Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

[Shammu]

Alberto puts Florida on storm watch

By PHIL DAVIS, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 17 minutes ago

TAMPA, Fla. - Most of Florida's west coast was under a tropical storm watch Sunday as the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season spun over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to bring heavy rain in the next few days.

By midday, Tropical Storm Alberto had maximum sustained wind near 45 mph, up 10 mph from early in the morning, but it was not likely to grow into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.

"We do not have any significant changes," said Lixion Avila, a senior hurricane specialist. "The system remains poorly organized."

Alberto is a lopsided tropical storm with the most intense wind and rains massed on the eastern edge of the system, Avila said. The first of the storm's rains swept across the Florida peninsula Sunday with no major reports of damage.

Forecasters said that 30 inches of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba, creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides, and that 8 inches could fall over the Florida Keys and the state's Gulf Coast.

The prospect of a wet storm without hurricane-force wind was welcomed by firefighters who have been battling wildfires for six weeks on Florida's east coast.

"A good soaking rain would do a lot to help stop the fires in our area," said Pat Kuehn, a spokeswoman for Volusia County Fire Services. "It has been a hard fire season. We've had several fires a week here."

Residents of the state's Gulf Coast were watching the storm, including Patricia Haberland, whose back porch was flooded by 12 inches of rain in March. She put a few valuables in plastic bins this weekend just to be on the safe side.

"Other than that, we're carrying on as usual, going to work, going to church," said Haberland, 52. "It doesn't look like it's going to have a major impact on our area."

The storm was not expected to cross the Keys, but some tourists were not taking any chances on the low-lying islands.

"I had a bunch of people check out this morning," said Nikki LaMarca, front desk manager at Courtney's Place in Key West. "It's amazing. People are actually leaving."

At 5 p.m. EDT, Alberto was centered about 375 miles west of Key West and about 400 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, forecasters said.

It was moving northwest at about 7 mph but was expected to turn northeastward in the direction of central or northern Florida, where it could make landfall early Tuesday, forecasters said.

The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday, nine days after the official start of the hurricane season, in the northwest Caribbean, which can produce typically weak storms that follow a similar track this time of year, forecasters said.

"They can also meander in the Gulf for awhile, and we've seen some dissipate before reaching any land areas," said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch. "There is no guarantee (Alberto) will make landfall."

Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes.

Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.

It also was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a records 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes. Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names — beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma — and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.

This year, however, meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm as it was at this time in 2005, meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes.

Last year's first named storm was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9 and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

Alberto puts Florida on storm watch

[Shammu]

Strong quake shakes southern Japan

2 hours, 10 minutes ago

TOKYO - A strong earthquake rattled southern Japan early Monday followed by a milder temblor in the north, but there was no danger of a tsunami from either, the nation's meteorological agency said.
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At least five people were injured from the magnitude-6.2 quake in the south, but no one died, Kyodo News agency reported. No injuries or damage were reported from the second quake, Kyodo said.

The first quake occurred at around 5 a.m. 87 miles underground in Oita Prefecture (state) on the southern island of Kyushu. It struck wide areas of southern and western Japan, Kyodo said.

The second one, which registered magnitude-4.8, was three hours later off the coast of Aomori in northern Japan.

The meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from either quake.

Oita is about 500 miles southwest of Tokyo, and Aomori is 360 miles northeast of the capital.

Japan is one of the world's most quake-prone countries because it is located at the juncture of four tectonic plates, or moving slabs of the earth's outer crust.

Strong quake shakes southern Japan

[Shammu]

1,200 in Hungary Ill From Dirty Water
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Jun 12, 5:02 AM (ET)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Some 1,200 people in northeastern Hungary have fallen ill from drinking contaminated water, the director of national epidemic affairs said Monday.

Flooding caused by heavy spring rainfall contaminated the spring water that flows into the city water system, experts said.

On Thursday, residents of the city of Miskolc - some 100 miles northeast of Budapest- began showing first symptoms of bacterial poisoning, falling ill with diarrhea, vomiting and fatigue.

The number of sick in Miskolc escalated to 1,200 on Monday with 80 patients treated at a hospital there, said Lajos Ocsai, the epidemic affairs director.

