Earth ChangesS


Question

Mysterious Christmas Eve 'boom' heard and felt around Greater Toronto Area

Nicole Mortillaro
Global News, Canada
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 18:15 UTC
Did you hear it?
Quake?
© Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images

On Christmas Eve, many people in and around Toronto reported hearing a loud "boom," like something had fallen on their house.
Around 11 p.m. Christmas Eve, people reported hearing a loud "boom" in Toronto, Newmarket, Aurora, Belleville, Richmond Hill, and Sutton. Not only was the boom heard, but it rattled houses, leaving many to believe that a tree had fallen on their rooftop.
Loud boom in #YorkRegion around 11pm last night. Heard in #Newmarket #Aurora and #RichmondHill. #meteor? #earthquake? #sonicboom? #santa?

- Rob Jones™ (@blindedbtflash) December 25, 2013

@NebulousNikki that's what we thought too! Lots of neighbours heard it too. Can't figure out what it was... #Kingston

- Kate Kaminska (@katekaminska1) December 25, 2013

@NebulousNikki @RodSinclair1 same in Durham / Brooklin. Over 20 friends in area reporting it at 7:45, again around 11 and about midnight

- Micheline Robichaud (@SweetMinxy) December 25, 2013
But so far, there hasn't been an official explanation.

Even more mysterious is that some people reported hearing booms at other times during the day as well, ranging from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Christmas morning.
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Attention

The Top 10 massive animal die-off's of 2013


YouTube.com
Tue, 12 Nov 2013 14:00 UTC

10. Sunflower Starfish

9. Norwegian Salmon

8. Sheep

7. Manatees

6. Bottlenose Dolphins

5. Sea Turtles

4. Chinese River Crabs

3. Honey Bees

2. Livestock Cattle

1. Various Fish
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Cloud Lightning

Best of the Web: Christmas chaos: Hundreds of flights delayed and millions left without power as fierce storms rage worldwide


RT
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 07:09 UTC
Image
© Tony Kershaw/Rex Staff and residents are rescued from the flooded Mercure hotel in Dorking, England
Over a million homes and businesses without power, holiday plans destroyed over flight cancelations - that's how Christmas panned out for some people across the globe, as deadly storms swept the planet.

The disaster is expected to carry on at least for a few more days.

In the UK, stormy weather has killed five people since Monday. 150,000 homes were left without electricity. Scotland and Northern Ireland are also due to be hit by powerful winds of 140 kilometers per hour.

Weather and flood warnings have been issued across the country, leading to hazardous driving conditions.

A power cut at the North Terminal of London's Gatwick airport caused flight cancelations, before all flights were transferred to the South Terminal.

"I'm across plans to get electricity to many without power. My thoughts are with them and those facing travel problems this Christmas Eve," British prime Minister David Cameron tweeted.
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Ice Cube

Freezing rain and cold temperatures create wicked U.S. winter weather


Source
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 09:49 UTC
Christmas storms more naughty than nice

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Cloud Precipitation

Tens of thousands of Britons remain without electricity on Christmas Day


Yahoo News
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 09:37 UTC
Image
A man sweeps an empty platform at Waterloo Station after numerous trains were cancelled due to storms
Tens of thousands of Britons will remain without electricity on Christmas Day after torrential rainfall flooded homes and hurricane-force winds battered the country.

Two severe flood alerts are in force along with nearly 300 secondary warnings, largely across southern and central England, Britain's environment agency said on Wednesday.

Around 50,000 homes are likely to remain without power throughout Christmas Day according to the Energy Networks Association which represents wire and pipe companies.

Tens of thousands of people have also had their power cut off in France where high winds and heavy rain were still sweeping across the south of the country.

Winds of up to 90 mph hit both Britain and France on December 23 and Christmas Eve, with downpours forcing cancellations of rail, flight and ferry services at a peak travel time.
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Ice Cube

Antarctic expedition scientists trapped in ice

Alok Jha
The Guardian
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 08:12 UTC
antarctic expedition
© Laurence TophamThe Akademik Shokalskiy stuck in ice.
Icebreaker ships go to help MV Akademik Shokalskiy after captain issues distress call


A team of scientists and members of the public who have been retracing the footsteps of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911 have become trapped in heavy ice a few miles from the coast of Antarctica.

Passengers aboard the ship, the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, were informed on Christmas morning that the captain had issued a distress call to the Maritime Service Authority based in Falmouth in the UK earlier in the day. Three nearby icebreaker ships have been notified of the Shokalskiy's situation and are on their way to help.

The nearest ship, the Chinese Xue Long (Snow Dragon), will take just over a day to reach the Shokalskiy's position, around 1,500 nautical miles from Hobart in Tasmania. A French ship called the Astrolabe, and sent out from the nearest Antarctic base, Dumont D'Urville, could arrive around the same time. The furthest ship, also on its way, is the Australian icebreaker, Aurora Australis.

