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Review: 'Luna' by Garon Whited
Nowadays, bookstores are flooded with piles of post-apocalyptic books that mourn dark futures, bringing a smoke of grim in the industry itself, and honestly, many of us are tired of dystopia. When Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games books became a phenomenon, a legion of Young-Adult authors tried to follow the trend that proved to sell, so they tried to recreate the oppressive nature of a tyrannical world, and some spiced them up with a dash of the Dead. Some of them published works that appealed to the same demographic while others brewed dreadful imitations of the ones that "made it". However, there are still compelling post-apocalyptic tales I enjoyed. Videogames like Fallout 4 and Destiny portray the aftermath of Earth's decay, but in refreshing ways. They've brought unforgettable experiences in an exhausted sub genre. That's kind of what I got from reading Garon Whited's sci-fi novel Luna, which doesn't cry a river on the dying world; the characters bring a vibe that celebrates it instead.
Despite the demise, the last of the human race somehow find hope, laughter, joy, and the simplest pleasures that we've taken for granted. This is the post-apocalyptic novel for those who are tired of reading post-apocalyptic novels. Seeing how it strays away from the predictable dystopian conventions is amusing. Luna is not trying to be a light at the end of the tunnel; it's the mass of light that shrouds the dark tunnel itself even though it's a habitat for disaster. Instead of showing us the world before the eclipse of apocalypse, Whited opens the novel with armageddon already devouring Earth.
"It's the end of the world, and I have the best seat in the house," says Maxwell Hardy, the lieutenant commander and Chief Damage Officer of the surviving crew. As a reader who have read a bunch of dark post-apocalytpic books, I expected to feel grief, a grim sense of hopelessness and oblivion, but oddly, Luna doesn't dwell on ruins, escape from gargantuan disasters, or rebel against dictatorship; instead, we follow Max and his small crew make the most out of life even though there's nothing left. Luna shows us what truly matters after the apocalypse hits, which reminds me of Michael Caine's line from the Christopher Nolan's science fiction film Interstellar, "We're not meant to save Earth, we're meant to leave it". Like the growth of lichen following a forest fire, Max's crew seemed powerless to take the initiative at first, but soon they summon the courage to recolonize the area. "We didn't need saving. We're the ones who do the saving!"
Luna, the crew's ship that brought the crew to the moon, aren't just physically distant from Earth's armageddon, they appear to be emotionally unattached as if they've cut their umbilical cords away from contaminated placentas. They settle on the moon, apparently unconcerned about loved ones they may have lost in the past. It's as if the characters have decided to dismiss the idea of weeping because what the hell is the point of doing so when tears won't raise the dead or heal the world anyways? Their emotions are as empty as the moon, "a lifeless ball of rock", so it's hard to sympathize with them when they seemed to have already settled, and I don't get the sense that they have a clear path ahead in the early chapters. It almost feels like watching a bunch of SIMS avatars happily live their lives in a nice home, and there are occasional conflicts they face, but nothing detrimental. What else could they possibly lose when they've lost everything already?
Yet Luna isn't a journey for healing or a story of survival; it's a story about human connection amongst the the crew members, and the experiences they make in the unknown. Max doesn't seem to be interested in seeking for new planets to colonize, however, nor does he want to climb the power ladder to rule on top, but to conquer what exactly? Max is a cheerful and humble leader who "doesn't take the burden of command well". He likes to get involved with the pleasures of life, and doesn't concern himself much of the past nor the future. He interacts with women who unleash their sexual spirits when they're isolated from Captain Carl and the reins of Luna's duties. Although Max's affairs may make readers think that these relationships would build at some point, I often felt like they're empty baggage.
It's incredible how humans manage to organize and rebuild societies no matter how small despite the lack of resources. Life on the moon seems to easy for them, which could be a bore to readers seeking for thrill and adventure. The lack of tension was tough to get through, and the lack of emotions made the characters feel like zombies themselves. At least, a moment of reflection with loved ones in the past would at least portray more realistic reactions to a freaking apocalypse! But instead the early plot is as downtrodden as a brainless reality TV show. However, there's a turning point in the middle of the book, which involves an interesting investigation that revived my interests. The book also taps into political ideas but doesn't dig deep into them. Here's a powerful quote about the uselessness of democracy in the quest of survival or recolonization:
"While democracy is a fine thing, it does not work when those who vote have no real idea of the issues they face. A space ship cannot be steered by committee; a vessel cannot be commanded by vote. We must have direction and we must make no mistakes."
Whited shows us the fun side of science fiction by not taking the genre's tropes too seriously. Luna focuses more on human interests rather than the planet or an ultimate quest to save it, which reminds me of the Anthelme Brillat-Savarin's words that Whited quoted in his book: "The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness, than a discovery of a new star".
Get "Luna" on Amazon now
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The Heartwarming Tale 'Paper Towns' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray
Posted Thu Aug 27, 2015 at 12:00 PM PDT by Tom Landy
The film based on a story by John Green ('The Fault in Our Stars') is planned for Blu-ray in October.
In an early announcement to retailers, 20th Century Fox will be releasing 'Paper Towns: My PAPER Journey Edition' on Blu-ray on October 20.
Adapted from the bestselling novel by John Green, PAPER TOWNS is a coming-of-age story centering on Quentin, a high school senior who has been in love with his enigmatic neighbor Margo since childhood. After taking him on an all-night adventure through their hometown, Margo suddenly disappears--leaving behind cryptic clues for Quentin to decipher. The search leads Quentin and his quick-witted friends on an exhilarating adventure that is equal parts hilarious and moving. Ultimately, to track down Margo, Q must find a deeper understanding of friendship--and true love.
The PAPER TOWNS Blu-ray comes with nearly an hour of deleted scenes from Q and Margo's journey, commentary from the director and Green, and exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes. Watch a never-before-seen gag reel and learn more about the making of the film from the actors, filmmakers and Green in a three-part documentary. Take a road trip with the author and cast, watch the stars engage him in lightning round interviews and see how much fun they all have when the cameras aren't rolling!
The release also includes collectible packaging including shareable sticky notes of inspirational quotes from the film and a U.S. map.
You can find the latest specs for 'Paper Towns: My PAPER Journey Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 20.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bryce Canyon was our favorite National Park out of Utah's Mighty 5 (link). Bryce Canyon dazzled us with something we had never seen before, hoodoos. These beautiful spires rising from the earth were a sight to behold. Waking up while it was still dark, we made it to Bryce Point, one of four observation points that overlook the park's main area of hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.
Waking up early is a must at Bryce. You'll want to get out to one of the four observation points before sunrise to see that golden Sun on the rock formations below. The best place to grab a picture that doesn't have the Sun directly in your shot is at the furthest point out, Bryce Point. Just make sure to grab a jacket before getting out of your car here. Even in July, this point can get chilly in the morning due to the wind that kicks up and the more temperate climate in the area.
From here, drive over to Sunset Point and begin the Navajo Loop Trail down into the canyon. You'll be hiking right alongside the hoodoos here. The popular loop is Sunset Point to Sunrise Point via the Navajo Loop & Queen's Garden Trails. I highly recommend this combo trail. However, if you are able to, add the Peek-a-boo Trail before you do the Queen's Garden portion. The Peek-a-boo Trail will take you through the canyon and provide stunning views that you won't soon forget. This trail is quite possibly our favorite trail we've ever done, anywhere. It will add a few miles to your trip but trust me, it is completely worth it. We absolutely loved it.
After you've finished the Peek-a-boo Trail, finish off the Queen's Garden Trail and exit the canyon through Sunrise Point. From here, you can make a short walk along the rim to Sunset Point to grab your car.
