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Venezuela's Mysterious Catatumbo Lightning Phenomenon Vanishes for Months, then Reappears

Matt Gutman and Robert Rudman
ABC News
Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:00 UTC

A mysterious symphony of rapid-fire lightning bolts used to create the greatest light show on Earth over the Catatumbo River in Venezuela -- until suddenly they stopped and no one knew why.

More than 40,000 bolts ripped across the night sky as many as 300 nights a year for nine hours at a time. It occurred so frequently that the phenomenon became known as "Relampago de Catatumbo," or "Catatumbo Lightning."

For centuries, the indigenous people of Northwestern Venezuela called the phenomenon "rib a-ba" or "river of fire in the sky." Ancient mariners supposedly used the lightning for navigation.

"I saw my first lightning when I was 8 years old," said Erik Quiroga, a native of the area. "I thought it was a smile from the night sky."

New York, US: Auto Body Shops Flooded With Repair Calls After Storm

Katherine Creag
Nbcnewyork.com
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:53 UTC

Auto body shops in Queens and Long Island are overwhelmed with repair calls today, a day after severe summer storms lashed the region, in some places dropping tennis-ball-sized hail that dented cars and smashed windows.

"It's a windfall for me, a catastrophe for others," said Bob Polgar, owner of Tip Top Auto Body in Garden City, N.Y., on Long Island.

The shop got 100 calls Monday night. On a normal day, it gets 15 calls, Polgar said. Most car owners are reporting busted windshields and dents on hoods and roofs.

"They were the size of tennis balls," said Sandy White. "I had to check if any of my windows were broken."

Extreme weather causes chaos in South Africa

Gabriel Manyati
The Southern Times
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:50 UTC

© Mitchell KrogA massive swirling and circulating electrical storm cell rolls across the South African landscape and packs some massive lightning strikes along with it. This weather phenomenon is a common sight in the Highveld region of South Africa during the summer rain months.

Extreme weather conditions this week left a trail of chaos and confusion with snowfalls in three South African provinces leaving thousands trapped in their homes, cars and buses as emergency workers battled to reach them.

Major roads were shut in the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal after blizzards hit. It took emergency services more than six hours to clear through kilometres of snow and heavy wind to rescue trapped motorists and commuters. Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said no serious injuries were reported.

The 5 South African Infantry Battalion of the defence forces was called in to assist motorists and three SANDF tankers provided water to the Masilonyana Municipality after service delivery failed.

Earthquake-Ravaged Japan Now Overwhelmed by Rain - 296,000 Evacuated

Herald Sun
Sat, 30 Jul 2011 05:43 UTC

Floods claimed their first victim in Japan and nearly 300,000 people were urged to flee their homes as a weather system that killed dozens on the Korean peninsula swept the country.

Local governments in the central province of Niigata and tsunami-hit Fukushima issued the guidance today after the national weather agency urged citizens to be on maximum alert against more flooding and mudslides.

Helicopter footage on NHK showed bridges over the Shinano River in Niigata partially submerged, while trees and telephone polls had been knocked down. Kamo City in Niigata was extensively flooded, with roads submerged.

Forecasters warned that the rains could continue to be torrential after reaching 1000 millimetres to date in Sanjo City, Niigata, 250km northwest of Tokyo, since they started on Wednesday.

A total of 296,000 people had been asked to evacuate their homes by this afternoon, according to public broadcaster NHK, but no compulsory orders were issued despite muddy swollen rivers, broken dykes and flooded houses.

US: Tropical storm heads for Texas - and the drought-hit state is overjoyed

The Daily Mail
Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:11 UTC

The prospect of a storm warning is normally cause for most American states to prepare for the worst.

But rather than bracing themselves for relentless rain and destructive cyclones, locals in Texas are welcoming the perfect storm in the hope it will end the state's months of drought.

Parts of Texas are 15 inches short of their average rainfall this year, meaning the predicted downpours from Tropical Storm Don are being actively welcomed.

The storm's five to seven inches of predicted rain will help alleviate Texas's water shortages and dying crops when the cyclone sweeps in from the Gulf of Mexico.

Deadly Tornado Hits City in Russia's Far East

RT.com
Sun, 31 Jul 2011 13:26 UTC

One person has been killed and twenty eight others injured as a powerful tornado hit the Russian far-eastern city of Blagoveshchensk.

