Northeast US farmers watch winter crush their livelihoods ~ link ~ For Northeastern farmers long used to coping with all sorts of cold-weather problems, this winter presents a new one: snow and ice that's bringing down outbuildings, requiring costly repairs, killing livestock and destroying supplies. Farmers in Connecticut alone have lost at least 136 barns, greenhouses, sheds and other structures as snow measured in feet, not inches, accumulated while January passed without a thaw. Corn prices to soar as Chinese imports increase NINEFOLD compared to official projections ~ link ~ Cotton, wheat, rice, and now corn. If revised Chinese import estimates by the US Grain Council are even remotely correct, look for corn prices of $6.80 a bushel at last check to jump by at least 15% in a very short amount of time. As the FT reports, "Corn prices – and with them, the price of meat – are set to explode if the latest import estimates from China are correct. The US Grain Council, the industry body, said late on Thursday that it has received information pointing to Chinese imports as high as 9m tonnes in 2011-12, up from 1.3m in 2010-11." Why is this a concern? Because "the US Department of Agriculture, which compiles benchmark estimates of supply, demand and stocks, forecast Chinese imports at just 1m tonnes in 2011-12." In other words, the whole forecast supply-demand equilibrium is about to be torn to shreds. And all this excludes the impact of neverending liquidity by the one and only, which will only make the speculative approach to surging corn relentless. Oklahoma City - More than a Year's Snowfall in One Daylink Also breaks daily snowfall record set in 1913 |
2 Feb 11 - Oklahoma City averages 8.6 inches of snow each year, so the 11.8 inches of snow on the ground when Tuesday's blizzard finally came to an end was more than it usually receives in an entire year.
It also shattered the daily snowfall record of 5.5 inches set in 1913.
Tuesday's snow is also the most Oklahoma City has ever received on any day in the entire month of February. That record - 6.5 inches - was set on Feb. 7, 1986.
Tuesday's snow is also the most Oklahoma City has ever received on any day in the entire month of February. That record - 6.5 inches - was set on Feb. 7, 1986.
Even though this is only the second day of the month, this February is now the city's
third snowiest February on record. February 1913 and its 12.9 inches ranks first.
third snowiest February on record. February 1913 and its 12.9 inches ranks first.
The 3.4 inches of snow in Abilene, Texas, broke Tuesday's snowfall record of 1.9 inches from 1985.
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/45252/oklahoma-city-almost-a-monthly.asp
Thanks to Kenneth Lund for this link
Thanks to Kenneth Lund for this link
Mysterious lava substance oozes from the ground in India
February 8, 2011 - KURNOOL, India – In a strange phenomenon, a black chemical substance gushed out from the earth, creating panic in Maddikera village in Kurnool district on Monday. Huge cavities also formed in the three acres of land owned by a farmer, Nagaiah, of Maddikere, about 100 km from Kurnool, soon after the black substance spewed out from beneath the land. Nagaiah said it damaged the soil. The nearby grass caught fire when the black substance spread like lava from a volcano. A cement electric pole in the vicinity collapsed. Nagaiah said he first saw the phenomenon two days ago. Officials rushed to the village to take stock of the strange occurrence. Experts said they would conduct studies to unravel the mystery behind the spewing out of the blackish material from beneath. –Times of India
A shepherd first noticed a strange odour and plants withering. The inquisitive shepherd alerted other villagers who came to find out the source of the bad odour and finally zeroed in to the field belonging to one farmer Lakshminarayana Reddy. At the field, the villagers found two deep holes from which lava-like black like substance erupted. Scared at the strange phenomenon, the villagers alerted a geologist for studying the strange phenomenon. According to an eye witness fire along with the black substance erupted out of the Earth surface at two different points. Geologist Mohana Rao said that a disturbance in the Earth had occurred after the earth quakes in Thailand, Tirupati and Delhi. The rock formations process below the earth surface had created gaps resulting in creation of a weak zone in the Dolorite rocks. Explaining the phenomenon, Mohan Rao maintained that an inorganic compound solution had oozed out of lithosphere. The lava substance is being sent to geological laboratory for a thorough study. –The Hindu
See our report: Massive geological change underway in India
H5N1: Is a global bird flu pandemic brewing?
