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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/15/2017 11:35:55 AM
	Union of Concerned Scientists Sea Level Rise to Flood Major U.S. Cities July 13, 2017By Jessica Corbett As an iceberg the size of Delaware broke away from an ice shelf in Antarctica Wednesday, scientists released findings that up to 668 U.S. communities could face chronic flooding from rising sea levels by the end of the century. More than 90 communities are already grappling with "chronic inundation" from sea level rise caused by climate change—meaning they have crossed the threshold for when "flooding becomes unmanageable for people's daily lives," disrupting "people's routines, livelihoods, homes and communities." When Rising Seas Hit Home, the new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), found that number could nearly double, to 170, over the next two decades. Coastal sections of Louisiana and Maryland account for the majority of the communities that are currently experiencing heavy flooding, but UCS researchers predict these unmanageable floods will reach the Jersey Shore and Florida's Gulf Coast by mid-century. By 2100, they calculate 40 to 60 percent of all oceanfront communities on the East and Gulf Coasts, and a growing number of West Coast communities, will be inundated with chronic flooding. At-risk regions include major cities like Boston, Savannah, Fort Lauderdale, Newark and four of New York City's five boroughs. "We hope this analysis provides a wake-up call to coastal communities—and us as a nation—so we can see this coming and have time to prepare," said Erika Spanger-Siegfried, a UCS senior analyst and co-author of the report, the first study of its kind to examine potential flood risks for the entire coastline of the lower 48 states. The UCS researchers also considered which cities may be spared from the worst of the flooding if the Paris agreement goals are met. Although Donald Trump withdrew from the climate agreement, many U.S. state and community leaders have committed to upholding it. "Meeting the long term goals of the Paris agreement would offer coastal communities facing chronic flooding their best chance to limit the harms of sea level rise," said Rachel Cleetus, UCS's lead economist. The UCS researchers considered which cities may be spared from the worst of the flooding if the Paris agreement goals are met. Although "large-scale reductions in global warming emissions," which are among the Paris agreement's main goals, "may slow the rate at which sea level rise is accelerating and save many communities," the report noted for many communities, it's too little, too late. "For hundreds of other cities and towns," it said, "increased flooding is inevitable, and adaptation is now essential." Some communities are already making efforts to address flooding by raising roads, raising or constructing sea walls and installing pumping systems. Miami Beach has started work on a major flood prevention project that is expected to cost the city hundreds of millions over the next several years. Although Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has been lauded for embracing climate science and taking action to address the flooding, his plan has also been criticized by climate deniers and experts alike. "There's no playbook for this," Levine said to the Miami New Times. "There's no one saying, 'Here, mayor, follow these 20 easy steps and you'll be OK." The scientific community is increasingly looking for ways to engage with policymakers and the public. The UCSreport made a number of policy recommendations based on its analysis, and this week, a group of more than 300 scientists from around the world are meeting in New York City to review current sea-level science and beginning discussions about collaborating on future research. "We have a special responsibility to help society respond to the climate issue," said Guy Brasseur of the World Climate Research Programme, one of the conference organizers, urging the conference attendees to invest heavily in sea-level rise research. But even with access to robust scientific information about these issues, environmental policies can take a backseat when certain social issues are more politically convenient, or in communities without the financial means to develop and implement massive prevention projects like the one in Miami Beach. More than half of the 170 communities most at-risk for flooding over the next two decades encompass socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods, the UCS report noted—"similar to the proportion of today's chronically inundated communities." The Eastern Shore of Maryland, one of the regions currently experiencing some of the worst chronic flooding, "is home to a large elderly population on fixed incomes and a large African American population, two groups that have traditionally had fewer resources to cope with environmental disasters and change," the report noted. Report authors also acknowledged that these communities will require more assistance to address rising flood concerns: "This analysis brings attention to the fact that these communities will need more resources and more capacity in order to prepare for the impacts of sea level rise. Fair solutions will be those that include considerations of socioeconomic vulnerability and are implemented equitably across communities." Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams. (ecowatch.com)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/15/2017 5:05:11 PM