Now that you've trekked through all of the canyon, make the drive out to Rainbow Point on the other side of the park. The drive is beautiful and even in Summer the weather should be cooler due to the elevation and shade from the trees. What struck us most about Bryce Canyon is that even though it has orange rock hoodoo canyons below, there are large trees through the top of the park. It's what makes it one of the more diverse parks in the country in my opinion. Before leaving the park for the day, stop at the last of the four observation points, Inspiration Point. Here you can experience a beautiful Utah sunset over orange rock hoodoos. Bryce Canyon National Park was our favorite Park on this whole trip, I hope you enjoy it as well!
The best thing to do for lodging here is to camp, though the campgrounds inside the park fill up fast. I would recommend any of the campgrounds inside the Park.
If camping isn't your thing or just not your thing on this trip, then I'd recommend staying at the Bryce Canyon Lodge in the Park. The reason being you'll want to get out early to beat the crowds and to soak up as much time as you can in this amazing National Park.
Another option is where we stayed, The Buffalo Sage B&B. It's right outside the tiny town going toward the Park. It was only about 10 minutes from the Park and there was definitely a tranquility to the place. The owners were extremely helpful and friendly.
We went to two places in Tropic to eat, Pizza Place and IDK BBQ. Both had very good reviews on Yelp so we were excited to try them. The Pizza Place was delicious. We got Hawaiian pizza and scarfed nearly the whole thing down. This place is also great because it's very reasonably priced which can be rare in these small towns that rely a lot on tourism.
The other place we went was IDK BBQ. It had great reviews and we hadn't had BBQ since before starting the trip so it sounded like a good choice to us after expelling a large amount of energy hiking. As you walk in there is chalkboard wall where you can write whatever you'd like. There were tons of things saying how great the place was. We got our food, dug in, and suddenly….sadness. It was ok. I guess I shouldn't have expected much from a BBQ place outside the South. After going there, I would've preferred going back to Pizza Palace or one of the other two places in town.
For Bryce Canyon, if you're just driving through the park, you could see some of the beauty of the area in a day. However, in my opinion that's not really a way to see parks like this. The magnificence of Bryce Canyon will draw you in and beg you to stay longer. We got in as it was getting dark after making the drive from Canyonlands through Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante and the Dixie National Forest. We got to Bryce Point by sunrise the next morning and spent the whole day hiking as the weather is much more temperate. We left in late afternoon, ate dinner in Tropic, then came back to watch the sunset.
All this to say, you could do Bryce in a full day and see most of what it has to offer if you are happy to hike all day. If that doesn't sound like you or you just want more time to enjoy this sadly often overlooked park, allot an extra day.
Going in, I expected to enjoy Bryce Canyon a good bit but after visiting became one of, if not my favorite National Park after this trip. Don't rush your trip when you're here, the hoodoos are worth the time.


The Bible says there would be 10 WORLD REGIONS at the end of the age. I Believe this to be 10 WORLD trading blocks.
HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- Bolivia's new left-leaning president signed a pact with Cuba and Venezuela on Saturday that rejects U.S.-backed free trade and promises a socialist version of regional commerce and cooperation. With Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez seated nearby, President Evo Morales signed an updated version of the so-called Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, adding Bolivia as a third member. In Cuba and Venezuela we find unconditional solidarity, Morales said. "They are the best allies for changing Bolivia.
The document signed included the same language of the political declaration signed last year by Castro and Chavez. That pact contained much leftist rhetoric and few specifics, but was followed by closer economic ties and boosted trade between the two vehemently anti-U.S. governments. After Bolivia was joined in the earlier agreement on Saturday, the three presidents signed a second document with more concrete proposals. Cuba promised to send Bolivia doctors to provide medical care to poor people, and teachers to conduct literacy campaigns. Venezuela will send gasoline to the Andean nation and set up a $100 million (€80 million) fund for development programs and a $30 million (€24 million) fund for other social projects.
Cuba and Venezuela also agreed to buy all of Bolivia's soybeans, recently left without markets after Colombia signed a free trade pact with the United States. Dressed in his typical olive green uniform, Castro, who turns 80 in August, said sharing the spotlight with two younger, like-minded leaders "makes me the happiest man in the world. Afterward, the three presidents were greeted by tens of thousands of cheering people gathered in the broad Plaza of the Revolution to celebrate the signing.
The agreement is "a clever mixture of politics and economics, weighted toward the politics," said Gary Hufbauer, an economist at the Institute for International Economics, a Washington think tank. Venezuela-Cuba trade is expected to reach more than $3.5 billion (€2.9 billion) this year -- about 40 percent higher than in 2005. The deal signed between Chavez and Castro has Venezuela -- the world's fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier to the United States -- selling 90,000 barrels a day of crude to the communist-run island at international market prices, but in exchange for agricultural products and other services instead of cash.
The addition of Bolivia will beef up the grouping's economic potential with the Andean nation's vast natural gas reserves.Morales, a union leader who was swept to power on a leftist platform and has railed against American economic and drug policies, vowed during his campaign to be "the nightmare of the U.S. government. He, like Chavez, has tried to maintain a vibrant private sector while claiming an ever-larger state role in managing the economy. He has also toned down his rhetoric since taking office in January. The Cuba-Venezuela deal -- known by its Spanish acronym ALBA, also the word for dawn -- provided a framework for the leaders to blast Washington's efforts to expand its free trade with Latin American countries.
The U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas hemispheric trade pact stalled last year, but Washington since has signed nine free-trade agreements with Latin American countries. The three presidents called the FTAA a U.S. effort to "annex" Latin America. Chavez and Morales have warned they could pull their countries from the Andean Community economic bloc if members Colombia, Peru and Ecuador go through with trade pacts with the United States.
Colombia and Peru have reached such agreements with Washington. Negotiations between the United States and Ecuador were suspended after nearly two weeks of street protests in March by indigenous groups in Ecuador opposed to such a pact. According to any reasonable definition of the term, this is not a trade agreement," Michael Shifter, a political analyst with the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, said of last year's ALBA deal. "It's an attempt to pose a real counterweight to the U.S. role and agenda in Latin America.
Shifter predicted few other Latin America nations would join ALBA, instead preferring trade agreements with the United States.But he said Chavez is likely eyeing Peru as a potential ALBA member if nationalist Ollanta Humala prevails in a presidential runoff expected for May 28 or June 4. Humala was the front-runner in the April election. Their leaders' embrace of the socialist-tinged ALBA has rattled Bolivian and Venezuelan business leaders. The government should reach out more to the business sector and create a common agenda, figure out what markets interest us, where there are possibilities and separate the ideological and political from trade and economy," said Gary Rodriguez, general manager of the Bolivian Foreign Trade Institute. Cuba ranks 88 among countries that Bolivia exports to, shipping just $5,291 (€4,220) in goods to the Caribbean nation last year, according to the institute. Venezuela is Bolivia's fifth most important export market, accounting for $167 million (€133.2 million) of its $2.7 billion (€2.15 billion) in exports.
GAINESVILLE, Texas (AP) - Storms battered eastern Texas with wind up to 100 mph and hail the size of baseballs, damaging buildings and slamming parked airplanes into one another at an airport. When you have winds from 80 to 100 mph it can do damage similar to that of a tornado,'' said Jesse Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
That can do some very, very big damage. No major injuries were reported in the storms late Friday and early Saturday, authorities said. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged, and some areas still lacked power Saturday afternoon, said Kay Lunnon, spokeswoman for the city of Gainesville, near the Oklahoma border. Hangars were damaged at the Gainesville Municipal Airport, and the high wind shoved airplanes parked outside, said Airport Director Matt Quick. About 15 planes were damaged at the airport, where about 70 aircraft are based, Quick said.