February 7, 2011 – ALERT WATCH 1 - In many ways, it is the most sinister and deadly of the HN series virus and it now appears to be spreading dramatically across Asia. The virus hasn’t made the dangerous leap to infecting humans but all measures to contain the virus in Japan now appear to be failing. Today, the virus spread to a 12th poultry farm in the Japanese prefectures. The first cases of the H5N1 virus began showing up in South Korea in December and was believed to be spreading my migratory birds- leading to greater fears that the vector has found transmissibility through global avian winter migration routes. Today, scientists announced another major outbreak of the virus among 8500 chickens in Bangladesh.
Japan – In Japan, Miyazaki prefecture reported at the weekend that birds found dead at a poultry farm in Takachiho were confirmed infected with a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu virus, the eighth case in the prefecture and 12th in Japan this winter. The farm raises about 40 000 broiler chickens, and prefectural officials started culling them and another 17 000 chickens at related facilities, the Japan Times reported. -Agra Europe
Bangladesh – Narayanganj, Feb 7 – Some 8,500 chickens of two poultry farms in Narayanganj have been found infected with H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu virus. According to reports, around 200 chickens of the two farms in Batenpara area of Siddhirganj under Sadar Upazila died on Monday morning. The infection was confirmed when the officials of the Upazila livestock department, sent a sample of the tissue to the Central Diseases Investigation Laboratory (CDIL) in Dhaka for analysis. District livestock department official A K M Ariful Islam told bdnews24.com that some chickens of the twin farms had died over the last few days. The owners of the farms, Abdul Hai and Younus Mia, had brought it to the notice of the local livestock department. The livestock officials visited the farms on Monday and sent the sample of the tissue to CDIL to establish whether it was H5N1 virus infection. “The bird flu was confirmed in scrutiny. Later, we sealed one kilometre area surrounding the poultry farms,” Islam added. Narayanganj Sadar Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Mohammad Mothahar Hossain told bdnews24.com that there was nothing to panic due to bird flu virus, as the infected chickens would be culled. “The culled chickens will be buried immediately, so that the disease does not spread to other nearby farms,” the UNO added. -BDNews24
Hong Kong – Hong Kong (HKSAR) – A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (February 7) that a duck carcass found in Tai O was confirmed to be H5N1 positive after laboratory testing. The duck carcass was found and collected at a beach near Po Chue Tam, Yeung Hau Temple, Tai O on February 3. It was highly decomposed when found and required a series of tests before H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed today. The spokesman said there were no poultry farms within three kilometres of where the dead duck was found. AFCD staff have conducted inspections and found no evidence of any backyard poultry being kept there. AFCD will continue to monitor the situation and conduct inspections of the area. -7th Space.com
See: South Korea outbreak here
NASA satellite captures Kizimen’s powerful eruption
(c) BBC 2011
Posted in Earth Changes, Earth Watch, Volcano Watch Leave a comment
Sri Lanka flooding displaces 1.2 million people
February 7, 2011 - Colombo – Ongoing heavy rainfall in northern and eastern Sri Lanka raised the number of displaced people to more than 1.2 million as flooding caused widespread damage, the Disaster Management Centre said Monday. Flooding caused by a week of rain has left 11 people dead and three missing, the centre said. The death toll could be higher, the centre added, because it had yet to receive reports from some of the affected areas. Floods and landslides in central Sri Lanka have damaged more than 12,000 houses. Schools in some of the affected areas have been closed with many of them being used as shelters for the displaced. More than 320,000 of those displaced were being accommodated in camps set up by the government, but many others took shelter with friends and relatives or in temples and churches. Many of the flood-hit areas had only started to recover from flooding four weeks ago, which left 43 people dead and more than 1.1 million displaced. -Earth Times
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6.2 quake rattles the Solomon Islands
February 7, 2011 – SOLOMON ISLANDS — A magnitude -6.2 earthquake rumbled under the Pacific Ocean south of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but no tsunami alert was issued. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, or even that the temblor was felt in the Solomons or to the east in Papua New Guinea. The 6:53 a.m. Tuesday (local time, 1953 Monday GMT) quake was some 257 miles (414 kilometres) deep, the USGS said. The USGS said the quake hit some 65 miles (110 kilometres) southwest of Arawa, the capital of Bougainville province in Papua New Guinea, and about 95 miles (150 kilometres) southwest of Chirovanga in the Solomon Islands. -AP
Posted in Seismic tremors 1 Comment
February 7, 2011
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