The tornado was so powerful that it tore the roofs from houses, turned over vehicles, flattened trees and smashed windows in several buildings.

Local authorities have introduced a state of emergency in the city, Itar-Tass news agency reports. 200 people and 50 vehicles are already involved in the cleaning operation.

Northern Japan Battered by Floods

Storyful
Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:32 UTC

Northern Japan has been battered by torrential rain and floods killing one person. Niigata and Fukushima prefectures have been the areas worst hit with a number of people missing and 400,000 advised to evacuate their homes as authorities fear potential landslides. The floods strike nearly five months after northeastern Japan was struck by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed over 13,000 people.

Uganda: Hailstorm destroys villages in Wakiso

UG Pulse
Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:05 UTC

A big hailstorm has destroyed property worth millions of shillings in Nakabugo and Bulaga villages in Wakiso district.

Reports from Bulaga indicates that over 20 houses have had their roofs blown off and plantations destroyed.

The hailstorm hit Nakabugo and Bulaga for about an hour killing four cows and a number of goats. No human life was lost.

By the time journalists arrived in Nakabugo some hailstones were still visible on the ground.

The destructive hailstorm has hit Wakiso when the country is experiencing famine. The Area LC5 councilor Mariam Kaliga urges the government to extend relief items to the people affected.

About 190,000 people evacuated as tropical storm hits south China

RIA Novosti
Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:56 UTC

More than 189,000 residents of Chinese southern island province of Hainan have been evacuated as tropical storm Nock-Ten hit the coastal region, the Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

The storm came to the island on Friday and brought heavy rains and strong winds of up to 28 meters per second. One person has been injured while 148 houses have been damaged along coastal villages in Hainan's Guangcun Town, the agency quoted the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters as saying.

U.S.: Severe storm downs trees, 11,000 without power in Westchester New York

lohud.com
Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:50 UTC

A violent storm passed through the Hudson Valley Friday evening, downing trees and leaving thousands without power.

Though heavy rain and high winds blanketed Rockland and Putnam counties, the areas near Croton-on-Hudson and Ossining in Westchester appeared to have taken the brunt of the storm.

According to Consolidated Edison Inc.'s website, more than 11,250 homes and businesses were without power across Westchester County about 8:45 p.m. Friday.

In Ossining village, about 2,300 customers were affected along with nearly 1,500 in Ossining town and another 1,800 in Croton. In Mount Vernon, more than 3,000 customers experienced outages.

“

Quote of the Day

"The purpose of GLADIO was to attack civilians, the people - women, children, innocent people, unknown people, far removed from any political game. The reason was quite simple: to force the public to turn to the State and demand greater security. Under a strategy of tension, you 'destabilize in order to stabilize', to create tension within society and promote conservative, reactionary social and political tendencies."

~ Italian neo-fascist whose prosecution led to the discovery of NATO's 'Gladio' networks across Western Europe

- Vincenzo Vinciguerra

”

An interesting read - "My Big Toe: A Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics" - by Thomas Campbell (B.S. and M.S. in Physics)[Link]

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good behavior really. what good is a prison system which doesn't adequately reward model prisoners for their correct behavior(s)? the system needs...

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Schumm and colleagues used the clock to look for evidence of dark matter, the invisible, massive substance that is thought to pervade the universe...

codis

how about the whole universe is conscious

toipup1

And now, China has a new type of sodium battery that doesn't use lithium [a big plus!], charges very rapidly, and works well in very low...

eulogical

Storms
S

Venezuela's Mysterious Catatumbo Lightning Phenomenon Vanishes for Months, then Reappears

New York, US: Auto Body Shops Flooded With Repair Calls After Storm

Extreme weather causes chaos in South Africa

Earthquake-Ravaged Japan Now Overwhelmed by Rain - 296,000 Evacuated

US: Tropical storm heads for Texas - and the drought-hit state is overjoyed

Deadly Tornado Hits City in Russia's Far East

Northern Japan Battered by Floods

Uganda: Hailstorm destroys villages in Wakiso

About 190,000 people evacuated as tropical storm hits south China

U.S.: Severe storm downs trees, 11,000 without power in Westchester New York

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