Water experts advised all residents to use tap water strictly for cooking and to drink bottled water only.

While workers decontaminate the system, water trucks were providing household supplies.

Children in schools are provided with drinking water.

1,200 in Hungary Ill From Dirty Water

[Shammu]

Quake Rattles Indonesia's Sumatra Island

Jun 11, 10:15 PM (ET)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A moderate earthquake struck off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island on Monday, the government said. There were no immediate report of injuries or damage.

The magnitude-5.9 quake was centered 330 miles southwest of the town of Bandar Lampung, said Agung Mulyo Utomo, a staffer the country's meteorology and geophysics agency.

Local radio station el-Shinta said the quake was lightly felt in Bandar Lampung.

Utomo said there were no reports of injuries, damage or a tsunami.

The massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed 131,000 people in Sumatra's Aceh province.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

On May 27, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake devastated a large swath of Java Island, killing more than 5,800 people.

Bandar Lampung is located on the southern tip of Sumatra island and is 155 miles northwest of Jakarta.

Quake Rattles Indonesia's Sumatra Island

[Soldier4Christ]

The current drought monitor for the U.S.


http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

[Soldier4Christ]

Florida expects tropical drenching
'A good soaking rain would do a lot to help stop the fires in our area'

Florida’s west coast under tropical storm watch
Tropical Storm Alberto, in Gulf of Mexico, could bring heavy rains

TAMPA, Fla. - Most of Florida’s west coast was under a tropical storm watch Sunday as the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season spun over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to bring heavy rain in the next few days.

Tropical Storm Alberto had maximum sustained wind near 45 mph, up 10 mph from the morning, but it was not likely to grow into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.

“We do not have any significant changes,” said Lixion Avila, a senior hurricane specialist. “The system remains poorly organized.”

Alberto is a lopsided tropical storm with the most intense wind and rains massed on the eastern edge of the system, Avila said. The first of the storm’s rains swept across the Florida peninsula Sunday with no major reports of damage.

Forecasters said 30 inches of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba, creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides, while 5 to 10 inches were possible over the Florida peninsula and 3 to 5 inches could fall over the Keys through Tuesday.

'We’re carrying on as usual'
The prospect of a wet storm without hurricane-force wind was welcomed by firefighters who have been battling wildfires for six weeks on Florida’s east coast.

“A good soaking rain would do a lot to help stop the fires in our area,” said Pat Kuehn, a spokeswoman for Volusia County Fire Services. “It has been a hard fire season. We’ve had several fires a week here.”

Residents of the state’s Gulf Coast were watching the storm, including Patricia Haberland, whose back porch was flooded by 12 inches of rain in March. She put a few valuables in plastic bins this weekend just to be on the safe side.

“Other than that, we’re carrying on as usual, going to work, going to church,” said Haberland, 52. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to have a major impact on our area.”

The storm was not expected to cross the Keys, but some tourists were not taking any chances on the low-lying islands.

“I had a bunch of people check out this morning,” said Nikki LaMarca, front desk manager at Courtney’s Place in Key West. “It’s amazing. People are actually leaving.”

At 2 a.m. EDT, Alberto was centered about 340 miles south-southwest of the Florida Panhandle, forecasters said early Monday.

It was moving north-northeast at about 6 mph, and was to turn northeastward in the direction of central or northern Florida, where it could make landfall early Tuesday, forecasters said.

No guarantee of landfall
The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday, nine days after the official start of the hurricane season, in the northwest Caribbean, which can produce typically weak storms that follow a similar track this time of year, forecasters said.

“They can also meander in the Gulf for awhile, and we’ve seen some dissipate before reaching any land areas,” said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch. “There is no guarantee (Alberto) will make landfall.”

Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes.

Last year’s hurricane season was the most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.

It also was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a record 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes. Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names — beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma — and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.

This year, however, meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm as it was at this time in 2005, meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes.

Last year’s first named storm was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9 and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

[Soldier4Christ]

A hurricane warning was posted for part of Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday as Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, quickly gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico.