	Strong solar flare erupts from sunspot AR2665 SpaceWeather.com Fri, 14 Jul 2017 18:53 UTC © NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Solar flare eruption July 14, 2017 After days of suspenseful quiet, huge sunspot AR2665 finally erupted on July 14th (0209 UT), producing a powerful and long-lastingM2-class solar flare. Extreme ultraviolet telescopes onboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the blast: Remarkably, the explosion persisted for more than two hours, producing a sustained fusillade of X-rays and energetic protons that ionized the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere. Shortwave radio blackouts were subsequently observed over the Pacific Ocean and especially around the Arctic Circle. This map from NOAA shows the affected geographic regions. Of even greater interest is the coronal mass ejection (CME). The explosion hurled a bright CME away from the blast site, and it appears to be heading for Earth. See video here. This expanding cloud will likely reach our planet on July 16th, possibly sparking geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras when it arrives. Stay tuned for improved predictions as NOAA analysts model the trajectory and potency of the incoming CME. (sott.net)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/15/2017 5:25:33 PM
	Monster storm batters the city of Chengdu, China Tracy You Daily Mail Fri, 14 Jul 2017 12:54 UTC A huge explosion occurred in the city centre at around 6pm after power cables caught fire A heavy rainstorm yesterday ravaged the Chinese city of Chengdu during evening rush hours, causing traffic chaos. Terrifying video clips circulating on social media show high wind gusts pushing cars on the road like toys and smashing down the glass doors of an office building. The extreme weather also caused a huge explosion in the city centre after power cables caught fire, according to local reports. The storm is said to be the most severe one that has struck Chengdu this year, reported Sichuan News. It began at around 5pm local time yesterday and lasted for about three hours. Traffic came to a grinding halt as the high winds and heavy rain battered the provincial capital city of 16 million residents. Around 9,000 air travellers faced disruptions to their journeys after 10 flights were said to be cancelled and more than 40 flights were delayed. In addition, more than 40 planes were forced to land in nearby cities. An explosion occurred at around 6pm near Chunxi Road. The blast is said to be caused by a short circuit after tree branches were blown onto power cables setting them on fire, reportedChina Central Television Station. Car were pushed around by winds as the severe storm battered Chengdu, China, yesterday The storm uprooted 2,345 trees. The city's authority dispatched 165 vehicles and 1,357 workers to attend the rescue operation. No casualties have been reported as a result of the storm. (sott.net)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/15/2017 5:58:36 PM
	FUKUSHIMA'S NUCLEAR WASTE WILL BE DUMPED INTO THE OCEAN, JAPANESE PLANT OWNER SAYS BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 7/14/17 AT 2:31 PM Updated \| Toxic waste produced by one of the world's worst nuclear disasters will be dumped into the sea, according to the head of the Japanese company tasked with cleaning up the radioactive mess, despite protests from local fishermen. Takashi Kawamura, chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), told foreign mediathat nearly 777,000 tons of water tainted with tritium, a byproduct of the nuclear process that is notoriously difficult to filter out of water, will be dumped into the Pacific Ocean as part of a multibillion-dollar recovery effort following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. That year, an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, killing more than 15,000 people and leading to a series of meltdowns at the TEPCO-owned Fukushima No. 1, or Daiichi, nuclear power plant, causing it to spew radiation that has plagued the region ever since. While much progress has been made to clean the area, the company has yet to deal with the water that was used to cool the plant's damaged reactors, causing it to become tainted with tritium. Related: Japan's Fukushima cleanup minister says refugees from nuclear radiation are on their own "The decision has already been made," Kawamura claimed, according to The Japan Times. Tepco wants to release the contaminated water that is being stored in hundreds of tanks at the plant into the ocean. According to Reuters, this is a common practice at functioning nuclear plants. Kawamura said that he would urge a government task force responsible for the cleanup of the Fukushima site to disclose when its decision on what to do with the water will be made. "We could have decided much earlier, and that is TEPCO's responsibility," he added, according to Reuters. A member of the media uses a Geiger counter at Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima, Japan, February 23, 2017. The site includes hundreds of tanks containing about 777,000 tons of water laced with tritium that TEPCO has decided to dump into the nearby sea, despite opposition from local fishermen.TOMOHIRO OHSUMI/REUTERS Despite his claim that the issue has already been decided, Kawamura suggested that TEPCO will wait for the government panel’s