ApocaDocuments (24) gathered this week:
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Mon, Jan 14, 2008
from UPI:
Hordes of rats ravaging Indian state
"CALCUTTA, India, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The Indian state of Mizoram saw its crops ravaged by hordes of hungry rats last year, leading to the loss of nearly 40,000 tons of rice. Mizoram agriculture official James Lalsiamliana said the state's flowering bamboo crops drew in large numbers of the rodents, which went on to eat up much of the crop supply in 2007, the BBC reported Saturday. Lalsiamliana said that among the other crops decimated by the rodent invasion were the state's watermelon, chilli, banana, pumpkin and papaya supplies." ...
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We usually ask you to "mouse" over the image but in this particular case, we ask you to "rat" over it. If this ain't a "plague of rats" we don't know what is.
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Mon, Jan 14, 2008
from UPI:
Invasive beetle attacks redbay trees
"Tallahassee, Fla. A beetle imported from Asia is spreading around the southeast United States, leaving dead and dying redbay trees in its wake. The redbay ambrosia beetle is believed to have entered the country through Savannah, Ga., in 2002, probably in a wood pallet or packing case. It has spread into the Carolinas and south to Florida, where it was spotted for the first time last summer in Brevard County in central Florida, Florida Today reports. The beetle produces a fungus that spreads throughout a tree, eventually killing it. The fungus nourishes more generations of beetles." ...
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This redbay ambrosia beetle reminds us of the retirees who invade Florida in their RVs or build their condos, negatively impacting the local environment.
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Sun, Jan 13, 2008
from Durango Herald (US):
Oil shale rises again in Western Colorado
Chevron officials look at the size of tomorrow's market. Six billion people live on Earth, and there might be 9 billion by the middle of the century. "We're probably going to need every molecule of energy going forward that we can get to meet the needs of that growing population," Johnson said.
That's what brings Chevron back to Colorado's notoriously difficult oil-shale deposits. "The easy oil, we pretty much have used up," he said. ...
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Now we're looking at getting oil from rocks. Might take a wee bit of energy to make that happen. Kind of like what we see in Alberta's tar sands, where it uses almost as much natural gas energy as it gets out as oil. Which is kind of like the marginal energy value of corn-based ethanol, when the energy cost of agriculture is included. Which is kind of like.... what we always seem to do:
borrow from Peter to pay Paul.
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Sun, Jan 13, 2008
from Reuters UK:
U.N. says prepare for big flu pandemic economic hit
"Most countries have now focused on pandemic as a potential cause of catastrophe and have done some planning. But the quality of the plans is patchy and too few of them pay attention to economic and social consequences," he told BBC radio. "The economic consequences could be up to $2 trillion (1 trillion pounds) -- up to 5 percent of global GDP removed," he said, reiterating previous World Bank and UN estimates. ...
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We wonder what the lives of those killed are worth, in terms of GDP. But to get people to sit up and take notice, there's nothing like a "pocketbook issue" of two trillion dollars....
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Sun, Jan 13, 2008
from The Canadian:
Catastrophic Bee de-populations
"It is particularly worrisome, she said, that the bees' death is accompanied by a set of symptoms, "which does not seem to match anything in the literature."
In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi -- a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune system may have collapsed." ...
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Some suspect that the genetically modified pest-resistant plant pollen might be causing the bee problem. 40 percent of US fields are planted with the GM crops.
Gosh, insect toxins built into the plants -- why would bees be affected?
Whattaya mean, you didn't test for that?
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Sun, Jan 13, 2008
from Arab Times (Kuwait):
'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens
"Nader Talebzadeh sees his movie, 'Jesus, the Spirit of God,' as an Islamic answer to Western productions like Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster 'The Passion of the Christ,' which he praised as admirable but quite simply 'wrong'.
'Gibson's film is a very good film. I mean that it is a well-crafted movie but the story is wrong -- it was not like that,' he said, referring to two key differences: Islam sees Jesus as a prophet, not the son of God, and does not believe he was crucified.
Talebzadeh said he even went to Gibson's mansion in Malibu, California, to show him his film. 'But it was Sunday and the security at the gate received the film and the brochure and promised to deliver it,' though the Iranian never heard back." ...
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Does that mean that we get double the Apocalypse, or half?
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Sun, Jan 13, 2008
from Globe and Mail (Canada):
Antarctic ice sheet shrinking at faster rate
But a new study released today, based on some of the most extensive measurements to date of the continent's ice mass, presents a worrisome development: Antarctica's ice sheet is shrinking, at a rate that increased dramatically from 1996 to 2006.... "Over the time period of our survey, the ice sheet as a whole was certainly losing mass, and the mass loss increased by 75 per cent in 10 years," the study said. ...
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Wait... ANTarctica too!? I was just getting my head around the Arctic cap melting down....