The warning, extending about 200 miles from Longboat Key near Sarasota to the Ochlockonee River south of Tallahassee, meant Alberto was expected to produce hurricane conditions within the next 24 hours.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect from Longboat Key south to Englewood and from the Ochlockonee west to Indian Pass.

"We're talking about powerful forces of nature," Gov. Jeb Bush said. "People need to take this very seriously."

At 11 a.m., Alberto's sustained wind had increased to 70 mph, up from 50 mph just three hours earlier, the National Hurricane Center said. The minimum wind speed for a hurricane is 74 mph.

The storm was centered about 190 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola and was moving north-northeast at about 7 mph.

Alberto's core wasn't expected to reach Florida until Tuesday, but with tropical storm-force wind stretching 230 miles from the center, powerful gusts may be felt long before it makes landfall.

The storm's outer bands brought rain on the state Sunday, and forecasters warned that tornadoes were possible in west-central and northwestern Florida.

Alberto drenched Cuba's Pinar del Rio province and Havana throughout the weekend, causing some minor street flooding. The official Prensa Latina news agency reported Monday a handful of old buildings around Havana crumbled in the heavy rainfall, a common occurrence during even the weakest storms, but there were no immediate reports of other major damage or injuries.

In Florida, 4 to 10 inches of rain could fall on the peninsula through Tuesday, forecasters said.

The prospect of a rain - as long as it didn't come with hurricane-force wind - was welcomed by firefighters who have been battling wildfires for six weeks on Florida's Atlantic coast.

The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday, nine days after the official start of the hurricane season, in the northwest Caribbean, which can produce typically weak storms that follow a similar track this time of year, forecasters said. It became a named storm when its sustained wind reached 39 mph.

Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes.

Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record. Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.

It also was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a record 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes. Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names - beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma - and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.

The first named storm of 2005 was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9 and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.


_______________________

The season has started early again.

[Shammu]

The season has started early again.

Expect it to start earlier next year, if we are here.  Add more earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and  everything else the Bible says, in Matthew 24 to be worse then now. But only if we are still here brother.

I also look for the the old cold-war,between Russia, and the United States to heat back up. Add to that, North Korea, and China, becoming friendly with Russia. The EU to consildate power.

[Shammu]

Clinton Links GOP Policies to More Storms
Jun 12 7:22 PM US/Eastern

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press Writer

ORLANDO, Fla.

As Tropical Storm Alberto threatened to strengthen into the ninth hurricane in 22 months to affect Florida, former President Clinton predicted Monday that Republican environmental policies will lead to more severe storms.

"It is now generally recognized that while Al Gore and I were ridiculed, we were right about global warming," Clinton said at a fundraiser for the Florida Democratic Party. "It's a serious problem. It's going to lead to more hurricanes."

Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," chronicles the former vice president's efforts to educate the public about global warming. It's in limited release around the country.

In his critique of the GOP, Clinton also touched on the war in Iraq, the rising federal deficit and high health care costs. The crowd of about 500 greeted him with loud applause and shouts of "We love you, Bill!" and "Four more years!"

Jeff Sadosky, spokesman for the state Republican Party, decried Clinton's rhetoric. "Bill Clinton's class warfare and race-baiting message gets us no closer to solutions for the issues he brings up," he said.

Sadosky referred in part to Clinton's comments earlier this month in Arizona. At that event, Clinton characterized Republican Party leaders as right-wing, white Southerners.

Clinton Links GOP Policies to More Storms

[Soldier4Christ]

Alberto warning downgraded to tropical storm
System still dumping heavy rain, could spawn tornadoes

EDAR KEY, Fla. - The first tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season pelted Florida’s Gulf Coast with rain Tuesday, but forecasters said Alberto wouldn’t reach hurricane strength as earlier feared.

The National Hurricane Center downgraded its hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning by midmorning.

Alberto’s top sustained winds had dropped to 50 mph, well below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane.

“The big concern now is going to be shifting to the rainfall and the tornado threat as it moves along the southeastern (U.S.) coast line,” National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield said Tuesday.

Florida’s Gulf Coast between Tampa and the Panhandle could still see a storm surge of 7 to 9 feet from Alberto, and more than 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate.