final verdict before going ahead and dumping the water. “We cannot keep going if we do not have the support of the state,” he said, according to The Japan Times. Tritium is relatively harmless to humans in small doses, and Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Agency Chairman Shunichi Tanaka told The Guardian last year that the tritium in Fukushima's tanks was "so weak in its radioactivity it won’t penetrate plastic wrapping." The plan to dump tritium-contaminated water into the sea was met with opposition by local fishermen, who say their industry has suffered enough in the aftermath of the environmental crisis. While TEPCO and Tokyo say that the low concentration of tritium would do little damage to the ecosystem and could prevent a more serious accident from occurring at the site, where around 580 tanks are stored, fishermen argue that the negative publicity would be devastating to their livelihoods. Dozens of countries and the European Union now ban certain fish imports from Japan following the disaster, and up to 33 continue to do so as of March. TEPCO's decision also has been met with outrage by anti-nuclear activists such as Aileen Mioko-Smith of Kyoto-based Green Action Japan, a group created in 1991 that is "working to create a nuclear-power-free Japan," according to its official website. "This accident happened more than six years ago, and the authorities should have been able to devise a way to remove the tritium instead of simply announcing that they are going to dump it into the ocean," Mioko-Smith told The Telegraph. "They say that it will be safe because the ocean is large so it will be diluted, but that sets a precedent that can be copied, essentially permitting anyone to dump nuclear waste into our seas," she continued. A map showing the status of restricted areas affected by radiation from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant as of March 6, 2017. The nuclear disaster displaced up to 150,000 people, and many are reluctant to return to the region, despite pressure from the Japanese government.JAPAN'S MINISTRY OF TRADE, ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY TEPCO's over-budget, oft-delayed effort to recover its former plant has been the subject of controversy for a number of reasons. Due to residual nuclear fuel, parts of the plant are so radioactive that they have even destroyed the robots specifically designed to survive in the deadly environment. Last month, Japanese company Toshiba announced it would send a new robot dubbed "little sunfish" to survey the flooded area of the plant from which no device has returned, BBC News reported. A number of TEPCO officials have also stood trial for negligence over the nuclear disaster. As for the rest of the Fukushima prefecture, life has started to resume, albeit slowly. Of the estimated 150,000 who fled, only around 13 percent have come back. The Japanese government has increasingly pressured the rest to return by pledging greater investment in Fukushima's infrastructure and by withdrawing subsidies provided to the refugees and their families. Correction: An earlier version of this story suggested that it was up to TEPCO to decide whether tritium-contaminated water at Fukushima should be released into the sea. (Newsweek)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/15/2017 6:15:45 PM
	Four y.o. girl dead after being wrapped up in duct tape by mother and her boyfriend Danya Bazaraa The Mirror Fri, 14 Jul 2017 19:15 UTC © Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office Desaray was not breathing when she was found on Sunday. A four-year-old "darling little girl" has died after her mum and boyfriend allegedly wrapped her up in duct tape every night for two-weeks. Desaray Thompson was found not breathing at a home on Sunday, and officers' attempts to revive her using CPR were tragically unsuccessful. The child's mother Kelly Ballinger, 33, and her boyfriend, Matthew Longenecker, 34, had restrained the little girl at night for a period of two weeks, detectives said. They wrapped her up in blankets then duct tape before putting her to bed, Kalamazoo County District Court heard. She could not move until she was unwrapped the next day, Detective Sheila Goodell told the hearing. At times, the girl's face was allegedly covered as well, Kalamazoo News reports. Ms Goodell said Desaray's body was found covered in bruises and lacerations. Her great-grandmother, Virginia Davis from Portage, called Desaray a "darling little girl" in a tribute and said the family were devastated by her death. She said Desaray was a happy girl who could dance and sing. Ms Davis reportedly used to babysit her granddaughter but had not seen her since January, even though she had asked Ballinger to visit. Kelly Ballinger and Matthew Longenecker were charged on Tuesday with murder and first-degree child abuse, charges which are punishable by up to life in prison. The couple have both admitted to restraining the girl, according to reports. Detective Goodell also revealed that text messages were found on their phones which backed up the evidence. Two other children, believed to be eight and two months old, have been taken into protective custody by Child Protection Services. Ballinger and Longenecker were arraigned and are due back in court on August 1 for prelimary examinations. (sott.net)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

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