To the south in Waco, the storms destroyed a home and damaged other buildings, authorities said. Two homes were damaged in Coldspring, north of Houston. No injuries were reported in either place, and the weather service did not confirm that tornadoes caused the damage.
About 4,000 customers lost power in the Houston area, where streets flooded but no serious damage was reported, authorities said. In Liberty County, northeast of Houston, officials reported damaged homes and toppled trees.
TOKYO (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.4 jolted central Japan on Sunday, but the Meteorological Agency said there was no risk of a tsunami and national media said there were no immediate reports of damage.
The Meteorological Agency said the epicenter of the tremor -- which occurred at 1:10 p.m. (0410 GMT) -- was 10 km (6 miles) under the sea off the coast of Shizuoka prefecture, around 120 km west of Tokyo.
In the coastal city of Atami -- a famous hot spa resort -- the earthquake measured a lower five on the seven-point Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion, the agency said.
A quake with that reading can cause hanging objects to swing violently, windows to break and cause damage to less earthquake-resistant house. But NHK television quoted the Shizuoka fire department as saying there were no immediate reports of damage.
High-speed Shinkansen bullet trains were running as usual, although some regular trains in the area were operating at a slower speeds, NHK said. Kyodo news agency quoted Chubu Electric Power as saying the earthquake had had no effect on the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above.
In October 2004, a quake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region of northern Japan, killing 40 people and injuring more than 3,000. That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union struck different tones on Saturday on how to respond to Iran's nuclear defiance while insisting they were in full agreement. Speaking at a transatlantic conference, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said no one was considering military action over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment and Europe did not want to join a "coalition of the willing" against Iran. Influential U.S. Senator John McCain told the Brussels Forum in a speech on Friday night: "There is only one thing worse than military action, and that is a nuclear-armed Iran.
He said the United States would not stand by and let Iran wipe out Israel, as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinjenad had called for. The Islamic republic, a major oil and gas producer, denies it aims to build a bomb and says its programme is purely for civilian energy purposes. Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, a leading Democratic foreign policy expert, said the response to Iran's nuclear programme, which the West says is aimed at making weapons, was a defining issue for transatlantic relations. Iran is THE test case about whether we'll have effective transatlantic cooperation," Holbrooke said. The more divisions there were in the West and with China and Russia over Iran, the more likely it was that the United States would face the terrible choice painted by McCain, he said.
Solana, who has been involved in efforts by the EU's three main powers, Britain, France and Germany, to negotiate a solution with Tehran, said he did not believe there were differences between the United States and Europe on Iran. NATO and EU foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, had debated the issue at a meeting in Sofia on Thursday and "nobody at that point in time considered the possibility of a military solution in Iran. He said he did not believe anyone was seeking a "coalition of the willing" to act against Iran and no European country wanted that. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried said the next step was a strong U.N. Security Council resolution. I cannot predict how things will come out, but that is where we are headed, united with Europe," he told reporters.
Asked why he was unwilling to talk of military action unlike McCain and Holbrooke, Solana said that he held political office and did not have the same freedom of speech. The most important thing was to work with Russia and China to build the broadest possible consensus on a United Nations resolution raising pressure on Tehran to comply with international demands to halt nuclear enrichment. The U.N. nuclear watchdog delivered a report on Friday saying Iran had done little or nothing to prove it was not developing nuclear arms. It had hampered checks by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and rebuffed requests to stop making nuclear fuel, the report by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA on Friday launched two research satellites to help scientists refine computer models that forecast the weather and chart global climate change. CloudSat and CALIPSO blasted off aboard an unmanned Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 6:02 a.m. EDT (1002 GMT) after a week of delays for weather and technical issues. The Boeing-built booster originally had been slated to fly last year, but a machinists' strike forced several months of delays. CloudSat has powerful radar instruments to peer deep into the structure of clouds and map their water content. Although only about 1 percent of Earth's water is held in clouds, it plays a crucial role in the planet's weather, scientists working on the mission said.
CloudSat will answer basic questions about how rain and snow are produced by clouds, how rain and snow are distributed worldwide, and how clouds affect the Earth's climate," principal investigator Graeme Stephens of Colorado State University said. Using instruments 1,000 times more powerful than common meteorology radar CloudSat was designed to render three-dimensional maps of clouds that will identify the location and form of water molecules. Complementary and virtually simultaneous studies by sister probe CALIPSO will pinpoint aerosol particles and track how they interact with clouds and move through the atmosphere. CALIPSO is an acronym for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations.
Aerosols are formed by natural phenomena like forest fires and human activity such as driving cars. Aerosols are considered a key factor in understanding why the planet is growing warmer and if anything can be done to stem or reverse the change.Computer models predict average surface temperatures on Earth will increase between 3.5 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees F over the next 100 years. The uncertainty stems from the role clouds play in moderating heat. Aerosols in the clouds can either cool the planet by reflecting solar energy back into space, or increase temperatures by trapping heat in the atmosphere. We need to understand the aerosol effect on climate because it counteracts the effects of greenhouse gases," said CALIPSO principal investigator David Winker of NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
The Ozone will be completely depleted in the near furture, If G-d would not shorten the daylight hours all people on earth would die from the heat.
NEW DELHI (AFP) - At least one person has died of heat-related illness as summer temperatures rose across northern India while a powerful severe storm threatened the country's southern islands. A vagrant died of heat stroke in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar where the mercury Friday rose to 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit), police and officials from the meteorological department said Friday.The weather office reported sweltering conditions and said the sizzler was a result of temperatures rising rapidly in the past week. It warned the "heat wave conditions" were likely to worsen over the next few days.
The dusty district of Hissar in Haryana state adjoining New Delhi, recorded northern India's highest temperature with the mercury touching 43.3 Celsius (109.9 degrees Fahrenheit), weather department officials said. The fierce sun beat down on the Indian capital of 14 million people with swathes of residential districts reporting brown-outs and water shortages. Meanwhile a severe storm over the Bay of Bengal, meanwhile, intensified further Friday and swirled off India's tsunami-ravaged Andaman and Nicobar islands, naval meteorologists tracking the storm told AFP.
ET TAIPEI (AFP) - An earthquake registering 5.6 on the Richter scale has rocked eastern Taiwan, but the seismology centre said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The tremor struck at 17:05 pm (0905 GMT) with its epicentre seven kilometres (about four miles) northeast of Hualien city and six kilometres under sea. Taiwan, lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, is regularly shaken by earthquakes. The country's worst, a magnitude-7.6 quake, killed some 2,400 people in September 1999.
LEGASPI, Philippines (AFP) - A Philippine volcano spewed a column of ash nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) into the sky, showering surrounding villages with ash, vulcanologists said. The Philippine Institute of Seismology and Vulcanology said steam inside Mount Bulusan, located 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of Manila, caused the ash to come out.
There were no reports of casualties or damage. The incident occurred at 10:44 am (0244 GMT) Saturday. There was no sign of lava in the 1,565-meter (5,133-foot) volcano and the government is not raising the alert level around Mount Bulusan.Bulusan had a similar eruption of ash last month.
The Bible says 1 / 3 of the trees will be burned.
With the threat of spring flooding barely past in Manitoba, officials are expressing concern about the threat of wildfires. Provincial fire officials say 20 wildfires have started across the province already this year and eight are currently burning, mostly grass fires. Two of the eight fires are considered out of control. Water bombers have been put on standby earlier this year in Manitoba. (Ruth Bonneville/Canadian Press) Water bombers are on standby and some firefighting crews have been called in to duty, three weeks earlier than normal.
