Earth ChangesS


Attention

Food prices in Malaysia DOUBLED in one year


BBC
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 15:17 UTC
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Widespread flooding in Malaysia: the government blames 'global warming' (the ordinary people, in other words), but whatever its cause, it's directly impacting the food supply, which is shrinking...
The cost of food is rising fast in Malaysia, with some items as much as 50% more expensive than last year.

The surge has been triggered after the government cut subsidies on sugar - used in many local dishes.

At the same time, Malaysia also relies on food imports which has made keeping prices in check difficult.

The BBC's Jennifer Pak reports from Kuala Lumpur,
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Attention

Animal attacks on the rise in Kashmir valley India, 700 casualties in a decade

Ashraf Wani
India Today
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 15:16 UTC
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Latif Ahmad was working in his agriculture field when two black bears attacked him. Though, he lost an eye and got his face completely damaged, he was lucky to be alive. The attack was a grim reminder of the deteriorating relationship between humans and animals in Jammu and Kashmir that has resulted in fatal consequences.

The number of animal attacks on humans has increased in recent years. In last 10 years, 200 people have got killed and more than 500 got injured in human animal conflict in different parts of the Valley.

The reason for the rapid rise of tension between humans and animals is the paucity of living space. According to the World Conservation Union (World Park Congress 2003), conflict occurs when wildlife's requirements overlap with those of human population. The destruction of their habitat due to human activities compels the wild animals to enter human settlements in search of food and water leading to conflict.

Wild life warden of Dachigam National Park, Mohamed Sadiq says killing the animal is not the ultimate solution.

"Human population is increasing rapidly. Forest cover has either decreased or declined in quality due to habitat degradation and people in Kashmir have changed their agriculture fields in to apple orchards, which attract black bear.
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Life Preserver

Malaysia drowning in 'worst floods in living memory'

Hamzah Nazar
Malay Mail Online
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 14:39 UTC
Malaysia floods
© Hadzme Mohd JaafarRani and his family lost everything in the flood.
Families in Kampung Pasir Gajah are struggling to cope with what they describe as the worst floods in living memory.

They say the measures of the past proved futile this time after the water level rose more than 1m higher than the massive floods in 1971.

"When it started to rain on Dec 3, we went to sleep at my sister's house nearby because it had never flooded there," said 59-year-old Kamariah Othman.

"But at 4am the next day, we were woken by her neighbour when water started flowing into their house.

"Before we knew it, we were up to our waists in water."

The family moved to a cousin's house on a hill and have been staying there for the past few days.
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Gingerbread

Flashback Malaysia PM blames worst floods in living memory on "Global Warming"

Ong Han Sean
The Star
Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:44 UTC
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© Unknown.
The recent floods are not only due to the monsoon season but also due to global warming, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said the Government and other parties should not be blamed for the disasters as they were facing a phenomenon which was out of their abilities to tackle effectively.

"Floods are not something unusual in Malaysia as well as other advanced countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.

"One factor is generally the monsoon season which brings heavy rain and strong winds and another factor is global warming and climate change.

"The effects of this phenomenon is difficult to determine but weather experts are certain that there will be heavier rains than usual," Najib said at a flood relief special payment ceremony here Saturday.

He said high moisture content in the air would cause the heavy rains.
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Black Cat

Rabid bobcat attacks woman in Putnam, Connecticut

Don Lehman
Glens Falls Post-Star
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 10:41 UTC
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© Calibas, Wikimedia CommonsBobcat (Lynx rufus), taken at Sunol Park near Livermore CA, USA
Cindy Bowman didn't know what hit her.

She was letting her dog into her county Route 2 home around noon Thursday when a large animal pounced on her, latching onto her face and biting and scratching her.

She was able to fight it off by choking it, but not before it bit and/or scratched her head, shoulder, arms and thigh.

"I turned around and it was leaping right for my neck," Bowman recalled. "It went for my throat."

Bowman was mauled by a large bobcat, a cat that minutes later went after her daughter's boyfriend, Nate Nadeau, and tried to attack him as well.

Nadeau shot and killed it, but state tests later found the cat had rabies, so both Bowman and Nadeau - who was not hurt but did have contact with the cat - had to get two weeks of rabies shots.

The incident has left Bowman shaken and afraid to go out of her house, and concerned that rabies is going to affect other bobcats in the area and make them aggressive as well.