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from The Economist (UK):
Christophe de Margerie, the boss of Total, thinks that the world's oil production may be nearing its peak
"Mr de Margerie is careful to point out that he is not predicting "peak oil" in a geological sense. His definition of peak oil is "when supply cannot meet demand". He believes that the fuel that the world needs to keep its cars and factories running may well be out there, somewhere. It is just getting harder and harder to extract, for technical as well as political reasons. For one thing, he points out, the output of existing fields is declining by 5m-6m b/d every year. That means that oil firms have to find lots of new fields just to keep production at today's levels. Moreover, the sorts of fields that Western oil firms are starting to develop, in very deep water, or of nearly solid, tar-like oil, are ever more technically challenging. There is not enough skilled labour and fancy equipment in the world, he believes, to ramp up production as quickly as people hope." ...
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Ah -- not in the "geological sense," just in the "geopolitical, economic, pragmatic, operative" sense.
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from The New York Times:
In Life's Anthills
"Their findings, reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science, add to the mounting evidence that relationships between plant and animal species can be far more complex than had been thought and that even seemingly benign interference can have devastating effects." ...
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To the tune of "The Hip-bone's connected," everybody sing:
"The ants are connected to the... tree thorns,
the tree thorn's connected to the... herbivores,
the herbivore's connected to the... tree's health,
now hear the word of the world."
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from Washington Post:
The Sixth Extinction
More than a decade ago, many scientists claimed that humans were demonstrating a capacity to force a major global catastrophe that would lead to a traumatic shift in climate, an intolerable level of destruction of natural habitats, and an extinction event that could eliminate 30 to 50 percent of all living species by the middle of the 21st century. Now those predictions are coming true. The evidence shows that species loss today is accelerating. We find ourselves uncomfortably privileged to be witnessing a mass extinction event as it's taking place, in real time. ...
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"We, and certainly our children, will find ourselves largely embraced by a pest and weed ecology ideal for the flourishing of invasive species and new, potentially dangerous microbes to which we haven't build up a biological resistance." Evolution ain't just a theory, it's a balance we're totally screwing up.
ApocaDoc
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from AP News:
Floodwaters Begin to Recede in Nev. Town
"The cause of the canal failure in the northern Nevada desert town had not been determined, but it followed heavy rain from the storm system that piled up as much as 11 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada range and toppled nearly 500 miles of power lines in California.... water that had been as deep as 8 feet was down to no more than a foot inside homes, but some streets still had 2 to 3 of icy water. "We're working as hard as we can," the mayor said." ...
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Causes of natural disasters can be a state away, as dominos fall: snow in California, and a canal in Nevada ruptures from the excess, and puts 8 feet of frigid water into living rooms. They're not much used to flooding in Nevada.
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from BBC (UK):
Stomach bug sweeping the country
"Doctors estimate more than 100,000 people a week are catching norovirus, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting... At least 56 hospital wards across England and Wales have been closed to new patients, the BBC has learned.
The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust says it is cancelling all non-urgent operations until 9 January because of what it calls the "unrelenting pressure" caused by the virus." ...
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We're very sorry for the several million curled up in their bathrooms.
We're very glad it's not something worse.
This time.
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from News Blaze (.com):
Photon Energy to Peak in 2012
"Scientists call it the "Dark Energy" because they have absolutely no clue as to what it is. Margaret said her friends in the world of spirit have told her it is called "Photon Energy," a band of energy traveling the Universe that is speeding everything up.
Margaret also says the Photon Energy is causing many problems in the world today. It is compressing time, pressuring people, causing road rage, and bringing a lot of anger out. Metaphysically, it is designed to do just that - to bring out of humanity all the trapped energy that the majority on the Earth plane have, not only from this lifetime, but - as Margaret says - from previous lives." ...
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That might also explain why my cell phone reception is so crappy.
Blast those photons!
Or... is it those past lives wanting in on the conversation?
ApocaDoc
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Want more context?
Try reading our book FREE online:
Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies!
More fun than a barrel of jellyfish!
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from New York Times (US):
U.S. Nuclear Envoy Puts Gentle Pressure on North Korea
"North Korea missed a Dec. 31 deadline for disabling its main nuclear complex at Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, and, according to Washington, for providing a full list of its nuclear activities, including weapons, facilities and fissile material. Last week, North Korea announced that there was nothing further to declare because it had already explained enough." ...
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Gently. Veeerry gently....
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Sat, Jan 12, 2008
from Sacramento Bee (US):
Fish: Delta drop sparks fears of ecological shift
"Five Delta fish species continue marching toward extinction, according to new data released Wednesday, a result that some observers warn may signify a major ecological shift in the West Coast's largest estuary.... record-low numbers for three species: longfin smelt, Sacramento splittail and American shad. Two others, Delta smelt and striped bass, posted near-record lows." ...
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That's ok! We'll just eat some other fish!
One telling quote: "I've always maintained that a world that is not safe for fish is probably not long safe for little boys and girls."
True, that.
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Fri, Jan 11, 2008
from United Press International:
Bush ends Israel visit on religious note
"U.S. President George Bush ended his peace-making trip to Israel Friday with a visit to a Holocaust memorial and an aerial tour of Christian sites in Galilee. Flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres, Bush wore a yarmulke and lit a memorial flame, placed a wreath and spoke briefly at the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, Voice of America reported.
"I was most impressed that people in the face of horror and evil would not forsake their God, and in the face of unspeakable crimes against humanity, brave souls -- young and old -- stood strong for what they believe," Bush said." ...