Conservation department spokesman Tom Mirus told CBC News the warm, dry weather is creating perfect conditions for fire. Today's temperatures of 22 C and a breezy wind is exactly what we don't want," he said. Mirus expects it will be a bad year for grass and forest fires because so much vegetation drowned in the wet weather over the last couple of years. Dead grass ignites very easily and burns like gasoline. A person cannot outrun a grass fire," he said. "The grass fires are so bad this year, they are running into the forests and starting the forests on fire immediately. About half of the fires in the province each year are caused by humans, Conservation officials say. Open fires are prohibited in Manitoba every year from April 1 to Nov. 15, except with a permit or in approved fire areas such as campsites.
And of course for this story we go to luke once again.
Atmospheric Administration, said in an interview. DART Deep-ocean sensors in the Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean now listen for earthquakes on the seafloor, sense the pressure of waves passing over them, and radio their findings to scientists at warning centers in Alaska and Hawaii. Unlike wind-driven surface waves, tsunamis are caused by seismic activity such as undersea earthquakes, landslides or volcanoes.
Scotch Cap lighthouse at Unimak, Alaska, killing all five of its occupants. That wave reached the Hawaiian Islands about five hours later, obliterating Hilo's waterfront and killing 159 people.
And a 1964 quake in Alaska generated waves that caused damage in southeastern Alaska, in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and in the states of Washington, California and Hawaii. More than 120 died. Hardest hit was Crescent City, Calif., where waves reaching as much as 20 feet destroyed half of the waterfront business district. Eleven people lost their lives there. There was extensive damage in San Francisco Bay. On the Atlantic side, people have been killed in the last 150 years by these waves striking the Virgin Islands, Panama, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and even Canada. Lautenbacher's agency has now expanded itsobservations in the Pacific and added coverage of the Atlantic Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and eastern Canada, he said. The administration, which helps communities develop plans to deal with hurricanes, tornadoes and other emergencies, expanded its tsunami planning and now has certified 29 coastal communities as TsunamiReady. That means they have conducted public education programs, established evacuation routes, and set up means to issue warnings. There had been six deep-ocean tsunami sensors in the Pacific previously.
use the information to estimate the danger to a variety of coastal areas. The center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii issues warnings for Hawaii and foreign countries, while the one in Palmer, Alaska, sends warnings to the continental United States.
has installed nine of a planned 16 new sea-level stations that track sea level and has upgraded 20 of the 33 stations in use. And researchers have improved their database of nearly 2,000 tsunamis that have occurred worldwide in the past, extending as far back as 2000 B.C. This information helps identify areas particularly at risk.
Sometime in the near future there will be a comet or meterite hit the earth, just not this time says NASA.
Chunks of a comet currently splitting into pieces in the night sky will not strike the Earth next month, nor will it spawn killer tsunamis and mass extinctions, NASA officials said Thursday. The announcement, NASA hopes, will squash rumors that a fragment of the crumbling Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (SW 3) will slam into Earth just before Memorial Day. There are some Internet stories going around that there's going to be an impact on May 25," NASA spokesperson Grey Hautaluoma, told SPACE.com. "We just want to get the facts out.
Astronomers have been observing 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, a comet that circles the Sun every 5.4 years, for more than 75 years and are confident that any of the icy object's fragments will remain at least a distant 5.5 million miles (8.8 million kilometers) from Earth - more than 20 times the distance to the Moon - at closest approach between May 12 and May 28. We are very well acquainted with the trajectory of Comet 73P Schwassmann-Wachmann 3," said Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, in a written statement. "There is absolutely no danger to people on the ground or the inhabitants of the International Space Station, as the main body of the object and any pieces from the breakup will pass many millions of miles beyond the Earth. The main SW 3 fragment, dubbed Fragment C, will make its closest pass by Earth on May 12 at a safe distance of 7.3 million miles (11.7 million kilometers), NASA said, adding that skywatchers will be able to use small telescopes to spot the comet chunks by scanning the constellation Vulpelca during the early-morning hours.
astronomer of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, in a statement. Weaver led a team of researchers during the Hubble observations of SW 3, and used the space telescope to study the break up of comets Shoemaker-Levy 9 - which was ripped apart by Jupiter's gravity and hit the giant planet between 1993 and 1994 - Hyakutake in 1996, and 1999 S4 (LINEAR) in 2000, NASA said.
what is causing the comet's disintegration as it nears the Earth and Sun, the space agency added. German astronomers Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann first discovered the SW 3 comet in 1930 while hunting for asteroids.
Despite its relatively short orbital period, the icy object was not seen again until 1979, and then was missed during a 1985 pass. Since then, however, astronomers have kept a close eye on SW 3 and in 1995 observed its initial break up. Aside from a great sky show, the comet poses no danger to Earth and its inhabitants, NASA officials said.
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JERUSALEM (AFP) - Iran has purchased North Korean long-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting Europe, according to the head of Israels Military says. Some of the missiles, which have a range of 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) and are known in the West as BM-25, have already arrived in Iran, General Amos Yadlin was quoted as saying Wednesday by the Haaretz newspaper.
While Iran already had missiles capable of hitting arch-enemy Israel and US bases in the Middle East, the new weapons pose a threat for countries elsewhere in the region and in Europe that now come into Iranian range, Haaretz said Thursday. The new ground-to-ground missiles operate on liquid fuel. They were originally manufactured in the Soviet Union, where they were adapted for use by submarines and able to carry a nuclear warhead.
After the Soviets retired the missiles from service, they sold them to the North Koreans, who developed them to carry a heavier payload, Haaretz said. Iran's medium-range Shahab-3 missiles, with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,280 miles), already put Israel and US bases in the Middle East within reach. Several weeks ago, Iran successfully test-fired a new high-speed underwater missile capable of destroying huge warships and submarines, and another capable of avoiding radar detection and striking a number of targets simultaneously.
Iran's ballistic weapons programme has heightened fears in Israel and much of the rest of the international community already anxious to prevent the Islamic republic from seeking to develop nuclear weapons. To counter the Iranian threat, Israel has developed its own Arrow missile, which can intercept the Shabab-3 and thwart an attack on its territory.
ET KOLKATA (AFP) - At least nine people were killed and scores injured in a tropical storm that hit the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and surrounding districts overnight. The storm, accompanied by rains, snapped power lines and uprooted trees stalling traffic on city roads late Monday, West Bengal state's inspector general of police Raj Kanojia said Tuesday.Biswarup Mukherjee, a spokesman for Kolkata Electric Supply Limited, said large areas of the city had been without power.The storm also threw rail and air services into disarray, he said.G.C. Bose, director of the regional meteorological office in Kolkata, said the storm packed windspeeds of up to 109 kilometres (68 miles) per hour.
police official said. The rain and winds forced political parties campaigning for state polls in Kolkata due on April 27 to cut short their programmes and scurry for cover. Many flights in and out of Kolkata were delayed due to the storm with some diverted, an airport spokesman said.
municipal airport south of El Reno. Television footage showed debris from the buildings being lifted and flung about as the tornado moved overhead. Parts of the hangars' roofs were ripped away and a couple of airplanes were moved outside.
Damage from the storms, which formed near U.S. Highway 81 and Interstate 40 about 40 miles west of Oklahoma City, appeared to be isolated, Lt. Stewart Meyer, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesman said. Nearby, employees and patrons watched as the twisters danced west and south of the Denny's Restaurant along I-40, restaurant manager Danielle Landers said."We had about seven tables at the time," she said. "There were a few people that wanted to go outside and see the tornadoes, but most people waited inside until the storm passed. We didn't see any damage."Near Tulsa, a storm toppled trees and damaged at least one house, a mobile home and an auto dealership as it moved through around 1 p.m.
all but 1,200 AEP-PSO customers by 8 p.m., officials said.
