A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and possibly crops that need bees for pollination.
Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder.
Reports of unusual colony deaths have come from at least 22 states. Some affected commercial beekeepers - who often keep thousands of colonies - have reported losing more than 50 percent of their bees. A colony can have roughly 20,000 bees in the winter, and up to 60,000 in the summer.
Millions of commuters were braced for problems on their journey home after heavy snow caused delays on planes, trains and roads across Britain on Thursday.
It is said to be the most widespread disruption in more than a decade.
While the cold snap gave many children a surprise day off in the snow, passengers at several airports endured long waits as workers struggled to clear runways.
Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Luton and Stansted were closed for part of the day because the wintry showers made it too dangerous for planes to take off or land.
OSWEGO, N.Y. - New York's governor declared a disaster in Oswego County, where five straight days of lake-effect squalls have dumped nearly 100 inches of snow, and even more snow was forecast through the weekend.
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In the mid-1980s, at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union each had thousands of nuclear warheads, along with a multitude of aircrews and missiles, sitting on red alert to carry those bombs to their targets at a moment's notice. The philosophy of mutual assured destruction - the notion that any use of nuclear weapons would trigger a full-fledged exchange that neither nation would survive - may have deterred any use of such bombs since World War II.
We are all seeing rather less of the Sun. Scientists looking at five decades of sunlight measurements have reached the disturbing conclusion that the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface has been gradually falling. Paradoxically, the decline in sunlight may mean that global warming is a far greater threat to society than previously thought. The effect was first spotted by Gerry Stanhill, an English scientist working in Israel. Comparing Israeli sunlight records from the 1950s with current ones, Stanhill was astonished to find a large fall in solar radiation. "There was a staggering 22% drop in the sunlight, and that really amazed me," he says.
Comment: If there is "Global Dimming," it is very likely due to some cause other than human caused emissions.
OSWEGO, N.Y. - While the northern Plains and Northeast shiver in dangerously cold temperatures, the folks in upstate New York are keeping warm shoveling snow - lots of snow.
Since Sunday, the small towns of Parish and Mexico have recorded more than 6 feet of snow, and forecasters with the National Weather Service say it isn't over yet.
Another 2 feet or more of heavy lake effect snow was expected Thursday for the communities along eastern Lake Ontario, and more squalls are likely through the weekend.
STOCKHOLM- Sweden said Wednesday it would give its reindeer herders millions of euros (dollars) in emergency aid to help them feed their animals, which are starving because of thick ice that is preventing them from reaching the lichen they eat.
"You can't just stand by and watch animals starve," Agriculture Minister Eskil Erlandsson said in a statement as his ministry earmarked 37 million kronor (4.06 million euros, 5.3 million dollars) in aid.
Associated Press
local6.comThu, 08 Feb 2007 12:31 UTC
PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Visitors to Palm Beach are being advised not to go in the water because of shark sightings.
Warnings posted said hundreds of bull sharks and lemon sharks have been seen swimming along the surf, the sand bar and farther out in the Atlantic Ocean.
AFPThu, 08 Feb 2007 10:32 UTC
Heavy snow has forced the closure of runways at airports in southern England and Wales, as bad weather caused commuter chaos at the height of the morning rushhour.
Four airports serving London -- City, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted -- shut runways, as did Birmingham, Bristol, and Cardiff in south Wales as up to 10 centimetres (four inches) of snow fell.
London's main Heathrow airport, west of the capital, was open, but British Airways said it was preparing to cancel some short-haul flights from about 1000 GMT.
Below is an eight page review of information on the subject of "global warming," and a petition in the form of a reply card. Please consider these materials carefully.
Comment: If there is "Global Dimming," it is very likely due to some cause other than human caused emissions.