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© Cindy BowmanCindy Bowman's arm after a bobcat attacked her
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Ice Cube

Watch the moment enormous sheets of ice in Texas CRUSH a Jaguar after falling off a building


The Daily Mail,UK
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 10:16 UTC
A Jaguar has been destroyed and several others seriously damaged following a spate of ice sheets thawing and falling from sloped buildings in Plano, Texas

Authorities closed streets as maintenance crews worked to push the ice from buildings to prevent any accidents

The ice storm that hit the area this week left over 250,000 residents and businesses without power and caused over 1000 flight delays


Shocked bystanders watched aghast as huge sheets of ice slipped off the top of a building in Texas and onto cars below, completely crushing them.

Plano, in north Texas, has been hit hard with snow and ice since the weekend, but thawing temperatures have started to melt the large quantities of snow and ice that have built up.

The affect has caused major damage to vehicles parked in the streets.

In one case, which was caught on video, a Jaguar was crushed in Plano, after its roof collapsed and windows smashed under the weight of the falling freeze.

The sheets also damaged a Corvette and several other vehicles.
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Nuke

What is happening to Alaska? Is Fukushima responsible for the mass animal deaths?

Michael T. Snyder
The Truth
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 20:37 UTC
Dead Animals
© The Truth
Why are huge numbers of dead birds dropping dead and washing up along the coastlines of Alaska? It is being reported that many of the carcases of the dead birds are "broken open and bleeding". The photo of some of these dead birds at the top of this article was originally posted by Alaska native David Akeya on Facebook. You can find more photos of these dead birds right here. And of course it isn't just birds that are dying. As you will see below, something is causing mass death events among various populations of fish as well. In addition, it has been reported that large numbers of polar bears, seals and walruses in Alaska are being affected by hair loss and "oozing sores". So precisely what is causing all of this? Could Fukushima be responsible? Authorities are claiming that all of this is being caused by "disease" or "harsh weather", but are they actually telling us the truth? Evaluate the evidence that I have shared below and decide for yourself...

#1 Something is causing large numbers of dead birds to wash up on shores all over Alaska. The following is a report from Alaska Public Media about just one of these incidents...
Hundreds of dead birds washed up on the shores of St. Lawrence Island towards the end of November. And though the cause of the die off isn't yet known, the quick response demonstrates a mounting capacity for dealing with unexpected environmental events in the region.
Scientists do not know why this is happening. Some of them are blaming "harsh weather".

Comment: A key suspect was left off the list... the Pacific Ring of Fire is super-active these days.

Volcanic eruptions rage in Alaska: Geologist, "for some reason we can't explain, activity picked up"

Volcanic eruptions, rising CO2, boiling oceans, and why man-made global warming is not even wrong

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Snowflake Cold

Lebanon takes action ahead of snowstorm Alexa


The Daily Star
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 17:07 UTC
sidon residents
© The Daily Star/Mohammed Zaatari Sidon residents buy essentials to prepare for Alexa.
Caretaker Education Minister Hassan Diab announced Tuesday the closure of public and private schools as municipalities across Lebanon began taking precautionary measures in anticipation of a brutal snowstorm.

"Because Lebanon is subject to the harsh snowstorm, 'Alexa,' which has already caused a sharp decline in temperatures, and rainwater is expected to increase and block traffic, to avoid the risks caused by the storm and its impact on school students ... public and private schools will be closed and classes will not be held Wednesday," the statement from the Education Ministry said.
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Windsock

Israel braces for five-day winter storm

Gavriel Fiske
The Times of Israel
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 16:54 UTC
Jerusalem rain
© Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
High winds, rain and low temperatures to begin Tuesday evening and last through the weekend; snow likely in Jerusalem Thursday

A major winter storm was expected to hit the region Tuesday evening and to last throughout the weekend, bringing rain, high winds and high-altitude snow. Emergency services across the country were put on high alert ahead of the storm's arrival.

Tuesday started clear or partly cloudy and unseasonably cold, but high winds and rain were set to begin along the coast in the evening, followed by showers, thunderstorms, high winds and snow on Mount Hermon, the Israel Meteorological Service reported Tuesday morning.
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Snowflake

Istanbul, Turkey, left suffering from effects of heavy snowfall


Hurriyet Daily News
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 16:44 UTC
Istanbul snow
© AA photoSnow began falling on Istanbul’s outskirts in the afternoon and intensified in the late hours of the evening in the center of the city.
The first snow of winter started to fall in Istanbul tonight as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality took tight measures to prevent disruptions to traffic and public transport.

Snow began falling on Istanbul's outskirts in the afternoon and intensified in the late hours of the evening in the center of the city. The snowy weather is expected to affect Istanbul until Dec. 12, meteorological officials said.
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