MANAGUA (AFP) - The San Cristobal volcano near here has entered an eruption phase with cinder and gases spewing from its crater amid increased seismic activity, according to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (Ineter). The volcano, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Managua, has had "moderate explosions in its crater that have released gases and volcanic cinder" carried by winds toward towns 25 kilometers (16 miles) away, the institute said.
The 1,745-meter (5,745-feet) San Cristobal volcano has been active for several years, but seismic activity, small eruptions and gas releases in the crater, have increased since Friday.
"In every period there is a phase of strong activity with high tremors" during which explosions can occur inside the crater, Ineter said.
Between 30,000 and 50,000 people live around the volcano. The last time a significant eruption phase occurred was November 1999, with moderate explosions coming from the crater.
Here we go Iran can only hurt the US by cutting off oil. If they do we will see a quick inflation increase. The Bible does say Famines will be bad in the last days. And people will only be able to buy a Loaf of bread for a days wages. If Iran cuts the oil this could start to occur.
These verses say there will be great inflation in some places, yet riches in others.
IRAN SAYS, "THE MUSHROOM CLOUD IS ON ITS WAY."
The threats that Israel faces from Iran escalate daily…sometimes it seems almost hourly. First, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boldly declares that Israel should be "wiped from the map," then he audaciously announces that the Holocaust is a myth perpetrated by guilt-stricken Europeans. Now he is exporting that hatred globally.
Reports have surfaced that Islamic militant recruiters are enlisting homicide bombers in England because of the ease with which they can enter Israel. As many as 70 attacks have been threatened in coming days.
Esther rose to the challenge, proclaimed a day of prayer and fasting, and was an instrument in God's hands to deliver her people from destruction.
This diabolical tirade ends with:"Islam will dominate the world. Islam is the only solution!Takbeer…Another mushroom cloud right in the middle of Israel!" It is time for the people of God to stand up and be counted! It is time to call this nation to fall on our faces before God Almighty, repent, and seek His face for deliverance for our nation and for the nation of Israel.
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader warned the United States it would be "harmed" across the globe if it decided to attack the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear programme. The threat came as hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed the regime would resist any UN Security Council demands for a halt in uranium enrichment, at the centre of fears the country could acquire nuclear weapons. Amid the escalating war of words, the head of Iran's nuclear organisation Gholam Reza Aghazadeh held talks with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei ahead of Friday's UN deadline for the enrichment freeze.
There was no sign of a breakthrough after the 90-minute meeting in Vienna, although Aghazadeh's deputy at the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed Saidi, said the talks had been "encouraging.
In one of his toughest threats, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned: "The Americans should know that if they launch an assault against Islamic Iran, their interests in every possible part of the world will be harmed. The Iranian nation will give a double response to any strike. The Security Council has given Iran until Friday to suspend enrichment work, which makes fuel for civilian nuclear reactors but can also be extended to also material for a bomb. Oil-rich Iran has rejected the demand, insisting it wants only to generate electricity.
The deadlock could open the door to UN economic sanctions or even military action, something the United States has not ruled out although Russia and China are opposed. The alert and decisive nation and government of Iran... will not pay attention to these threats," Khamenei said in a speech to factory workers in Tehran.
technology with other countries. The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said this showed "how irresponsible Iran is and why it represents, in our view, a grave threat of proliferation. The hardline president meanwhile repeated that the country "won't back down one iota" in the worsening crisis -- which has already helped nudge world oil prices to record highs. Prices slid slightly on Wednesday, with New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in June, at just above 72 dollars a barrel. If international institutions respect our legitimate rights, we will respect their decisions.
However, we will not regard these decisions as valid if they are intended to deny us our rights," Ahmadinejad told the official IRNA news agency. He also warned Iran could "reconsider its relations" with the world body. The IAEA has been investigating Iran for more than three years, but the UN watchdog says it is still not in a position to judge the true nature of the country's nuclear programme. Western powers, led by the United States, are convinced Iran is seeking either the bomb or the "strategic capacity" to make one. But according to Ahmadinejad, the dispute was merely serving as a trial for international bodies to prove whether they are defending the rights of nations or whether they are acting as puppets in the hands of some bullying powers. The rest of the world must "accept Iran as a nuclear country, which is an undeniable fact, he asserted.
Iran's national security chief Ali Larijani had warned on Tuesday that sanctions would merely bring an end to UN inspections, while an attack would send Iran's nuclear activities underground. The IAEA is still seeking documents on dealings Iran had with a nuclear black market network run by disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Kahn, the father of his country's atomic bomb. It also wants to interview military officers who may have overseen secret enrichment or "dual-use" activities and to find out if Iran hid work with sophisticated P2 centrifuges, which can enrich uranium more quickly and abundantly than earlier models.
The IAEA also seeks documents Iran has on making uranium hemispheres that form the core of atom bombs and has questions about work that could be aimed at designing missiles with nuclear warheads. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks in central Siberia city focused on, among other things, the Iranian nuclear standoff. The Security Council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia -- plus Germany plan to meet in Paris on May 2 to thrash out a strategy.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WORLD TERRORISM IN THESE LAST DAYS.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree (ISRAEL), and all the trees;(INDEPEDENT NATIONS).
We see here Israel had to be a nation and in control of Jerusalem before any SIGNS would mean anything. Then, there would be destruction of churches, religous deception, wars (Nations and Ethnic Groups), famines, great earth quakes, persecution and anti-semitism, gospel preached worldwide.
Also signs in the sun, moon, stars, distress of nations due to the waves and violence (Terrorism). As is said in Noahs day.
In Noahs day the whole Earth was flooded, one end time sign flooding due to massive Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Storms. The 2nd sign World Violence (terrorism).
SO WE SEE ONE OF THE FINAL SIGNS OF THE LAST AGE IS WORLD VIOLENCE (TERRORISM) BEFORE THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH TO HEAVEN.
Well we see a Volcano is erupting in Peru And in Australia, the 3rd Major Cyclone (Hurricane or Typhoon) in a Month Monica could be the worst yet Officials say.
LIMA, Peru - Authorities evacuated some 200 people from their southern Peruvian village in the shadow of the erupting Ubinas volcano Sunday, an official said. Sixteen families from the southern Andean town of Querapi were evacuated to a village three hours away, Alfredo Siu, the regional director of the Civilian Institute in Arequipa, told The Associated Press. About 60 other residents had already been evacuated from the same village over the past three days.
Some families refused to be evacuated, fearing they would lose their livestock and belongings, Siu said. President Alejandro Toledo issued a state of emergency for the area Saturday after Ubinas — about 470 miles southeast of the capital, Lima — spewed acid-laden ash and vapors into the air, killing livestock and causing eye and respiratory problems for nearby residents.
The volcano started erupting in February. Between 40 to 60 livestock, including vicuna and llamas, died near the slopes of the crater, and many more were reported ill, probably from drinking acid-contaminated water or eating ash-coated grass.Toledo sent a plane full of tents, blankets, food and medicine to the area Sunday.
April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Australia's far north is set to be hit by ``very destructive'' winds later today as Tropical Cyclone Monica, categorized as the most severe cyclone, hits the northern coast of Arnhem Land, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The cyclone, which has caused the shutdown of Alcan Inc.'s alumina refinery at Gove, was upgraded to Category 5 late yesterday.