Tornado, flood watch
A large chunk of the storm was already over Florida and its outer rain bands stretched into southeastern Georgia, where forecasters warned of a threat of tornadoes. A flood watch was issued for noon Tuesday for 18 southeastern South Carolina counties and rain totals exceeding five inches were possible in the area.

The top wind gust hit 60 mph early Tuesday in Tampa, and about 4 to 6 inches of much-needed rain had fallen in areas that had been dry, said Charles Paxton, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. There were reports of limited power outages, minor damage and fallen trees in the Tampa Bay area.

Forecasters said Tuesday that the storm’s chances of growing were “evaporating,” because dry air was being sucked into its center. Storms need abundant supplies of warm, moist air to fuel their growth.

“There are no signs that Alberto is strengthening right now, so that’s good news,” said James Franklin, a senior hurricane center specialist.

[Soldier4Christ]

China, Russia Resist IAEA Statement on Iran

Diplomats at the United Nations nuclear agency say China and Russia are not prepared to join the United States and Europe in a statement urging that Iran suspend uranium enrichment.

The diplomats spoke as the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency met for a second day Tuesday, in Vienna.

But China and Russia have joined France, Germany, Britain and the United States in offering Iran an incentives package to suspend uranium enrichment and join talks on its nuclear program.

On Monday, U.S. ambassador to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, said he hopes Iran will take advantage of what he calls an "enormous diplomatic opportunity."

Non-aligned nations at the Vienna meeting are expected to issue their own statement backing Iran's right to a nuclear program.

The incentives package agreed to by the United States, China, France, Russia, Britain and Germany is said to include international support for Iran's effort to build a nuclear power plant. The U.S. also would agree to drop some trade sanctions and allow Iran to buy spare parts for its aging fleet of American-made aircraft.

The proposal is believed to include a threat of sanctions if Iran fails to curb its nuclear activities.

The U.S. and Europe suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran denies.

[Soldier4Christ]

Java volcano spews clouds of gas

Indonesia's Mt Merapi volcano showed signs of increased activity on Wednesday, emitting cascading clouds of hot gas, ash and volcanic debris.

Hundreds of villagers, some of whom had only just returned from refugee camps, fled their homes on Merapi's slopes.

Indonesian authorities again raised the volcano's alert level to its highest status, only a day after it was dropped.

It will mean thousands have to be evacuated, a government scientist said.

"The status was upgraded at 2 p.m. because of the increasing hot clouds," Triyani, an official at the state volcano monitoring centre, told Reuters news agency.

The clouds of gas and ash travelled about 5 km (3 miles) down the volcano's southern slope, she said.

'Time to leave'

Some residents, thousands of whom have been staying in temporary camps, had returned home after the alert level was dropped on Tuesday.

"We were very happy to go back in the morning," one villager, Egan, told the Associated Press news agency after arriving back at the refugee camp.

"But as soon as we got there, we saw a massive cloud steaming toward us. We all decided it was time to leave."

The volcano has been in what scientists call the early stages of eruption for weeks, but this is the first spike of activity since 8 June, when the volcano sent similarly huge clouds down the same slope. More than 15,000 villagers fled to safety.

Scientists fear the volcano was further destabilised by an earthquake which struck near the ancient city of Yogyakarta three weeks ago, killing 6,200 people.

[Soldier4Christ]

Alberto Weakens to Tropical Depression Above South Carolina

June 14 (Bloomberg) -- Alberto, the first named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season, weakened to a tropical depression over South Carolina after dumping rain on Georgia and Florida. All tropical storm warnings were discontinued.

The weather system's maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers an hour) at 5 a.m. local time, from 40 mph three hours earlier, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an online advisory. Alberto has been weakening from near hurricane-force winds of 70 mph two days ago.

The center of Alberto was about 35 miles south-southwest of Columbia, South Carolina at 5 a.m. the depression was moving northeast at 21 mph and forecast to accelerate, the center said. Alberto may still gain strength, according to the advisory.

``Alberto is forecast to lose tropical characteristics later this morning, however some re-strengthening is possible during its transition to an extra-tropical cyclone,'' the Hurricane Center said. Tropical systems generally gain their energy from the sea, while extra-tropical weather patterns garner energy from the atmosphere.

