednesday. One woman died the day before when her house collapsed amid heavy rains.

Wolf

Wolves return to Moldova for first time in 40 years

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© WikipediaWolves return to Moldova for first time in 40 years
Wolves have returned to the territory of Moldova after 40 years of their absence, with more than 20 predators seen in several areas of the country, Moldovan Deputy Environmental Minister Lazar Chirica said on Wednesday.

He added that the appearance of wolves should not cause panic among local residents as no cases of attacks have been reported yet.

Attention

The loyal dog who refuses to leave his owner's muddy graveside as Brazil mudslides death toll tops 630

After the deluge of photographs showing devastated landscapes, this scene is one which perhaps sums up the loss floods have brought to Brazil.

As the mudslides death toll hits 630, a loyal dog refuses to leave the muddy graveside of its owner.

Leao cuts a pitiful figure beside the grave of Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who died in Teresópolis, one of the areas hardest hit by last week's natural disaster.

Renewed rainfall was slowing rescue helicopters today in south-east Brazil as officials focused their attention on the survivors they could reach more immediately, mapping out a plan to get people living in tents in the short term.

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© Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesVigil: Leao sits for a second consecutive day next to the grave of his owner Cristina Maria Cesario Santana

Attention

US: More dead birds found, this time in Scottsboro, Alabama

Dead blackbird
© WaffDead blackbird

More dead birds are found, this time in a suburban Scottsboro neighborhood.

A sample of 15 birds was sent to Auburn University. The remainder were picked up and discarded. Officials say this could just be something that happens naturally in nature.

It was Monday afternoon around 1:00pm along Morning Glory and Golden Rod Drives that the dead blackbirds were found. Many dead blackbirds.
"We estimate between 50 and 100," said Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Director Victor Manning.

Phoenix

Philippines: Mt. Bulusan spews ash anew

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© Unknown
Restive Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon acted up again onTuesday, spewing ash in a predawn explosion before dawn, state volcanologists said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) said the quake occurred at 2:58 a.m., accompanied by a rumbling sound audible at Monbon village in Irosin town.

"(But) the explosion was not observed because the volcano summit was covered by thick clouds. Field investigation conducted this morning confirmed the presence of traces of ash deposits in Monbon, Irosin," Phivolcs said on its website on Tuesday.

Phivolcs said Bulusan's alert level remains at "1." The alert level had been at "1" since November last year.

Bizarro Earth

US: Northeast ice means slippery commute, canceled flights

Over 400 N.Y.-area flights cut; some schools closed, streets turn to slush

A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain iced over roads, driveways and sidewalks from Delaware up into New England on Tuesday - making for a slippery and sometimes dangerous morning commute that also saw hundreds of flight cancellations.

"Terrifying" was how Tomoko Takushi, a graphic designer in Philadelphia, described her walk to work on the ice-glazed sidewalks.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm advisory until 1 p.m. ET in New York City. The area got 1 to 2 inches of snow and sleet by early morning. It was followed by ice before turning to rain by late morning.

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Slightly more accumulations were forecast for parts of northeastern New Jersey, Rockland and Westchester counties and the lower Hudson Valley.

"Travel will be extremely hazardous" for commuters, the weather service said. "Then one- to two-tenths of an inch of ice are expected on top of the snow and sleet," it added.

Speed limits were lowered on highways from Delaware to New Jersey.

Hundreds of schools up and down the East Coast were closed or having delayed starts, including the Washington, D.C. area, eastern New York and southern Vermont.

Below's a look at some of the other weather headaches.

Bizarro Earth

Pakistan: Earthquake Magnitude 7.2

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© USGS
Date-Time:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 20:23:17 UTC

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 01:23:17 AM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
28.827°N, 63.974°E

Depth:
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program

Region:
SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN

Distances:
45 km (25 miles) W of Dalbandin, Pakistan

255 km (160 miles) W of Kalat, Pakistan

310 km (195 miles) ESE of Zahedan, Iran

1020 km (640 miles) WSW of ISLAMABAD, Pakistan