The bureau today warned of ``dangerously high tides'' that may cause ``extensive flooding'' along part of the coast and ordered the sounding of emergency sirens in the Gove area, including the town of Nhulunbuy.
toward the west along the north coast today,'' the bureau said. Tropical Cyclone Monica was about 175 kilometers (109 miles) east north-east of Nhulunbuy and moving west north-west at 8 kilometers an hour at 7 a.m. local time today, the bureau said on its Web site. The cyclone has wind gusts of as much as 320 kilometers an hour.
conditions stabilize and it is deemed safe to do so,'' Jacynthe Cote, chief executive officer, Alcan Bauxite and Alumina, said in an April 22 statement on Alcan's Web site. Company officials in Australia and Canada didn't immediately return phone calls seeking further information.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a ``cyclone warning'' for coastal and island communities between Cape Shield and Croker Island, including Nhulunbuy. It issued a ``cyclone watch'' for areas including Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. A ``cyclone warning'' advises of gale force or stronger winds during the next 24 hours, while a ``cyclone watch'' warns of possible gale force or stronger winds within 24 to 48 hours. Cyclone Larry, the most powerful storm to hit Australia in 30 years, last month struck Queensland state with winds of 290 kilometers an hour, wiping out more than 90 percent of the nation's A$350 million ($260 million) banana industry.
gradually over the next 5 days as it heads towards southern Vietnam. The Atlantic and eastern Pacific Basins remain quiet.
the weight and volume of snow also had to find a place to put it after scooping it up, said Pat Milos, Lead's city administrator.There's nowhere to put it when there is this much of it," Milos said. About 10 miles to the north in Spearfish, part of the roof at a Wal-Mart store collapsed Thursday afternoon, apparently under heavy snow. There were no reports of injuries.
weather service said. The potent storm in some areas knocked down trees and power poles. Wind gusting to 84 mph overturned a mobile home in the Nebraska Panhandle, and gusts to 71 mph were reported in eastern Montana, officials said.
The South Dakota Rural Electric Association reported about 2,000 power poles were downed, with trees knocked onto lines and many lines snapped. More than 5,000 customers remained without power Thursday in the Dakotas. State officials fully reopened Interstate 90 Thursday morning after clearing about 95 miles of the highway from Gillette, Wyo., to Spearfish, S.D.
The road had been closed since early Wednesday. Four deaths were blamed on the storm, including a utility worker who was electrocuted while working in near whiteout conditions Tuesday night in northwestern North Dakota, authorities said.
Ranchers were concerned about possible losses during calving and lambing season, said Kristi Turman, director of the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management. They're getting dug out and getting into their fields and checking their cattle, Turman said. "We don't have an exact number on losses.
The Bible says there will be a single Economy in the Future were no one can buy anything unless they have a Computer chip implant in their right hand or forehead.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him (THE EU WORLD DICTATOR) over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,( THE EU DICTATOR) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
15 And he (THE FALSE POPE) had power to give life unto the image of the beast,(THE EU WORLD DICTATOR) that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(COMPUTER CHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
NOTICE THIS GLOBAL SYSTEM HAS TO DO WITH BUYING AND SELLING (A GLOBAL ECONOMY, HEADED BY THE (FUTURE EUROPEAN UNION WORLD DICTATOR ).
THE FALSE VATICAN POPE IN THE FUTURE FORCES EVERYONE ON EARTH TO WORSHIP THE EU POLITICIAN OR THEY WILL BE MURDERED. AND HOW CAN EVERYONE ON EARTH BE TRACKED BUT BY COMPUTER CHIPS AND GLOBAL TRACKING SATTELITES.
AND SCEPTICS SAY BIBLE PROPHECY IS HOG WASH. I GOT NEWS FOR THEM, PROPHECY IS BEING FULFILLED NOW FASTER THEN EVER. LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS THE SIGNS COME QUICK AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT AND CATCH PEOPLE OFF GUARD.
AND THE BIBLE ALSO SAYS ONCE THE PROPHECIES BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, IT WILL BE LIKE A WOMAN HAVING A BABY. THEY WILL GET MORE INTENSE AS CHRISTS RETURN TO EARTH BODILY GETS NEARER.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund won new powers to police the world economy after its 184 member countries endorsed a new framework to monitor how the economic policies of one country affects others. The countries, represented by finance ministers or central bank governors, also agreed that some emerging economies needed more say in IMF decision-making that could lead to a proposal for ad hoc increases in their voting shares by the next IMF gathering in September. We resolve to make the IMF more fit for purpose in a global economy and more able to address challenges that are quite different from those of 1945, when the IMF was created," Britain's finance minister, Gordon Brown, who also chairs the IMF's policy-setting committee, told a news conference.
will have the authority to bring nations together on an ad hoc basis to thrash out any economic misalignments based on IMF analyses.Officials said this would create a new forum that better reflected the rise of Asia in the global economy and could possibly replace bodies like the Group of Seven industrial countries, which some say can no longer call all the shots.
One of the problems facing the G7 is that major economic players like China are not part of the club, even though it is the fourth-largest economy in the world.
investment flows that could spark a world recession. Member countries welcomed efforts to enhance monitoring of exchange rates but most said they were hesitant about the IMF publishing analyses on the theoretical fair value of currency rates because it was market sensitive. China, however, said this did not mean the IMF should interfere in how countries manage their exchange rates.
Asian currency flexibility. I believe what is paramount now for each member country and region is to implement steadily the policy measures needed to strengthen its respective economic fundamentals, which would contribute to resolving global imbalances in a smooth and orderly manner while maintaining sustainable growth." he said.
process that accords with their increased importance in the world economy," he said. An IMF proposal already circulated among members would give ad hoc increases to a small number of countries like China, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey.
Other nations that could also possibly qualify include Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
fearing changes could stall after any initial increases. They said it was "imperative" that a concrete proposal is worked out by the September meeting, which should also include a new formula to calculate quotas based on purchasing power parity of a country and not gross domestic product as is currently the case.
We all agreed to focus on countries which were clearly underrepresented," French Finance Minister Thierry Breton told a news conference, also pointing to the need to give countries in Africa a stronger voice.
As we see in Ezekiel 38 and 39 RUSSIA will be the head of the Muslim Army that marches to Israel in the future, so this is no accident that Russia and Iran are both testing missles.
Russia is now involved with the muslim countries bigtime like the Bible says will happen, because Russia will feed the Muslim countries weapons as well as leads the final March against Israel in the future.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.( LOTS OF MUSLIMS COUNTRIES MARCH).
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(Saudia Arabia) and the merchants of Tarshish,(Spain) with all the young lions thereof, (USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, UNITED KINGDOM) shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMB).
Russia tests missile, official says U.S. missile-defense plans a threat to USA.
Kapustin Yar in the southern Astrakhan region, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
The commander of the forces, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, said the main purpose of the launch was to test "a uniform warhead for land- and sea-based ballistic missiles" and newly developed elements of a system designed to penetrate missile defenses, Interfax reported. Solovtsov said that plans for a U.S. missile-defense system "could upset strategic stability," the agency reported, suggesting that the test was part of an effort to ensure that Russian missiles are capable of foiling any U.S.
as saying. President Vladimir Putin has boasted that Russia has missiles capable of penetrating any missile defense system, specifying that they can change their flight path on approach to a target.
Solovtsov said the system being tested Saturday would make missiles more difficult to spot and their trajectories more difficult to predict. Russia opposed Washington's withdrawal in 2002 from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in order to deploy a national missile defense, saying the U.S.-Soviet pact was a key element of international security. Putin called the decision a mistake that would hurt global security but not threaten Russia. The treaty banned missile defense systems on the assumption that the fear of retaliation would prevent either nation from launching a first strike, reports AP.
Like the Bible says it will be WORLD flooding like in Noahs day and the sea and the waves roaring (STORMS, TORNADOES, HURRICANES, TSUNAMIS). The EARTH being destroyed by the EARTH.