Tropical-storm warnings that had been in place for the Atlantic coast from South Santee River, South Carolina, to north of Altamaha Sound, Georgia, were discontinued, the Hurricane center said. Gale warnings were in place from South Santee River to Currituck Beach, North Carolina.

Tropical storms have sustained winds of between 39 mph and 73 mph. hurricanes have winds of at least 74 mph.

Alberto earlier today advanced across Georgia as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds, and its outer bands dumped rain over the Carolinas. The storm's eye came ashore at about 12:30 p.m. local time yesterday on Florida's Gulf Coast near Adams Beach, about 50 miles southeast of Tallahassee, the hurricane center said.

As much as 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in the past 24 hours over parts of Georgia and South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service Web site. Rainfall totals of 6 inches are possible in parts of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, the Hurricane Center said. Isolated tornadoes are possible today over coastal South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina, the Hurricane Center said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Head lice 'are becoming indestructible

You can comb them out, zap them with chemicals or simply keep scratching. But head lice have a habit of maintaining a firm grip on their habitat.

And the bad news is they are becoming increasingly resistant to the most common treatments.

Scientists believe that 80 per cent of the bugs are immune to over-the-counter lotions. They found lice were untroubled by the chemicals permathrin and phenothrin, found in popular bug-busting brands such as Lyclear and Full Marks.

The experts say the process of natural selection means the insects have developed a resistance to the lotions. The findings will not just leave children, parents and teachers scratching their heads. It will almost certainly start a scramble to discover a lotion to do the job better.

Lucrative

Eliminating head lice is a lucrative business, with Britons spending £30million a year on treatments.

Scientists at the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in Cardiff discovered four out of five lice were resistant to the chemicals.

A team led by Dr Daniel Thomas armed themselves with nit combs to visit 31 schools in Wales. Eight per cent of children tested had head lice and researchers managed to remove 4,000 nits - head lice eggs - from itchy heads. Each nit collected was tested for resistance to pyrethroids, which are used in the most popular treatments for lice.

They require a shorter application time and do not smell as strongly as other chemicals. More than 80 per cent of the lice were resistant to the insecticides which are designed to attack the insect's nervous system, the scientists discovered.

This was because of the process of natural selection, said Dr Thomas. Most lice have developed a gene which makes them more resistant to poisons following years of exposure to the chemicals.

Insects either develop ways of counteracting the chemicals before they affect their bodies or they become less sensitive to them, said Dr Thomas, whose findings are published in the journal Archives of Disease In Childhood.

He said there was no reason to suppose the findings would not be replicated across the rest of Britain.

Head lice live close to the scalp, where there is guaranteed warmth, food and shelter. They cannot fly, jump or hop and are spread when people's heads touch each other.

Last year a study found those who fine-combed their wet hair were four times more likely to remove head lice than those relying on products bought at the chemist.

[Shammu]

From my area of the woods.....................

The Potato Fire increased the acreage it has burned yesterday and inched closer toward two subdivisions it is threatening. The fire has burned 6,000 acres and yesterday's growth was on the north and west flanks of the fire. The firefront moved Tuesday to within ¾ of a mile of Chevelon Retreat and Chevelon Acres. The main road to the subdivisions is closed. Many residents of the subdivisions have ignored evacuation orders.

     The Forest Service gained some additional control of the fire yesterday and reported it as 40 percent contained last night. The national weather service is forecasting difficult weather conditions for fire containment efforts today - predicting sustained southwesterly winds of 24 mph with gusts up to 44 mph. The temperature is expected to climb to 85 degrees with a 10 percent chance of thunderstorms. Fire officials are expected to deploy additional firefighting resources to the fire today.
_________________________________________________________________________

Also on the news, it looks like there is a huge fire that has jumped I-40. They have closed I-40, and Route 66, in Flagstaff. Evacuation have begun in Flagstaff.

I'll post more, as soon as I find out. This Flagstaff fire isn't close to me, over 100 miles away. But it is the closes big city to me.

edited to add; They are calling the fire, the Woody fire.