"The ship is no danger," said Chris Turney. "We're currently in heavy ice and we need help to get out. It's frustrating - we're only two miles from open water. Everyone is well on board and morale is high. We've had a fantastic Christmas and the science programme has been continuing while we're stuck in position. The results looking really exciting. We're very fortunate the Chinese are in the area, passing relatively close by."

Comment: The ice breaker transporting a research team led by Chris Turner, author of a Time article titled "We must acknowledge global warming, and act" has been unexpectedly trapped in Antartica ice for days.

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Snowflake Cold

Half a million without power this Christmas in U.S. and Canada


The Independent, UK
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 05:21 UTC
Image
Authorities warn of carbon monoxide poisoning as two die after using gas generator in storm
Repair crews worked around the clock Tuesday to restore power to nearly half a million customers who faced a cold and very dark Christmas Eve in parts of the central and northeastern United States and into eastern Canada after a weekend ice storm. At least 24 deaths have been linked to the storm.

The US National Weather Service said more snow was expected to move into the Northern High Plains and Central Rockies on Tuesday before rolling into the Great Lakes and Midwest by Wednesday morning.

In Canada, five people were reported dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. Police said two people in Ontario died after using a gas generator to heat their blacked-out home northeast of Toronto. Police in Quebec said carbon monoxide poisoning was believed to be the cause of three deaths in a chalet on the province's North Shore. Earlier, five people were killed in eastern Canada in highway crashes blamed on severe weather conditions.

In the US, the nationwide death toll from the storm reached at least 14 on Tuesday, when a 50-year-old man in Knox, Maine, was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from a generator. It was the second reported death attributed to fumes from a generator during the storm. Police in Michigan also attributed two deaths in a traffic collision that happened Monday to the storm.

As temperatures plunged into the low single digits (below minus 15 Celsius) in Toronto - where some 90,000 customers remained without power Tuesday - authorities reported a dramatic jump in calls for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, responding to 110 calls in a 24-hour period. Officials said they typically see 20 such calls a day.
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Arrow Down

Giant sinkhole opens up in Ho Chi Minh City's People's Court, Vietnam

Cong Nguyen
thanhniennews.com
Mon, 23 Dec 2013 11:00 UTC
Image
Sinkholes, shaky building cause panic in Vietnam court

It was a scene straight out of a disaster movie.

At 3:30 pm Friday an office belonging to the Ho Chi Minh City's People's Court suddenly began to shake violently accompanied by loud noises. As dozens of people ran out in terror, two large sinkholes, one of more than 20 square meters, opened up.

Luckily, no one was injured as the heavily damaged building did not collapse and no one fell into the three-meter-deep holes.

It is thought the problem was caused by digging for a basement next door where a skyscraper is being built.

It happened at the Court of Administration-Economics-Labor at 26 Le Thanh Ton in the downtown area.
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Snowflake Cold

Half the U.S. is already covered with snow

Douglas Main and Live Science
The Washington Post
Tue, 24 Dec 2013 00:00 UTC
Last week, snow covered more than half of the continental United States, the highest this measure has reached by this date in a decade, according to government scientists.

As of Dec. 15, snow covered 53 percent of the Lower 48, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported. That's a significantly higher portion than in recent years. In 2006, for example, snow covered just 12 percent of those states on the same date, according to Climate Central, a climate news Web site.

November and early December have also been quite chilly for much of the country, below the 20th-century average, Climate Central noted. "With the noteworthy exception of Alaska, nearly every state was affected by the unusually cold air at some point during the November-to-December timeframe," Climate Central reported.

What's going on?
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Question

Concerns raised over a number of dead birds in Bahrain


Daily Tribune (Bahrain)
Wed, 18 Dec 2013 13:14 UTC
Image
Bird lovers in the country are in a shock after hearing reports about increasing number of birds either lying dead or injured on roads, pavements and in parks. They complain that the authorities concerned did not take adequate steps despite seeing a legion of dead birds in many areas including Manama and Adliya. However, the reasons behind mass deaths are unknown.

Speaking to DT News, Bahrain Animal Lovers Society Founder Huda Muhammed urged the residents not to ignore injured birds on roads as timely treatment could save their lives. "I have seen dead birds many times in Adliya near Fuddruckers. The reasons for their death are many. But, mostly it happens out of accidents with birds hitting the windshields of the car," she pointed out.

"Generally, in Bahrain, people don't care for injured birds. I think we need to be more compassionate towards this poor living creatures," she added. Echoing a similar view, Sam Viegas, another bird lover said, "Birds lying dead on roads is a horrific scene to watch. People concerned should investigate the reasons and put an end to this."
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