Is it not interesting that the weather service in the USA is called NOAA (NOAH). WORLD WEATHER like in noahs day, no accident they called the weather site NOAA.
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(Climate Change).
Thu Apr 20, 1:07 PM ET JAKARTA (AFP) - Flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains in Indonesia's East Java have killed at least 23 people, the state Antara news agency said as mopping up operations got underway. The disaster is the latest to strike on the island of Java, one of the most densely-populated in the world, where scores of people have been killed this year in rain-related catastrophes. Until noon (0500 GMT) we have registered 23 dead victims, with most killed in Bendungan subdistrict," the top government official in Trenggalek district, Soeharto, was quoted as saying Thursday.
Trenggalek," Hermanto said. Flows of water, mud, rocks and other debris swept through Trenggalek district early Thursday and cut the main road linking it to the nearby town of Ponorogo, district spokesman Joko Setiono said, according to Antara.
toured the worst hit areas to express sympathy to the victims and see what assistance was needed, an official from the province's administration office said.
She said the governor was disbursing financial aid for the families of the dead as well as cash for local officials to buy aid including food. Waters had already subsided in Trenggalek town by afternoon and the military as well as local officials and residents were busy cleaning up, another local official, Suwanto, told ElShinta radio. The town's two-storey hospital was innundated, forcing 50 patients to be moved to the second floor, Suwanto said, adding that water had damaged most of the medical equipment.
January on other islands in the archipelago nation, while more than 150 people were also killed on Java in two separate landslides. Environmental activists have warned of more frequent disasters in Indonesia unless extensive areas are reforested on Java, which has been largely stripped of its original forests.
the rains that began on March 6 and are forecast to continue until June, Colonel Eugenio Alarcon, Civil Defense chief of investigations and operational development, told AFP on Tuesday.
Flooding, mudslides and high winds have affected 16 of the country's 32 departments and some 24,000 people, destroying 225 homes and damaging 2,000 others, he said. The worst disaster occurred in the Pacific coast port of Buenaventura, where an avalanche of mud and rock last Thursday buried a village, killing 31 people, according to the latest toll available.
On March 19 another mudslide killed a dozen Boy Scouts and their guide in the Nevados park in the coffee-growing western region.According to the official weather institute IDEAM, the rainy season would continue until June and is the first of two forecast for this year.
MOSCOW (AP) - A major earthquake hit a distant region of Russia's Far East on Friday, causing unknown damage and casualties, a Russian emergency official said. The U.S. Geological Survey and Japan's Meteorological Agency estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.7. The quake struck at 12:25 p.m. local time in the Koryak region, nearly 7,000 kilometres east of Moscow and some 1,000 kilometres north of the largest city in the area, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said Oleg Kotosanov, a duty officer with the regional emergency situations ministry.
The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which destroyed more than one-half of the city's buildings and left between 3,000 and 6,000 people dead 100 years ago this week, was estimated at a magnitude of between 7.7 and 7.9.
MOSCOW (AFP) - One of three earthquakes that hit Russia's remote northeastern Kamchatka peninsula almost completely destroyed three small villages, local authorities were quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Inhabitants called the Koryakiya region's administration on a satellite phone to report that "the villages are practically entirely destroyed, even brick stoves fell apart," officials said, adding that rescuers flown in by helicopter were assessing the situation. The temblor measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck at 1114 GMT, at a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles). It was located in Koryakiya, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Il'pyrskiy and 6,300 kilometers (3,910 miles) north-northeast of Moscow.
The quake was the third that rocked the peninsula on Friday, according to the Kamchatka seismological service, the first measuring a massive 7.9 degrees and the second 6.2.
Thousands of people in Koryakiya, a sparsely populated district, were affected by the earlier quakes, but only four required medical attention, with about 50 more believed to have only minor injuries, the emergency situations ministry said. The Kamchatka peninsula, which is roughly the same size as Japan, is one of Russia's wildest regions, known for hot springs, 29 active volcanos and a large population of brown bears.
TOKYO (AP) - A strong earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 shook eastern Japan early Friday, injuring three people but there was no danger of tsunami, the Meteorological Agency and police said.
The 02:50 a.m. local time quake occurred 10 kilometres below the ocean floor, just off the east coast of Izu Peninsula, about 90 kilometres southeast of Tokyo, the agency said. In Ito City in Shizuoka prefecture, one of the most strongly shaken cities, a 64-year-old woman suffered minor bruises on her head when a wardrobe fell on her, local police spokesman Mitsuo Sugibayashi said.
In nearby Kanagawa prefecture, two women aged 67 and 52 also suffered minor injuries, police said, providing no other details. The agency said there was no threat of a tsunami - potentially dangerous waves triggered by seismic activity. The quake, felt most strongly in Izu Oshima, moderately shook buildings in the Tokyo region but didn't cause any damage.
Japan, which rests atop several tectonic plates, is among the world's most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude five quake can damage houses and buildings in densely populated areas.
In Daniel 2+ 7 we see the World into 10 Regions. I believe this means 10 WORLD TRADING BLOCKS THE WORLD WILL BE PUT INTO.
Right now theres way more then 10 blocks but i figure the world will change the blocks of the world to only 10.
44 And in the days of these kings (10) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
TRADING BLOCKS AND COUNTRY GROUPS OF THE WORLD SO FAR.
BEIJING - Beijing will use artificial rainmaking to clear the air after a choking dust storm coated China's capital and beyond with yellow grit, prompting a health warning to keep children indoors, state media said Tuesday. The huge storm blew dust far beyond China's borders, blanketing South Korea and reaching Tokyo. The storm, reportedly the worst in at least five years, hit Beijing overnight Sunday, turning the sky yellow and forcing residents to dust off and hose down cars and buildings.
Hospitals reported a jump in cases of breathing problems, state television said. The government was preparing to seed clouds to make rain to clear the air, state TV said, citing the Central Meteorological Bureau. It did not elaborate, and the bureau refused to release more information. Storms carrying chalky dust from the north China plain hit Beijing every spring, but newspapers said this week's was the heaviest since at least 2001. The Beijing Daily Messenger said 300,000 tons of sand and dust were dumped on the city Monday.
That was "definitely one of the most serious pollution days in Beijing," weather forecaster Yang Keming said, according to the China Daily newspaper. "Small children had better stay at home during such days. The dust reached Tokyo on Tuesday, the first time that has happened in six years, said Naoko Takashina of Japan's Meteorological Agency. Dust from China was found in more than 50 locations throughout the country, she said. The Japanese agency warned of reduced visibility but did not say any health dangers were expected.
In South Korea, a light layer of dust blanketed the country, but no ill effects were reported. Rain was forecast overnight Tuesday, and the weather bureau said it should clear the air. The dust storms are expected to last through at least Wednesday in Beijing, neighboring Tianjin and a swath of north China stretching from Jilin province in the northeast through Inner Mongolia to Xinjiang in the desert northwest, the China Daily and other media said. That region is home to hundreds of millions of people. More storms were expected later in the week in Xinjiang and other parts of the northwest, according to news reports.
China's government has been replanting "green belts" of trees throughout the north in an effort to trap the dust after decades when the storms worsened amid heavy tree-cutting. Last week, the western Xinjiang region was hit by its worst sandstorm in decades, which killed one person and left thousands stranded after sand covered railways and high winds smashed train and car windows.