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What, me worry about the Apocalypse?
Ya gotta figure Bush looks eggsACTly like Alfred E. Neuman in that yarmulke!
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Fri, Jan 11, 2008
from United Press International:
Hybrid poplar trees to absorb contaminants
"U.S. researchers want to plant poplar trees at a former oil storage facility to see if the trees can turn contaminants into harmless byproducts. Purdue University researchers said a recent a study found that transgenic poplar cuttings absorbed 90 percent of trichloroethylene within a hydroponic solution in one week. The engineered trees also took up and metabolized the chemical 100 times faster than unaltered hybrid poplars." ...
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Great! Just as long as these transgenic poplar cuttings don't take over the earth!
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Fri, Jan 11, 2008
from DOE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC at Berkeley:
Body Heat To Power Cell Phones? Nanowires Enable Recovery Of Waste Heat Energy
"Energy now lost as heat during the production of electricity could be harnessed through the use of silicon nanowires synthesized via a technique developed by researchers ... The far-ranging potential applications of this technology include DOE’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered “Freedom CAR,” and personal power-jackets that could use heat from the human body to recharge cell-phones and other electronic devices." ...
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That our body heat can power our cell phones is such FABulous news! Of course ... if we don't have body heat it won't matter anyway.
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Thu, Jan 10, 2008
from ScienceDaily:
Humans Have Caused Profound Changes In Caribbean Coral Reefs
"Coral reefs in the Caribbean have suffered significant changes due to the proximal effects of a growing human population, reports a new study. "It is well acknowledged that coral reefs are declining worldwide but the driving forces remain hotly debated," said author Camilo Mora at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada...The study showed clearly that the number of people living in close proximity to coral reefs is the main driver of the mortality of corals, loss of fish biomass and increases in macroalgae abundance. "The continuing degradation of coral reefs may be soon beyond repair, if threats are not identified and rapidly controlled," Mora said." ...
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As Yogi the cartoon bear would say:
"Boo Boo, it's déjà vú-boo
all over again."
ApocaDoc
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Thu, Jan 10, 2008
from Reuters:
Bird dog steps on gun, kills hunter
"A Houston-area man was killed in a hunting accident after his dog stepped on a loaded shotgun in the back of a pick-up truck, triggering a blast that pierced the vehicle and the hunter's leg, a local sheriff said. Perry Price, a 46-year-old math teacher, shot a goose on Saturday then put his gun in the back of the truck where the dog was waiting to retrieve the bird." ...
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We have long imagined that other species would fight back. We didn't figure it would begin with man's best friend.
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Wed, Jan 9, 2008
from PortClintonNewsHerald (Ohio):
101-year temperature record broken
"In any time in Ohio, we can get a mix of weather. In January it's not really common that we get southerly weather this far north, but it can happen. The jet stream has shifted its position to allow the warm air to flow north into Ohio," the meteorologist said.
"We've had several swings in recent years where we do get warm-ups in January. ... Getting temperatures in the 50s is really not that uncommon, but getting them into the 60s is really noteworthy." ...
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Local weather is a very different entity than climate warming, but it's still notable that records were set all over the place. And we've also found it quite difficult to locate "colder than ever recorded" stories.
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Tue, Jan 8, 2008
from Telegraph.co.uk:
Naples rubbish threatens environment disaster
"Five thousands tonnes of stinking rubbish have piled up as a result of closed incineration plants and misused public funds. Incompetent management, crooked politicians and above all, the Neapolitan mafia, have been blamed for the crisis.
But the result is not in doubt. The southern region's 6m people are now threatened by rising levels of the poisons, which experts warn could remain in the food chain for decades." ...
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Who'da thunk that the Mafia couldn't "take out the trash"....
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Tue, Jan 8, 2008
from The Daily Green:
Carbon Isn't the Only Global Cycle Out of Whack
"The world is getting familiar with the carbon cycle and how pumping carbon that's been buried for millions of years into the atmosphere causes some global problems. Well, get ready to learn about nitrogen.
Like carbon, the nitrogen cycle is all out of whack. In this case, the origins are similar. Instead of burning petroleum or coal, nitrogen comes from natural gas transformed into ammonia fertilizer and used to grow crops; what doesn't absorb into the soil runs off into streams, which flow into rivers, which flow to the ocean, where the nitrogen fuels "dead zones" -- areas where nitrogen (and phosphorus) fertilizes so much algae growth that it absorbs enough oxygen to make the water inhospitable to fish and other marine life. Jellyfish are about the only thing that thrives in these conditions; corals certainly do not." ...
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If "dead zones" sounds like the title of a Steven Seagal film, then this action flick is more akin to a mega-disaster film.
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Mon, Jan 7, 2008
from Times-Picayune (New Orleans):
Study suggests big risks with fish farms
"The study from Canadian researchers finds that parasites spread from farmed salmon along Canada's Pacific coast could lead to a species collapse for the area's wild salmon within four years. Previous studies have pointed to sea lice from fish farms as a threat to wild salmon populations, but this is the first to suggest effects on the entire species population." ...
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Great. Now what can I eat to stay heart-healthy?
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