Associated Press reporters Chisaki Watanabe in Tokyo and Bo-mi Lim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
WICHITA, Kan. - This year's wildfire season could be one of the worst ever, with 2.15 million acres already burned nationwide this spring — more than five times the average, fire officials said Tuesday. Fires have been especially bad in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska and New Mexico. Fire departments say they are straining under the load with little relief in sight from windy, dry conditions.
said. More than 30,665 major fires have been reported nationwide this year so far, compared with an average of 17,288 in the same period, the agency said. The total area burned is more than five times the average 380,048 acres. Fires have killed 18 people and destroyed more than 1,100 buildings this year.
Texas alone has fought 1.3 million acres of fires, and more than 115,082 acres have burned in Oklahoma, the agency said.Grass is so dry in some areas it ignites 50 feet in front of the flames just from the heat. Fires are jumping four-lane paved highways, and the flames spread so fast trucks going 30 mph cannot outrun them, he said. We are seeing stuff that hasn't happened in the last decade," said Jim Schmidt, an emergency management director in Kansas. "We are seeing cedar trees igniting 40 feet in front of our fire trucks — exploding with no moisture in it.


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As Team Leader, you will oversee a team of six Account Handlers and Brokers handling middle market and corporate accounts from a range of industry sectors, such as Technology, Professional Services, Engineering and Manufacturing. This team is well-established and is known within the business for its focus on client service and its supportive environment, where all colleagues enjoy working to shared goals and objectives. Your team will include talented rising stars with a couple of years' experience, as well as veterans of the industry. As such, you will be responsible for providing support and guidance to gifted, but still learning, Account Handlers, as well as ensuring more seasoned colleagues remain motivated and challenged.
You will be tasked with ensuring the team continues to deliver excellent service to clients, along with an exemplary level of account handling / broking support to Account Executives and Directors. This will include, but by no means be limited to, allocating workloads, dealing with HR issues, ensuring work is carried out in a timely and compliant fashion, managing relationships with external stakeholders, and being involved in a variety of projects. As you would expect, this is a visible role that will require a lot of interaction with senior colleagues. In addition, it is worth noting that you will be personally acting as the lead Broker / Handler on your own portfolio of accounts (depending on your experience, this is likely to be the larger accounts, potentially including those generating well in excess of £25K fee income).
It is essential that you have a strong understanding of all common commercial covers, including Property, Liability, Professional Indemnity, D&O and Business Interruption. This should include a track record of dealing with larger corporate cases, either gained in a broking or underwriting capacity. Whilst it is not essential that you have previously been a Team Leader, you must be able to demonstrate a clear desire to undertake a leadership position and ideally have previously held some supervisory experience (such as deputising in the absence of line management). You must also be well-organised, with excellent communication skills and be able to promote the wider businesses goals and objectives to your team. Whilst by no means essential, progress towards professional qualifications would add weight to your application.
In return, you will receive a generous and completely negotiable basic salary and a range of company benefits including support towards CII qualifications, if necessary. For the ambitious, this role can lead to a myriad of development opportunities within the business.


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Build a Social Network with Flask
5:45 with Kenneth Love
Let's talk about the what, the why, and the how of creating this Tacocat project. We'll talk about running the tests and how to figure out what the tests expect of you.
New Terms:
TestCase - A group of tests about a certain area of the project
test_ - A test method that actually tests a part of the code
You run the tests with python app_tests.py. Anything with a . is good, anything with E or F needs more work.
So, you just finished a course about building an entire app, a Flask,
and a database.
But before we end this course for real,
I want to give you one more challenge, and I'll warn you now, it's a bit of a doozy.
Attached to this video is a new workspace.
You should go ahead and launch it, because it's going to be really important for
solving the following code challenge.
In the workspace is a directory of Python tests.
I want you to create a Flask web app,
in the workspace that passes all of the tests that I've included.
Now, I know you don't know how to run the tests yet,
but we'll cover that in a minute.
First, let's talk about what this app needs to do.
The app needs a user model with an e-mail address and a password.
The password should be hashed with bcrypt.
The app should have views for signing up, logging in, and logging out.
The app should also have a model for a taco.
The taco should have a user, a protein choice, a cheese choice, a shell choice,
and a free-form text field for further options.
And finally, users should be able to browse other users' recent taco creations
on the homepage.
I put more details into a readme file in the workspace,
to spell out all of the nitty-gritty details.
And, the tests will tell you when something isn't working.
I want you to know up front that this is going to be a lot of work.
We're doing it in workspaces so
you can save your progress over multiple tries or days.
You don't have to complete this step.
You've still learned so much about Flask.
But if you make it through, you'll know for
a fact that you can start building whatever apps you dream up.
Learning to build things from a spec,
like my description a bit ago in the readme file, and
learning to write code against tests, is a giant part of being a real developer.
On that note, let's go see how to run the tests right now.
All right, so
let's talk about what all is involved in this, cuz this is, this is different.
We haven't done this before.
So in your workspace you're gonna see there's a readme file, and
this contains the brief like, what you would get from a client or
a project manager or you know, somebody in that kind of role.
Somebody who tells you what it is that you're gonna build.
Or, maybe, this is something you wrote up yourself,
because you're building a project for yourself.
So the brief is more conversational, kind of, just explaining some of the stuff.
At the bottom, there are bullet points that outline, basically,
the, it must do this, must do this, must do this, kind of thing.
Beyond that, though, there is a app_tests.py file with all the tests.
First of all, though, let's talk about some stuff.
There's forms.py, models.py, and tacocat.py.
Tacocat is, of course, the actual application.
Now, these are all empty.
There's nothing in here.
You've gotta fill that in yourself.
But, I did provide you with HTML, and inside static, there is css and
images that look good.
It'll end up producing something like this.
So let's talk about these tests for a minute.
If we look at the tests, here in app.tests.py,
there are quite a, quite a bit of code in here.
And if you haven't ever seen test cases written for Python, or period,
these are going to look fairly foreign and and, not necessarily unreadable,
but a little, a little different, a little weird from what you're used to.
So, for example, let's look at the first one.
So we have test cases, and each test case deals with a certain area.
And then inside each test case,
any function that starts with test is a test for a certain thing.
So in this case, we're testing the creation of a user.
So we call this create_users, which tries to create two users.
And you can see that when we call create_user,
we're A, we're expecting there to be a method called create_user.
B, we're expecting the user to have an email and a password.
This create_user method tells me that we're going to be doing hashing, and
we have to do hashing.
And if we look at the test, this test_create_user,
we can see here that we've created the users.
We make sure that it made two users.
And we make sure that the first user or
any of the users, the password does not actually equal the string password.
So that confirms to me that we have to hash the user's password.
So that's probably the first thing to try and do.
Inside models.py, you wanna make a user.
You wanna give that user an email and a password.
And you want to provide a create_user method that will create users,
and that hashes their passwords, probably using bcrypt.
We're not testing to make sure that it's bcrypt,
but that's I would assume you'd want to use.
So what does it look like when you have all the tests passing?
Cuz right now, if I try to pass a test by running python app_tests.py.
I immediately get a failure.
I did not pass that test.
But if I come over here to one that I prepared ahead of time,
much like the magic of cooking on television,
then I see a bunch of dots, there will be 11 of these, I do believe.
Takes about ten seconds to run.
And I ran all 11 tests and they were all okay.
So all of my tests are good, all my tests pass.
Yours, not even one runs yet.
So, make each of them pass, run apptest.py every time you, you write some code.
And soon, you'll have them all passing, and then you're all done.
So, once all of your tests pass, you can move on to the next step.
Which is a code challenge, that's expecting the app that you just created.
You can copy and paste the contents of the files from the workspace
into the files in the code challenge, and you should pass, right away.
I know that this is a brand new way of doing a code challenge, and
a much bigger code challenge than you normally do.
But I'm sure you'll be able to make it work.


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